AV Magazines

Brit hi-fi guru Meridian has teamed up with the stylists at Alfred Dunhill to create the Meridian Alfred Dunhill AD88 Entertainment System.

In a superb slice of press rhetoric, the AD88 apparently 'exploits Meridian's peerless expertise in digital audio and loudspeaker design to achieve breathtaking musical depth, power, and detail from a single, handsome, superbly finished component no bigger than a desktop humidor'. Cool.

The AD88 sports a state-of-the-art 2-plus-1-channel digital sound system with the DNA of Meridian's flagship reference systems to 'stop the first-time hearer in his tracks'.

Incorporated is a reference-grade Meridian CD and DVD player with FM/AM tuner with advanced reception, iPod docking station and remote control.

Advanced Digital Signal Processing developed expressly for the AD88 promises a wide and lifelike soundstage, with a trio of amplifiers serving up more than 80W of power to the stereo speakers and rear-facing subwoofer.

The casing is cast in metal, braced with nine-layer Finnish birch and is a dense, acoustically inert, internally braced structure with intrinsic cooling system.

A series of smart buttons and OLED screen showing track and station info make up the front of the AD88, alongside a somewhat garish Alfred Dunhill signature.

'Partnering with Alfred Dunhill is an unparalleled opportunity for Meridian to reach new customers: consumers who value unquestionable quality and heirloom status in equal measure,' says Bob Stuart, Co-founder, chairman, and chief technology officer of Meridian Audio Limited.

No word on availability and pricing. We say expect it soon but don't expect it to be cheap.

www.meridian-audio.com