Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems One Box Solution

Will there be a one box solution from Meridian taking care of all the DVD, DVD-A, CD, and more importantly SACD on the other side of the world including pre-amp, bass management and full balanced output configuration?

Convenience rules! No brainer, all disc in one with above average music quality will suffice.

Secondly, SACD is gaining momentum. It's certainly difficult to modify the 861, a purely PCM machince, to cater DSD, but a different production line is definitely needed to start designing SACD compatible player

Thirdly, you can also see that Hi-end manufacturers like Linn and Enlightened Audio Design (EAD) producing similar products - some even with amps. Meridian, please be the first to produce a one box with SACD and good quality video section with SDI output!

Last of all, an optional tuner card and an optional stereo input for TV etc...

Don't you think that's neat? I hope it will appear not just in my dream. And reasonable price please.

-Dennis

I too wonder where M are right now with the debate. For me it took a turn for the worse when I heard that the 5.1 version of Floyd's Dark Side will now actually be on SACD not DVD-A. I still don't see a sensible way of getting SACD into my 568.....

ho hum...

Nick

Meridian better be busy working on the upgrades for the 568 / 596 rather than pssing about with SACD.

My point, if it's not clear enough is that they already have loads on their plate, they already have what is regarded by many as the reference digital processor and CD/DVD player.

If you cut Bob Stuart in half it would most likely say PCM in the middle. Honestly I see no time real soon when Meridian will support SACD there is just no point that I can see.

Perhaps in 10 years time if DVD-A has failed (unlikely) and there is a market.

I'm in no hurry fo SACD or DVD-A, I slightly luke warn on the DVD-A front, but when CD's sound so bloody good through my system (596/568.v1/DSP5000's) this particular pip is not going to get squeezed. The only thing that I currently lust after is an 861v3.

Martin.

You'd have to be pretty dumb to spend the kind of money Meridian is charging for a DVD-A only player.

I would not call all the 800 owners here dumb. If I could afford it I would own one!

This is the great thing about the market place, Meridian doesn`t do SACD, others do, and you can spend your money and take your chance.

I guess Mr 568 you would not be here if you were not a Meridian owner? So you already know the virtues of Meridian products.

Next time you`re at a major Hi-Fi show check to see if Bob Stuart is going to be there (Bristol is the one that Meridian go to in the UK in a big way), Bob is very approachable, he can explain far better than I the differences between SACD and DVD-A.

How many other MD`s of audio companies do you know that have published highly respected and quoted papers on acoustic theory.

Martin.

*********************************************
"This is the great thing about the market place, Meridian doesn`t do SACD, others do, and you can spend your money and take your chance."
*********************************************

So far I've invested $30,000 in Meridian gear -- not as much as many, but a big chunk of change in my neighborhood. At that price, I think Mr. Stuart could provide me with the opporunity to purchase an upgrade to allow my 568 to accept SACD analog inputs.

I really don't care who wins the pissing contest between SACD and DVD-A. They are both superior to red book CD and I think it's exteremly shortsighted of Meridian to hold us hostage to it's stake in DVD-A.

Sony controls SACD and Sony controls a lot of great music. I don't think it's going away. I'm not sure the same can be said for Meridian. It's really hard to justify laying out the big bucks when in a relatively short time the norm will be universal players that will handle both formats. Don't get me wrong, I think Mr. Stuart's a genius, but it won't be long until folks get fed up waiting for Meridian to accept that there is more than one high-res solution.

Sorry for the inflamitory language - but, it really rags me that I have to go to a friend's house to listen to SACD's on his Tweeter mid-fi system. He, of course, is very gracious and never rubs it in. Well, not too much.



[This message has been edited by harbor53 (edited 01-05-2003).]

Please note: All of this is purely speculation on my part. I'm not privy to inside information on this topic.

I can think of two ways Meridian could handle SACD.

A/D conversion:
Update to either 568.2 or 562v3 or even a standalone A/D box, with 6 channel + MHR input to handle multi-channel (up to 6) analog input. This would require software and hardware, with two additional A/D convertors so that all 6 channels could be digitized.

