Opening the box gives us our first glance at the X-Meridian.  Like the X-Plosion, our X-Meridian is made in Korea and packed to safely make the journey.

     Included with the X-Meridian are the drivers disk, Owners Manual, the Limited Warranty, a 10' TOSLINK high-end Digital Optical Cable with luminous connectors and two TOSLINK to Mini-Optical adaptors.  Auzentech does not disappoint with the included Fiber Optic TOSLINK Cable.  Sold separately a good cable can run you $50-150!!

     Taking a closer look at the X-Meridian reveals it has a lot more going on than your regular sound card.  This is definitely a serious piece of hardware.  The surface is dominated by the 4 replaceable Operational Amplifier (OPAMP) control circuits and row upon row of high quality capacitors.  On addition to the usual digital inputs, Auzentech has provided connectors for an external MIC, front audio, and an upgrade extension port for the optional expansion card.

The back of the card is much simpler and features easy reference labeling for the various ports.

     The X-Meridian is much larger than the X-Plosion and the design changes are quickly apparent when the two cards are placed side by side.  The X-Meridian layout is more linear and the OPAMP control circuits have been reduced to just 4.  Unlike the X-Plosion we do finally get the front panel audio port.

     If you are the type of person that likes to tweak your system or just want the ability to completely tune your audio, this is definitely the card for you!  Each of the OPAMP controls can be individually replaced to customize the quality of the output from your X-Meridian card.

Compatible OPAMP specifications:

• Dual

• Stereo

• DIP Type

• 8-Pin

     There are various OPAMPS which is compatible with X-Meridian 7.1.  Of course the higher the desired quality, the higher the price!  Auzentech recommends the 2134APA for most applications.  A huge selection of OPAMPs can be found here.

The Auzentech OPAMP FAQ can be found here.

     The biggest difference is in the external ports.  And this is where the X-Meridian leaves behind your traditional onboard sound and even gives the X-Fi series a quick lesson in high-end audio.  The X-Meridian has the same 7.1 ports that are starting to show up in the latest 7.1 cards and some of the better onboard solutions.  Where the X-Meridian truly excels is with the two COAX(RCA) + Optic  Combo S/PDIF Input/Output ports.   From Right to Left:: Mic in, Line in, Front, Side Surround, Center/Subwoofer, back surround, and both COAX(RCA) + Optic input and output.

     The COAX(RCA) + Optic ports are used to connect your external Digital devices.  S/PDIF can be used to connect standard devices like a DVD player, video game console or a digital TV.  High quality CO-AXIAL and TOSLINK Optical S/PDIF  can receive and send a pure, unconverted, PCM digital audio signal at resolutions of 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz and 192 kHz sampling rates.  The output also allows pass through of Non-PCM Dolby Digital and DTS streams to your external DD/DTS decoder and A/V receiver.  The result is the best possible sound is passed on to your home theater system or up to a 7.1 component system for your PC.  Most other high end cards, including the much adored X-Fi must up convert or down convert resulting in significant sound quality loss.  all of that technical jargon boils down to an astonishing sound clarity when using the included optical output with a high-end receiver/pre-amp.

     The X-Tension is the cleverly named expansion card for the X-Meridian.  Although not currently available, these cards will add a tremendous amount of additional compatibility to the X-Meridian.  Look for this card in the very near future.

The install:

     I installed the X-Meridian into my new Antec Nine Hundred case.  The system was powered by the Kingwin Mach 1 600 W Power supply.  The rest of the build includes an Intel Pentium Core Duo 2 6300 cooled by an AeroCool GT-1000 cooler, a Connect3D X1900 XTX video card and a 2x 1 GB kit of Crucial Tenth Anniversary DDR2 mounted on an ASUS P5W Dh Deluxe.  Storage was provided by 2 x WD 74 GB Raptors in a RAID0, a Seagate 750 GB storage drive and a Plextor PX-755SA 16x DVD burner.

     I installed the card in my top PCI slot to allow for more visibility and you can see the length is about an inch shorter than my X1900 XTX.  The Blue light is from the Kingwin Mach 1 Power supply.

With the card installed the gold ports offer a nice contrast with the red lit TOSLINK Fiber Optic port.