Review: Meridian Sooloos Media Core 200 and DSP3200

Extended Test Bench

Frequency response (at 2 meters)
47 Hz to 20 kHz ±8.9 dB

Bass limits
50 Hz at 77 dB

I was unable to use the MC 200 media server as a source for these tests due to its lack of inputs, so Meridian loaned me a G61 surround controller to interface my test gear with the speakers. The speaker sat atop a 6-foot stand for these measurements. This gave quasi-anechoic results down to about 250 Hz. I measured the DSP3200 at a distance of 2 meters, enough to incorporate the effects of cabinet diffraction. The curves in the graph show an averaged response from 0° to 30°, smoothed to 1/12th of an octave. To get the bass response, I close-miked the woofer, then spliced its response to the averaged quasi-anechoic response to produce this graph.

The DSP3200’s frequency-response measurements are fairly flat below 10 kHz. Above that, the effects of using an 85mm cone mid-tweeter instead of the usual 25mm dome tweeter are evident. There’s a sharp +7.5-dB resonant peak at 13.1 kHz, with a steep treble rolloff above that. These characteristics are responsible for the DSP3200’s unimpressive ±8.9-dB response. Take them out and the speaker measures much better: ±4.2 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. It’s kind of a shame because that 13.1 kHz peak is so narrow and so high in frequency that it’s probably barely if at all audible. The off-axis response is very smooth out to 30°; there’s almost no difference between the 0° response and the averaged 0° to 30° shown in the graph. At more extreme angles of 45° and 60°, the treble rolls off sharply (from –12 to –20 dB above about 8 kHz), but there are no significant dips or peaks at lower frequencies.

Despite its small size, the DSP3200 has decent bass response: I measured 77 dB at 1 meter at 50 Hz, and 85 dB at 63 Hz. Not enough to shake the floor, but enough to deliver a full sound.

Because the DSP3200 is internally powered, there was no need to make impedance and sensitivity measurements.

— Brent Butterworth