If this were to be in the 562v3 or standalone box, transfer would still be via MHR so it would be no different than output from a 598 Digital out unit.

If on the 568.2, nothing need be done beyond additional A/D convertors and allowing for selection of the ganged together inputs as a single MC input.

Staying Digital:
Handle DSD via one of their players (598 or 800). This would require some hardware and some software too. Hardware to get access to the SACD data physically. Software to translate DSD to PCM. The software could even reside on an ASIC, hardcoded to run very fast. This could be pricey in terms of $$$ or Lbs cost, including licesnses but in theory it's workable.

I see no reason for Meridian to waste time developing new algorithms to manipulate a DSD bitstream, when they already have substantial intellectual capital investment in some pretty killer tools for manipulation of PCM.

All of this is merely speculation, so don't hold me to any of it!

Regards,

Regards,

[This message has been edited by John Kotches (edited 01-05-2003).]

[This message has been edited by John Kotches (edited 01-05-2003).]

Meridian has made it clear from the start that they were not going to build an SACD player, this should not be a surprise to anyone.

The comment about Meridian being shortsighted also applies to Sony and the others who only support SACD.

stacey - your point about everybody being shortsighted is well taken, though the scales are clearly not tipped in Meridian's favor.

everybody is (not irrationally) concerned that Meridian will go to its grave building the world's best betamax players, right? right now SACD sure looks a lot more like VHS than DVD-A does.

i don't see it here in this thread, but there IS a Meridian solution to this problem, though 861 only. the IA40 card will do AtoD at 20/48 on up to two six-channel analog inputs. the IA45 will do 24/96 AtoD on one six-channel analog input. apparently you still get most if not all of the great bass management and other type processing features (ie: it treats it like a native Meridian digital six-channel signal once it's
in the box).

that's not of any help for 568 owners, but definitely one of the reasons i chose to trade my 568.1 on an 861.3 instead of upgrading to a 568.2.

fwiw, i've yet to test it out or do DVD-A comparisons with it.

it seems to me that they should be able to sell an outboard box (think "519") that takes 6 analog RCA in and outputs MHR. it couldn't be that expensive given the cost of an IA40 or IA45.

doody.

What I've heard from Meridian (Andy) is that they would support SACD if there was a clear need to do so. It's hard to recount the exact words he used, but that was the clear impression I received.

This was about a year or so ago, when Meridian was introducing its DVD-A solution. The sense I received was that Meridian was invested in DVD-A as the best high-res solution and there was some hope that SACD would be a Sony-only thing and eventually disappear like Beta.

The only problem is that this is not VHS vs. Beta. Sony does not need to make DVD-A disappear to win. If they can get enough unique SACD software out there folks will buy Sony players or find a universal solution.

The early Stones are on SACD, Dark Side appears headed to SACD, and a lot of Miles Davis is on SACD. This is an important music to miss.

I have a MDT, there is no SACD solution for me except to ditch my 568 and move to the 800 series. That's a huge jump in investment.

Stacy, you are one of the most respected members on this board. I don't mean to be challenge you, but I do believe that Meridian is being shortsighted not to provide a SACD solution in the 500 series. Aside from being a drag for me, I think it's shortsighted marketing, as it will cut out a significant market share.

It would be different if the same software were available in both formats - but this is not the case. Indeed, the opposite is true. Each format has its unique titles.

I love music. I'm selfish. I want to hear it all. Ideally, on a Meridian.

Mr. Doody,

I agree about the 1-box solution. I posted that possibility already.

Harbor:

The Meridian solution on the 800 series involves A/D of the input.

The 568 can handle stereo SACD, but I'm sure you already know that

Any solution except digital will be a small compromise, involving A/D conversion.

Regards,

John:

Thanks for the info, I've been considering the stereo SACD solution for a while.

I apologize to everyone for my rants on this subject, but what started this for me was ncpl's note that Dark Side was going to be an SACD title. I'm not a big Pink Floyd fan, but it just crystallized that I'm missing a lot of important music locked into a Meridian system.

I know Meridian looks at this board. I think its important to let them know this is an issue for those of us who believe in them and have invested in their products. I'm not sure if it will change things, but why not try?

Cheers!