Hi-Fi Choice review the Meridian Ellipse streaming speaker
Thursday, 20th March 2025
Hi-Fi Choice magazine takes a good look - and listen - to Meridian Audio's premium streaming speaker.
Extreme performance built in
The first half of the review runs through all the practicalities of the unit – functions, settings, connectivity, specifications, etc. The key point here is where all this tech has come from, with the reviewer, Mark Craven, emphasising the fact that Ellipse is the third product to be developed through Meridian’s Extreme Engineering programme.
According to Meridian, this has involved “years of investment and research at the extreme edge of audio design and [builds] upon the fundamental and unique elements of Meridian’s approach to delivering authentic, natural and lifelike sound”.
Sounds impressive, and it is: the previous two results of the programme were their flagship, £80,000 DSP8000 XE and £60,000 DSP9 loudspeakers. What this means is that an awful lot of R&D knowledge has trickled down into this small speaker which would not otherwise have been economically viable.
This all means that, in effect, Ellipse is not so much a ‘streaming speaker’ as a complete, one-box Meridian system. It’s not surprising, therefore, that his experience of the Ellipse prompts Mark to state that:
“there’s a sense of ‘rightness’ about the performance that belies the form factor. Few, if any, desktop units of its stature sound this good: detailed, dynamic, tonally rich and – perhaps most importantly – fun”.
Built for performance
The fact the Ellipse is so well built plays a large part in this ‘rightness’. For example, the left and right drivers are each securely housed in their own acoustically-isolated chambers within the extremely rigid and inert main cabinet. So, it makes sense when Mark reports that “even ramping up the level on the Controller app past the ‘80’ point (the range is 0-100) doesn’t cause it to lose its grip on proceedings”.
It’s not just a matter of the speaker’s ability to play loud that’s notable here – in itself, something that is very impressive for a small, stand-alone speaker – but more a reflection of the control which it manages to retain at these high volumes. Yes, it’s a hi-fi cliché, he suggests, “but the compact speaker really does perform like something bigger”… it can “happily be parked at the other end of a room and still make its presence felt”.
Hi-end hi-res streaming
In keeping with Ellipse’s high-end credentials, Mark notes that the speaker performance especially well when fed more suitably high-end sources.
Though you will be more than happy streaming via Spotify or Bluetooth, he suggests that higher resolution files bring out the true, expressive potential of the Meridian (or perhaps that should be vice versa?!).
Playing a high-res stream via Roon, he states that:
“the sound of the piano, the weight of the bass guitar note and the fine detail of the percussion on show during Billy Joel’s Travelin' Prayer, in 24-bit/88.2kHz PCM, are exquisite”.
Sound investment
In concluding, Mark suggests that the Ellipse is a bit of a no-brainer for existing customers who already have Meridian main system and are looking for something smaller for other rooms: “go ahead and pick one (or more) up right now” he urges.
But, of course, the speaker is also designed as a stand-alone unit in its own right, regardless of what other equipment you may own. Here it still provides a strong case as a “triumph of design, performance and under-the-hood engineering”.
However, whereas that price tag may not be a factor for those with £60K-£80K already invested in the company’s speakers, for most, he proposes, it means that “the Ellipse has a fight on its hands to compete with more affordable models… But it’s a fight that, all things being equal, it will no doubt win”.
Magazine: Hi-Fi Choice
Issue: April 2025
Verdict: 5 Stars, Recommended
Buy Meridian Ellipse
Sound investment
In concluding, Mark suggests that the Ellipse is a bit of a no-brainer for existing customers who already have Meridian main system and are looking for something smaller for other rooms: “go ahead and pick one (or more) up right now” he urges.
But, of course, the speaker is also designed as a stand-alone unit in its own right, regardless of what other equipment you may own. Here it still provides a strong case as a “triumph of design, performance and under-the-hood engineering”.
However, whereas that price tag may not be a factor for those with £60K-£80K already invested in the company’s speakers, for most, he proposes, it means that “the Ellipse has a fight on its hands to compete with more affordable models… But it’s a fight that, all things being equal, it will no doubt win”.
Magazine: Hi-Fi Choice
Issue: April 2025
Verdict: 5 Stars, Recommended
Buy Meridian Ellipse
Written By Simon Dalton
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