Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Meridian 818 review

HiFi Advice - Meridian 818 review.

A keen Sooloos user by the look of it. Take a look at the bugs/issue collection.

He also knows a very good snake oil salesman...

The more I read the more I believe he also uses it as ear drops.

I couldn't get that link to work. I'll try again.

I don't like the snake-oil aspect though...

Agree....all that 'tuning' of the sound to compensate for 818 deficiencies.....???

Using cables to tweak the sound to match a preference...fine.

Ultimately, the OP is a big fan of the 818.

I suspect the OP is a big fan of nice cables and accessories too.

Nothing wrong with that.

The bug list clearly shows he has spent quite some time using the system.

Actually this review isn't so bad in that "system tuning" respect

For real "Gymnastics" his review of the MS600 plus MD600 takes some beating..........different Cables, 1 Device on top of the other, and then vise-versa and on and on

And yet, even with all the playing around with Feet Positioning on the bottom of the 818, he does nothing about the most obvious thing that would spoil the listening for me in that room...........i.e. having the MD600 in the room at all (see system picture in the review)

Whatever "golden ears" one might need to hear Cable differences etc., the Mechanical Noises made by an MD600 are very easy to hear by almost anyone and would certainly interfere with Quiet Passages.........don't get it

+1

The best part of the link for me is the bug list in which he notes that you can just drag a file over to CPC when in the import tab and it will import. I don't know how much time I have spent navigating to the correct folder on my PC to import a CD into Sooloos. And you have to do the navigation every time you import as CPC doesn't remember the folder you navigated to previously. I am currently traveling so have not been able to test this but it sure will make life easier.

In general disagrees with consensus here that putting discs/ fans away from rendering device with Ethernet connection between the 2 equals same sound.

Any guest in my house who suggests 'there is more to life than bass' will be asked politely to leave and never return

Still find this reviewer a bit too tweaky for my tastes; regardless, it is an interesting summing up of the 818.

Was there ever a clear answer on ID40 versus ID41? This review certainly implies that the latter is an upgrade over the former. I wonder if it is possible, for example, to do a comparison of the two in the same chassis (either 808 ot 861)?

I know that was his experience when he tried to locate the MD600 in another room

But I think most people can agree that even if there were differences, those differences were at Best, SUBTLE and not so easy to hear

Yet anyone who has heard a TwinStore or MD600 knows that the Mechanical Noise that they emit can easily be heard by even the most Tone Deaf of Listeners......especially ruining the Soundstage during Quiet Passages

Personally, I think it's far more important to remove this source of Mechanical Noise, rather than leave it the room to avail of a far more Debatable and Subtle advantage

FWIW, my MD600 runs 'green' drives and is no noisier than a CD/DVD/BD spinner. Having said that, though, I do think there are plenty of good reasons to remote-locate the unit, and not a lot to co-locate it.