Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems From 568.1 to Where?

I've just noticed a G61R for sale on this site and as I'm currently looking to upgrade my 568.1 (it hasn't enough analogue inputs) I'm wondering if it's the right thing to upgrade to.

Bearing in mind that I only use it in Stereo (poss upgrade to Trifield 'one day').

So questions, in no particular order.

1 - Is the G61R an appreciable step-up from the 568.1 (currently running firmware version 1.55)?

2 - Looking at the price - is the G61R a better upgrade than an 861v4?

3 - What does the G68 (any version) have that the G61R doesn't?

4 - The speakers are DSP5000s with the 24/96 upgrade - will they be good enough for a G61/G68/861 or should I save up for a pair of 5200s?

5 - If I bought any of the above (G61/G68/861) would I still need my 518 or could I retire it?

Cheers

A totally left-field suggestion but why not invest in a very good ADC (not a typo) like a used Apogee AD-16X or similar. You might be surprised at what a difference it will make with your analogue sources.

Hmm - it's a thought. I've been looking at a 563 or 607 as I want to keep it Meridian

Hi,

The cheapest upgrade would be to buy something like a 562V2 to give you more inputs.

A G61 would give you the advantages of the latest firmware and the benefits of apodising if that's of use.

Brian

Hi,
I can confirm that an 861V4 is an amazing, amazing piece of kit.
If you can stretch that far then it would be my sincere recommendation - but remember the box is much larger than a 500 series or a G series processor so make sure you have the space on your shelf or in your rack.

/Marcus

Thanks - there don't seem to be many for sale though.

Form factor is a major consideration. It's what's held me back until now from moving up from my 568.1mm.

If you like the small box then 568.2mm plus HD621 is the next step. Otherwise the "big boys" are next in line. I just picked up a G68J for �800 on eBay - less than a good 568.2mm...

I'd argue that if you are keeping your DSP5ks and the lack of analogue inputs is a problem, then the only way you are going to see an upgrade over the analogue performance of the 568 is at least a G68 or better, an 861. The Apogee will give you eight analogue sources in the highest possible quality that a Meridian system will accept. The analogue->digital conversion on the 5 series is fairly outdated.

@seeker check out eBay for 562v there are a couple at the moment.

jonathan

IMHO (maybe wrongly) I assumed there was little sound difference between the 861v4 and a G61R.

CheeRS

Shaun

Whoops, 'wrongly' IMHO!

Cheers

George

568.1 is more detailed and smoother than the 565 by some margin.

The 568.2 adds a little something to the smoothness and detail again. The 2.55b firmware adds a little air and detail but still sounds smooth.

The G61r and G68 family added detail and sounded more open but lacked some of the smoothness of the 568, although the apodising may have changed this I don't know?

The 861v4 I thought gave you the openess of the g serious but the mellowness of the 500 series.

I always thought that 568 could be improved slightly and the same for the G series, however, never really found anything to fault with the 861v4 (apart from the price when I was trying it, of and the size).
If I could have afforded to swap my G61r for the 861v4 at the time I would have done, it just seems to get everything right.