Meridian announces firmware update to enable MQA playback

By
published

Upgrades mean that Meridian’s products will be the first to get MQA playback support. They will be available to download from 4th February.

The MQA-compatible products which will receive the update are the Explorer 2, Prime Headphone Amplifier, 808v6 Reference CD player, 818v3 Reference Audio Core, the Special Edition Loudspeakers range and the company’s 40th Anniversary Systems.

MQA is a new technology that will allow hi-res audio files to take up less storage space, or require less bandwidth for streaming, while still retaining the full sonic benefits.

2L is currently the only site with MQA files available to buy, though Tidal is expected to offer hi-res streaming using MQA later this year.

John Buchanan, CEO at Meridian, said: “The commercial availability of MQA heralds an exciting time for Meridian and our customers. We are proud to be the first to offer MQA playback at the highest level in a pure digital signal path straight from the studio to your home or pocket.”

Firmware updates for the personal audio products will be available from the support pages on Meridian’s website, while Reference Series products and loudspeakers will need to be taken care of directly by Meridian dealers and Meridian customer support.

MORE: MQA audio - what is it? how can you get it?

Max Langridge

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.