Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Meridian Reliability/Build Quality

Meridian do "make" car HiFi now - for McLaren cars & Land Rover - and it'll be tested for the environment that it's reasonably expected to work in - just as everything on your Focus-RS was.
I don't believe you're really suggesting that your Meridian HiFi should work in the freezer....are you ?!

Rolski, I think you are taking the comment too literaly............Chris

Chris, so do I, but you can never be quite sure eh ?!

No I am not suggesting putting my hi fi in the freezer.

But am I correct in assuming HHer�s view�s regarding 800 series equipment as LESS reliable � given the cost involved should not M do a little more testing before releasing a product?

In principal, I know what you mean, but I'll play Devil's Advocate :- how much testing is "enough" ?

You would expect that the more expensive a product is, the higher "quality" it is - but what does that actually mean ? And yes, of course you've a right to expect equipment that's reliable, but there are risks if you're manufacturing and purchasing products at "the bleeding edge". Some of these products are quite literally hand-made to order and while you do of course expect a high degree of quality control, hand-made products inherently are unique & prone to flaws. So where does the expectation level start & finish ?

And also, there's the perennial problem with the Interweb & Fora such as these that you're usually dealing with the enthusiast & those who have come to find some help because they have a problem. What about the dozens, or hundreds, or thousands that have never had a problem ?

However, I'm actually on your side : I usually cry long & loud if there's ever anything wrong with my kit - and at this price-point I make sure that they hear me & do something about it !

At present,temperatures in the UK are low enough so that putting kit in the freezer would make little difference. We can all have free cryogenic treatment.

I voted less reliable because of what happened to me with G98. It reads only very selective CD's, my old CD's but not the newer CD's. On top of that the fix $950 repair cost makes it more unreliable. It is 3 years old with very lightly used. I am Meridian user since 1993. I never had any problem with the DSP speakers, but I had 1 problem with 500 transport reading CD's. Thanks to good old Meridian folks, they adjusted mechanism and upgraded the software without any cost and my friend who bought it from me says it is still working.
Because of that pleasant service experience, I sold upgraded all my DSP speakers, players and processor to G series and DSP 5200's. So far the 5200 are fine but one complaint I have, I can not open the front grill to this day... to tighten the drivers. That suckers are hard to open...again it is not well thought design imho.

With this current experience, I won't buy any M players unless it is cheap enough to cover the fix cost repair. I also have to tell the truth to any friend that want to get M after auditioning my gear. I broke my vow few weeks ago by buying F80.. I hope it last a long time...

Thanks Rolski, I will also attempt to play Devil�s Advocate (but I had to look it up!)

A HD621 is a full months take home pay for me, so reliability is paramount, which usually goes hand in hand with build quality. Without build quality (which includes buying the best parts) you don�t have reliability.

I love photography and am lucky enough to have a Canon EOS 7 � is this not �cutting edge� Canon hold a lot of patents. I fell on it yesterday fell walking � no problem. Later I noticed that I hadn�t shut the lid on the pouch � it was full of snow � wet snow, I rubbed it off and thought for a moment before I took a shot but I decided to. The camera is OK. It has seals built in why would it not be OK.

Canon have been making cameras for well a long time. If they didn�t �do what it said on the tin� I would move to Nikon.

M has been making Hi FI for a long time. I would love a 861 v6. One day!

M decided when the V6 was launched, we didn�t push them � come on: it�s near enough) if they are to survive, people who buy this type of equipment need to know they have a long guarantee and a free loan in the mean time. That is the second option reliability is the first.

I understand a lot of enthusiasts buy M gear � but so did my boss. He has a lot of money but spends it wisely (I suppose that is why he is rich) he bought M gear � it just has to sit there and work!

If M gear was German would we be having this conversation?

Anyway that�s what I think � which is a lot for a joiner and I properly will get into trouble � go easy!!!!!

And if they designed them to come off easy they would probably be complaints about being loose or buzzing. There are tips on the Wiki on how to remove them.

Sweat at the time and sore fingers for three days. You just have to be brutal. There are surely more elegant solutions possible.

i have installed two G98s and one G96 in my home over the last three years. these products are undoubtedly the most unreliable "high-end" a/v products i have ever owned in my 20 years of being a consumer of premium a/v equipment. i have eleven Meridian items currently running in my primary and secondary systems at home ranging from minor items like the HDMAX 421 up to 800 series components. all of these items have, by and large, performed very well with the exception of the G series DVD players which are truly abysmal products. I would rather chew glass slowly while sticking pins in my eyes than ever buy another Meridian DVD player.

From the M manual; "To remove the grilles grasp the grille by the twwo cutouts and pull gently from the loudspeaker"

Well you may get them off but you will never ever get them back on again! I have 14 grilles and 13 more to go.... the first one I never got back on, so I stopped and called my dealer, this is not a job for the owner.