On Windows you’ll need to download drivers, but the good news is that any recent computer operating system can work with the Explorer 2.
The Explorer will work without drivers on a Mac and on Linux. Generally speaking, a simpler circuit is a better circuit for audio so I appreciate Meridian’s design here and it seems to pay-off based on what I’m hearing when I use the Explorer 2 as a dedicated DAC (compared to say the DragonFly Red which has a single output for both fixed and variable use). These are clearly labelled and well-spaced, but you can’t use them both at once because connecting the line-out disables the headphone out. I can’t help but feel better about having discrete connectors for variable vs fixed outputs because I feel like the fixed output can be greatly simplified if you’re not trying to include attenuation on the circuit to allow volume control. I’m personally not a fan of micro USB as a connector, but Meridian provide a nice short (and decent quality) USB cable so you don’t have to find your own.Īt the other end of the Explorer are two 3.5mm sockets – one for headphones and one as a dedicated line-out. Meridian chose to use a cable connection instead of direct connection to prevent physical strain on your computer’s USB socket and I think that’s a good move on their part despite the inconvenience of needing a separate cable and more space as a result. Other than that, the unit is a perfect cylinder of aluminium.Īt one end of the Explorer 2 is a micro USB socket. The elliptical cylinder is flattened on the bottom so it sits nicely on a desk and there are three flush mounted LEDs in the top of the unit to help identify sample rates. It’s a very sleek unit with a sand-blasted style aluminium casing and black plastic end caps.
The Explorer 2 is one of the smaller portable DACs I’ve ever tried and while it’s not as small as something tiny like the DragonFly from AudioQuest, it stacks up favourably with most other portable DACs on the market.