Meier Corda Aria Review (DAC & Headphone Amp)

[Somafunk]

Still got my H340 with 128GB SSD mod!

Show off

They were really decent daps at the time, mine has the dock, remote and full accessories kit and I guess it’s still filled with 320 vbr ogg vorbis files from way back in 2004 (moved to iMac/iPod in 2005), might have to dig it out of the cupboard to have a play with it as I still have a pair of RHA T20i earphones as well as the unused original iriver buds.

 

[julian_hughes]

I still have the whole thing too. Dock, remote, charger. I think in the attic I even have the box. I have the thick printed manual! I also have the H140, very similar except it has monochrome screen not colour, but it also has optical output as well as the headphone socket and proper line out. Seriously good players! They hiss a bit with modern low impedance IEMs but are absolutely fine with anything 32 ohms or more. Add Rockbox and you even have a modern playback OS. 16-bit and 44.1kHz only of course, but you get gapless, multi format support, multi themes, fonts etc, huge battery life. These old iRiver players just keep on going. About every 5 years you have to buy a new battery and spend 15 minutes disassembling and reassembling (tools needed: one torx screwdriver) and then they are as good as new. I remember the phenomenal expense of buying these players. Ouch! But >15 years later they are still good. Both have had disk upgrades (one CF and one SSD) but even the ancient Toshiba hard disks are still in working order.

 

[Somafunk]

Ha, had an H120 with rockbox as well, connected line out to my technics suvx 600 amp.

I’ll get it out t’morn and take a few pics.

 

[julian_hughes]

Ha, had an H120 with rockbox as well, connected line out to my technics suvx 600 amp.

I’ll get it out t’morn and take a few pics.

These players make for a nice counterpoint to people who believe they need Core-i7 or the latest Ryzen CPU or a special stripped down OS simply to render audio. Their CPU frequency is 120MHz, they have a massive *cough* 32MB RAM, and they measure and perform really well.

 

[julian_hughes]

To get slightly back on topic: I remember being one of several people discussing Meier crossfeed on the rockbox forums *many* years ago and some amazing person actually decided to act on those discussions and requests and coded and submitted the patches. Rockbox is still amazing. I'm currently running a Fiio M3K with rockbox and a 1TB microSD. Since the early 2000s I think recordings have got a lot more sophisticated and more likely to sound good on both headphones and loudspeakers without any adjustment, but I still appreciate the Meier crossfeed sometimes.

 

[AnalogSteph]

To get slightly back on topic: I remember being one of several people discussing Meier crossfeed on the rockbox forums *many* years ago and some amazing person actually decided to act on those discussions and requests and coded and submitted the patches.

Still about the best software implementation I've heard, too.

Rockbox is still amazing. I'm currently running a Fiio M3K with rockbox and a 1TB microSD.

Yep. Clip+ with 128G here (storing all MP3 -V 4/5 to -V 0). Two of 'em to be exact, and they're not getting any younger. Not normally a fan of touchpad jobs (lots of blind in-pocket operation here) but AK4376A and good battery life on the M3K look promising enough that I may be willing to give one a go. The Clip+ display will only fit about 3 lines at a size I can actually read, wouldn't be missing that.

 

[JRS]

I think, back then, it was meant to match similar designs (pic link just for example):

https://www.gramofony-desky.cz/img_produkty/nejvetsi/1_1526468849.jpg

No doubt, but remember when form followed function. Here it seems silly and or pretentious IM old and grumpy Opinion.

 

[respice finem]

No doubt, but remember when form followed function. Here it seems silly and or pretentious IM old and grumpy Opinion.

Mine too, seems we are of similar age Such designs are not my cup of tea either, but I understand why they are/were chosen.
Catering to certain groups of buyers. Sometimes, "company identity" (like McIntosh or Burmester).
For me personally, the more straightforward and minimalistic, the better. Simple forms are timeless.

 

[gerG]

Hey, I used to own a Meier Aria! The color of the anodizing was beautiful, but not very photogenic. It was designed to stack, but I can't remember what component was supposed to go with it. It definitely made a statement on the desk top.
It sounded pretty good as an amp, and was definitely a step up from the Corda. I ordered it straight from Jan Meier. He was great to deal with (shipped me the first Beyer DT880s in the USA). Lordy I spent a lot of money on headphone gear back then. Hopefully I am cured now?

 

[Lewzke]

I had this Aria in the past. The USB DAC is just a basic PCM2704 implementation. This unit is actually an amplifier with built in DAC and not DAC with built in amp. The amp section is spectacular using BUF634 buffer for the output current. Also uses a high quality toroidal transformer and noise filtering power supply circuit. It is a great neutral amp, but use it with an external DAC.

 

[Andersonix]

Meier Audio Corda Aria Headphone Amp - electronics - by owner - sale - craigslist

Meier Audio Corda Aria Headphone Amp Personal audio usb / analog rca compatible headphone amp Works , presents well .

sfbay.craigslist.org

Here's a Corda Aria for sale in San Jose CA asking $200....