(March 28, 2025) During my recent trip to Integrated Systems Europe, I had the opportunity to visit several countries in the region, including England. As luck would have it, two British-based audio companies graciously invited me to tour their UK operations—one of them being Meridian Audio. And honestly, saying no wasn’t an option.
The first piece of content to emerge from my UK travels is a full, all-access tour of Meridian’s headquarters and manufacturing facility—an experience that proved eye-opening in all the best ways. Meridian runs a highly complex operation that keeps the vast majority of the manufacturing process in-house, right down to the design and population of crucial PCB boards that make their speakers tick.
The people within Meridian Audio’s walls are friendly, passionate, and carry a deep well of pride and expertise. If you watched our ISE video with Barry Sheldrick, you have a good idea of what I'm talking about. During this video, you'll have an opportunity to get to know Desmond "Des" Ford, who serves as the company's Technical Marketing Manager. He's been with Meridian for nearly 38 years and embodies the spirit of the company, both from a technical perspective and one that understands the company's roots and its audio intentions. And while his experience makes him unique, others at the company that you won't meet are similar.
So, from a people perspective, Meridian wins on all fronts. Professionalism, knowledge, and pride all exist within the company's halls.
The manufacturing facility is also something to behold. There, Meridian carefully handcrafts each speaker that's placed in a box and shipped to customers. And while you might assume, if not outright expect, that to be the case for the company's highest dollar speaker like the DSP8000, it also extends right down to its dynamic Elipse streaming speaker. Extreme levels of assembly are taken at each step of the manufacturing process, and thanks to our tour, you'll have an opportunity to see it in action with your own eyes.
Many thanks to Iwona Helfer, Katy Berry, and Jeff Hayward—not only for making the visit possible but also for their warm hospitality. And, of course, thanks to Des Ford for the hours of time he gave us during our visit.
I hope you enjoy the tour!
