Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems 861 What cards do I need

In my quest to upgrade to the 861 I found one with these cards:

The 861 is a 7.1 surround processor with the following cards:
800-0A12 x 2
800-IA00
800-IE16
800-RF00
800-VS00
800-C00

I know there is a WiKi and Duncan's info, but I'm afraid I don't know what I may need. I'd like to have full audio capability with respect to 24bit/96k, I would like to have full resolution of HD material (I have to look for a HD621).

Is this preamp missing anything important?

Thank you kindly in advance

Hi there,

You need an 861 with the IE42 input card, which I think was the standard input card from the v3 model. It has the requisite multichannel digital inputs for use with an HD621. Earlier variants of that card, such as the IE16 on the unit you mentioned, can't do this. You'd be limited to two channels only from the HD621 if used with this card.

You are on the right track with the two analogue output cards though (the OA12s). Later versions were the OA03 unbalanced, and OA13 balanced cards.

You could also skip the HD621 if you found an IA45 multichannel analogue input card. Direct analogue connection from your BD player to the processor, although an all digital path via the HD621 would offer better performance. The IA45 will also require at least a v3 861 though.

Cheers

George

Thank you! Got a cold sweat realizing I could have purchased thousands of dollars to waste for not knowing better. Thank you

I see there is an IE44 that adds MMHR. I know what it stands for, but what is it connected to and do I need it if i'm using the HD621?

Sorry for the newby questions, I just feel so helpless. I'm learning tho

Hi again

I've made the assumption that you are looking at a used purchase, so you ideally want to find a v4, as it's the sweetspot in terms of performance/price/recent updates. That would give you the IE42, the more recent DACs in the analogue output cards, room correction, compatibility with the Sooloos system if you add the ID40 card, and the possibility to renew the overall warranty for another five years along with the PSU upgrade.

The IE44 card you mention is from the 861v6, and as the more recent model, I'd guess there are fewer on the used market, and they will cost more. They require the OA08 unbalanced or OA18 balanced cards for analogue output.

It's worth noting that the HD621 can output with either three SPDIF lines or one RJ45 type MMHR cable. The 861v4 with IE42 will use the three SPDIF connections, the 861v6 and v8 (current version) will use the network type MMHR cable.

MHR is Meridian's own encryption for 88k and 96k signals, and is used whether the signal comes in via SPDIF or the MMHR connector.

Cheers

George