Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Director Review in What-HiFi

This month's (printed) 'What-HiFi' features a comparative review on several DAC's, including the Meridian Director...

...in which it is just edged-out for top honours by the Arcam irDAC.

Yes, "takes its eye off the actual flow and rhythm of the music". "Unrivalled for its detail" but not as much "fun". Is it a sell?

Sounds a bit like pseuds' corner to me.

That sounds like What Hifi's description of most Meridian kit in recent years. Like Hifi News, I think they're just not into the Meridian house sound.

Cheers

George

I remember a What HiFi review of the DSP6000's in the long distant past. Their negative at that time was the 6000s made the music sound a little bit 'too good'.

Is that a euphemism for Meridian doesn't bung us cash?

I'm not saying that the Meridian sound is perfect: the foot-tapping factor of the old 18-bitters is testament to that (which I've been wondering if it's a psychoacoustic consequence of "too much detail" putting the brain in a "different mode").

I just helped a colleague to get a demo unit. He's not an M user.

His feedback to me was simply "WOW!"

He is now an M user.

Mind you, I wonder if What HiFi have learnt what the purpose of a DAC is yet. Holy thread resurrection: how What Hifi think a DAC should be used circa 2009

I stopped paying any attention to WHF a long, long, time ago, although a couple of years ago I did try the M-DAC they were raving so much about. To say it's the most uninvolving and unmusical source component I have ever heard would be an understatement - fortunately I only had it on dem, so it went back after a week of trying to understand what all the fuss is about. The only positive in this is I widened my search and 'rediscovered' Meridian

I think some of the criticism of a slightly cerebral quality in certain 00's era Meridian gear might be justified - I was once loaned an 800 while my 808.2 was in for repair and I did find it rather uninvolving, whereas I remember from dems in my youth that 500 series digital was wonderfully musical, if not quite as refined and overtly detailed as the later gear?

Happily, to my ears, they seem to have hit a sweet spot with the later 800 series at least (I can't speak to G-series having not heard any) - the 808.2 and particularly 818v2 do a wonderful job of being detailed, clean AND musical.

Joel,
I'd be interested to hear a bit more about your thoughts regarding the psychoacoustic aspects?
Feel free to move to a new thread if it's going off topic.
cheers
Tim

I think that sounds interesting too, it might explain something I've noticed with some equipment over a period of years, and I'd welcome a theory to begin to explain it...