Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Oppo 93 with HD621 and G68

A little configuration help please. I feel as though I've made some progress in understanding all of this, but there's a lot to take in!

What is the best way to configure my Oppo/HD621/68 combo for an all DSP (incl 2xSW1600) speaker setup? Mainly for watching live performance blurays - Killers, U2 etc in concert

I have HDMI from the 93 into the HD621, and 3xdigi from there to the G68. Subs are daisy-chained with the centre speaker using the sub/centre output of the G68. I want to use them as L+R, and at all times. L+R+C all large DSP, rears small DSP.

A couple of particular areas of concern/uncertainty:

1. Some (most!?) of my blu-rays have a variety of sound output options (LPCM stereo, DTS, Dolby Digital. I understand that I want the audio processing to be done in the G68 so which should I choose. Posts on this site refer to using LPCM, but sometimes that's only shown as LPCM stereo when I'm looking for 5.2. Confused!

2. My 2 SW1600's seem to be working ok with stereo output, but disappear when in 5.1 (All DSP setup with 2xSW1600 connected at present to the centre/sub digital output of the G68). When I run the config wizard I don't get any sub output when calibrating. Clearly I've done something wrong!

All help gratefully received! Thank you in advance.

Your Oppo should be set to decode what you choose among the sound options and output as PCM bitstream. Reason being Meridian does not decode the 96/24 codecs on BluRays.

Hi Ian,

Have you considered running the subs as a stereo pair (in a 5.2 setup), with them connected to the G68's AB output?
If you add your equipment in to it including both subs you'll see how to connect and configure them.
Do you use Mconfig? If not you should consider using it, as:

1) It gives you a backup history your config (good if you need to revert for some reason)
2) Lets you visualise Bass Management options
3) Lets you perform Meridian Room Correction (MRC)

Regards,
Carl

No. Because this Meridian Download Installer Page :

"Controllers with USB control capability (such as the G68) can be configured using their USB port. To enable this feature you will need to install a driver on your Windows computer. You will need the D2XX Direct Drivers from FTDI."

Takes me to a page full of tech gobbledegook that I also don't understand. I thought I'd read the "installation guide" but frankly lost the will to live when I got to the second paragraph:

"The CDM driver comes in two parts. The first part is the bus layer that provides D2XX style functionality and is always installed. The second part is the serial COM port layer and the CDM driver will determine whether a COM port should be exposed by reading the EEPROM of FT232R, FT245R, FT2232D, FT2232H and FT4232H devices. In the case of FT232BM, FT245BM, devices, the CDM driver will default to always installing a COM port. This behavior can be changed and EEPROM settings ignored by changing the driver INF files as detailed in FTDI Application Note AN-107, Advanced Driver Options. Please note that modifying the INF files of a Microsoft WHQL certified driver will invalidate the Windows certification."

I have no clue what any of this means, but invalidating Windows certification (whatever that is) doesn't sound like something I want to risk.

Why on earth is this so complicated???

I have the same config with the exception that I use the 861v6 instead of the G68 and have sides (7.1). However, the basic setup is the same.

1. The Oppo must be set up to output Audio as LPCM.
2. You should use MHR Smartlink to connect the HD621 to the G68.
3. Be careful to set the HD621 properties to request 6 channel audio from Oppo and output 6 channel audio to G68, and to pass through normal DD etc.
4. Be careful to set the right HDMI input against the right source in the HD621.

3 and 4 frequently trip me up; they seem to revert to default periodically for no reason!

Extract from G68 data sheet:
"This capability is enhanced by MHR SmartLink, which provides a digital link between a Meridian DVD transport or HD621 and the controller, carrying explicit information about the nature of the datastream as well as encrypted high-resolution digital signals. SmartLink is particularly useful when the G68 is connected to the HD621, which delivers the highest quality audio from high-definition HDMI-based sources such as Blu-ray Disc."

PS Lossless codex audio processing is better (in fact only) done in the Oppo because the Meridian controllers cannot support Bluray High Definition audio decoding

The G68 also has a serial port. So you could use a standard RS232 Serial Null Modem cable and the RS232 serial port on your laptop (if it has one) to configure the unit using MConfig. If using the laptops serial port no drivers need be installed and the entire paragraph about the drivers is irrelevant.

Regards,

It's not really, but like most things in life the first time requires a little more effort but once you crack it you�ll have a smile on your face.

1) Download the Meridian Common Installer
2) Use that to download the Mconfig, etal.
3) Have a 'play' with Mconfig to get the feel of it and try out different setups with your G68, speakers, sources etc.

4) If your wish, just use the G68 wizard to replicate the Mconfig setup (note MRC is Mconfig only).

or

4) Download and install the drivers for your PC (ignore the complicated words just note the comms port number).
5) Connect a USB cable from PC to G68
6) Test the connection with Mconfig, using the comms port number from 4.
Then you are in a position to download config setups from Mconfig to the G68.

or

4) You could forget the G68's USB connection and just use its RS232 port instead.
5) Connect a RS232 NULL modem cable from PC to G68
6) Test the connection with Mconfig.

I think this is better as your other Meridian kit only has RS232, so you need this connection type anyway. However, note that if you don't have an RS232 port on your laptop you will need an USB to RS232 converter. See Wiki for more information.


Meridian is extremely flexible, but it's not plug and play, one has two options:
1) Read and re-read the manuals and have a go with advice from here. Meridian manuals have improved over time but they are not great, but we can help you work through with this.
2) Pay a dealer to set it up for you. For some folk this is the best option.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Carl