Meridian Director review

The diminutive Director packs a sonic punch but doesn’t have the rhythmic swagger of the best Tested at £450

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

The diminutive Director packs a sonic punch but doesn’t have the rhythmic swagger of the best

Pros

  • +

    Discreet design

  • +

    Awesome levels of detail

  • +

    Punchy, lively and clear presentation

Cons

  • -

    Not as musically enjoyable as some

  • -

    Limited features

  • -

    Looks and feels a little basic

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

The Director is the second in Meridian’s range of standalone DACs and follows on from the excellent portable Explorer, a firm five-star favourite of ours.

The Director is quite small and boasts fewer connections than many of its direct rivals – indeed it looks and feels about half the price of some. That compact size and squashed cylindrical shape does, however, add an air of distinction when compared with all those other rectangular boxes with their straight lines and right-angles.

Meridian Director

Meridian Director

Features

The feature count is limited, but that’s understandable given the amount of space the Meridian engineers had to work with. The USB socket (Type B) acts as a conduit for digital files, but also as a way of powering the device. It’s class 2.0 too, so will cater for high-res 24-bit/192kHz files.

The Meridian has one 3.5mm socket on the rear, which doubles as an optical and coaxial input. You’re provided with the relevant adapters in the box. We assume it's all in the name of space-saving, but an integrated headphone output wouldn’t go amiss.

Meridian Director

Meridian Director

That minimalist rear panel is matched by an equally unfussy fascia. There’s a small input selector button in the middle; white LEDs on either side indicate the input being used and the sample rate being received.

Instead of using an actual figure to represent the sample rate, the Director uses the figures 1x, 2x and 4x as indicators – it’s a little overcomplicated and unnecessary.

Sound

Feed it a lowly compressed Spotify stream of Kings of Leon’s Wait for Me, and the Director really brings the track to life. Strings sound clear, natural and sharp, drum beats hit with precision and sound pleasingly solid.

Whatever the quality of file, the Meridian manages to uncover more nuances and subtle details than virtually any of its rivals. The DAC emits a great sense of space that allows instruments and vocals to breathe.

Meridian Director

Meridian Director

Switch to a bass-heavy track such as Massive Attacks’s Angel, and there’s depth and weight to the probing lows, but they don’t lag or sound loose. Our only reservation is the Director seems so caught up in analysing the track and digging up detail, it seems to take its eye off the actual flow and rhythm.

Angel just doesn’t build the same sense of tension as through, say, the Arcam irDAC and you don’t feel quite as inclined to listening through to the end.

Verdict

The Meridian may be impressive for detail retrieval, but over bouts of long-term listening, this DAC just isn’t as fun to listen to as some rival devices.

See all our DAC reviews

Follow whathifi.com on Twitter

Join us on Facebook

Find us on Google+

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


Read more about how we test