Meridian's Stylish F80 Clock Radio - $2999 and Worth Every Penny
By Chris Boylan
OK, admittedly this is much more than just a clock radio. It's a "personal entertainment system." I could call it a "lifestyle" system but then I'd have to watch out for Bose's legal team. At CEDIA Expo in Denver last week, high-end electronics manufacturer, Meridian unveiled the F80, which may be the ultimate compact entertainment system.
Designed in partnership with Ferrari, the F80 includes a CD/DVD player (with audiophile-quality 24-Bit/96 KHz DAC, of course). It also includes a built-in radio with AM/FM (and a clock), as well as inputs for external sources such as an iPod. Its speaker system is a custom-designed 2.1-channel system finely tuned (like a Ferrari) for maximum performance.
I've heard many of these portable systems, some mediocre, some good, some very good, but this piece is really in a whole different league. I wasn't expecting much - after all, we were in a fairly enormous press room - but when they popped in a CD and turned it up, beautiful full-range dynamic sound filled the space. It sounded larger and fuller than anything that small had a right to.
Meridian's gorgeous F80 personal entertainment system.
The F80 is available now in five official Ferrari colors, for $2995. Custom finish options, including Ferrari leather, are planned for later this year. Color me impressed. For those who want (and can afford) the best, this just may be it.
Meridian also showcased another novel product - the iRIS - a compact iPod docking system that takes audio/video content from an iPod and actually makes it listenable on a home theater system and watchable on a large-screen display. They were showing a standard iTunes download of "Pirates of the Caribbean" upconverted by the iRIS to 1080p and played back on a Sharp AQUOS LCD TV. The picture was quite watchable, though it did not really match a high quality DVD, or even approach HD. It certainly offers a vast improvement over the raw video output of the iPod. For the convenience factor of being able to carry around your movie or TV show collection on a teeny little iPod, some trade-offs must be made.
Meridian's iRIS iPod dock is more realistically priced at $379.
The iRIS supports 1080p output via HDMI, 1080i or 720p output via component video, as well as standard video output via component or S-video. The iRIS even includes an HDMI pass-through input for another HDMI source so you won't have to use up one of the HDMI inputs on your receiver, processor or television. The iRIS dock accepts the full range of current iPod models and delivers battery charging and home audio-system integration and control.
The iRIS is expected to ship in November at a list price of $379.
