Meridian Ellipse review: all-in-one treat comes with a big price surprise

I've been testing the best wireless speakers for many years and am aware their price variances can be huge. Honestly, though, that hadn't really entered into my mind having set up the Meridian Ellipse – the company's first-ever all-in-one product – which I've had parked on the kitchen table for many weeks to enjoy listening during at-home working sessions.

I had half-written this Ellipse review in my head already, but before putting pen to paper, as it were, I looked up the asking price and almost spat out my morning tea. Because, despite the Ellipse's diminutive size – it's about the size of a shoebox (shoe size dependent, of course) – and big audio output all considered, it's one heck of a pricey proposition. So is it worth it?

Just how expensive is the Meridian Ellipse?

The Meridian Ellipse is available right now and – brace yourselves – it can be yours for the princely sum of £1,900 / $3,000. I can't locate an Australian price at present, but I'm advised it'll cost AU$4,999. So, yes, one helluva lot, whichever way you shape it – elliptically, perhaps?

I shan't dwell excessively on this pricing fact from here on out, however, other than to note here that the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition, which I had tested just prior to the Ellipse – and, indeed, did some side-by-side testing – is around a third of the price and sounds better.

How large is the Meridian Ellipse?

It'll be of little surprise to see that the Ellipse is an elliptical shape – I'm leaning towards a pair of parabola, but can see why the marketing department didn't opt for that name – with its elongated oval shape being clearly defined when faced front-on.

It's just over 41cm wide, 22cm deep and 17cm high – raised upon its trio of audio-dampening feet to offset vibrations – so while it's not a tiny product by any means, it's fairly small and easy to position. Just make sure you do so near to a plug, as this speaker requires power at all times – there's no battery or portability factor.

Up top you'll find a half-moon cutout where the physical controls live, comprising on/off, play/pause, skip forward, skip backwards, volume up, volume down, and Bluetooth connectivity. They illuminate and the level of light output can be adjusted from within the Meridian app as you wish – it may be that you rarely touch these buttons and handle everything via a connected device, of course.

Being a high-end company, there are high-end options to get your top-quality audio sources into the Ellipse too. Around the back is an Ethernet port if you don't fancy using Wi-Fi, and there's even a 3.5mm/optical input. The dual USB ports – type A and type C – can support 192kHz at 24-bit; that drops to 96kHz via optical (mini-TOSLINK).

For those not going hard-wired, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options open up audio options via AirPlay, Google Cast, with native Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect built-in. It's Roon Ready, too, and can be used as a UPnP renderer if network-attached storage is where you source your audio catalogue.

The design aesthetic is one key part of the equation, embodying a very well-thought-out set of internal components. Meridian is a high-end audio manufacturer, after all, so it hasn't just plonked some speakers into an enclosure and called it a day. No, the three drive units here are individually mounted in individual chambers to provide acoustic isolation from one another – and I'll get to how they sound in the section below.

Does the sound quality justify the asking price?

To deliver top-quality audio, Meridian has used its manufacturing experience from floor-standing speakers that cost in the £60-80,000 range. Meridian says that each component of the Ellipse has "been meticulously specified for its acoustic benefits," and "rigorously engineered to deliver that Meridian signature sound performance in any room".

Key to that is a sealed cabinet that doesn't resonate at any of the available volume levels, while the rubber-tipped feet ensure no vibrations to surrounding surfaces (I do question why the feet are a white finish, though). True enough, however, it hasn't caused my kitchen table or cabinets to vibrate during listening sessions.

Within the Ellipse are two 90mm full-range drivers, positioned as left and right channels in a simple stereo setup. A racetrack driver in the middle acts as the woofer, offering bass down to 40Hz – and, I must say, it's this low-end output that far surpasses the Ellipse's diminutive size – all of which are individually amplified.

Bass is clearly no problem for this little speaker. No frequency is, quite frankly. I've been listening for many hours and, for a smaller-scale speaker, the quality is excellent. It's a balanced delivery, just the right side of warm, with enough sharpness from the high-end without pushing things to excess.

The app furthers the experience, offering treble -10dB to +6.5dB and bass to +/-5dB for a more nuanced listen. You can even change the phase from positive to negative (to forward the woofer), while 'Free-Q' caters for positioning – whether in the open, against a wall, on a shelf, or in a corner. Bass & Space (off/min/med/max) adds processing for a more spatial soundfield projection, which really works, while Image Elevation gives the impression of an elevated soundstage – at the cost of bass the further up the min/med/max scale you select.

All of which is great. Except – and I know I said I wouldn't dwell on it – this is a £1900/$3,000/AU$5000 speaker. And having sat the (admittedly larger) Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro next to the Ellipse and done some A-B testing, I just find the (much more affordable) Zeppelin possesses greater dynamism and a much more deft control of mid-range than the Meridian. For vocal performances, while both are good, the pricier speaker isn't the winner.

Meridian Ellipse review: Verdict

In many ways I love the Meridian Ellipse. If you're looking for a smaller-scale standalone wireless speaker that can cater for your high-end audio demands then it certainly more than delivers – defying its size with far bigger output.

For context, however, there simply aren't many other self-contained speakers at this price point. A pair of Devialet Phantom II would make for a similar-priced and more immersive listen. Or, for more eloquent mid-range and dynamism, the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition is a no-brainer at a cut of the price.

So while I love the Ellipse for its sheer confidence in positioning – only Marantz offers similar, in its recently revealed Horizon speakers – its price premium is a clear hurdle that, frankly, most aren't going to jump over. But if you're bold enough to clear that barrier then, fair play, you'll deservingly enjoy everything it offers.

Also consider

Unsurprisingly there aren't a lot of small-scale standalone wireless speakers that cost this sort of money. For my money, however, I'd buy the discounted Devialet Phantom II – it's a 98dB speaker that looks like something from Star Wars, but sounds amazing, delivers bigger bass, and you could net a pair for the same price as the Meridian.

Otherwise, if you're in the market for a wireless standalone speaker, but don't want to spend quite so much, then the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition is highly recommendable. A little tricky to find at present, but worth the wait if you have to.

Or, if you're thinking larger scale, and fancy a bit of a wooden finish in your life, plus a display, then the Cambridge Audio Evo One is a great desktop option. Like the idea of that but minus the display and on a more industrial aesthetic? Then you'll want to track down a Naim Mu-so 2, won't you...