Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Advice for someone strongly considering a Meridian system

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this site and I have not listened to a Meridian set up. I am very intrigued by the real science that the folks at Meridian have put into our hobby. BTW, I am not new to the hobby or to active speakers.

I am hoping to get some guidance/advice from members on this site as to what I should be looking for when purchasing a Meridian set up.

I am looking to spend between $10k-20k for the speakers themselves. I am not opposed to buying used and I am not opposed to spending less lol. My room is somewhat large (25 ft long x 16 ft wide and 19 ft tall). My system is on the short wall and my listening position is about 10 ft from the center line between the speakers. This is not a music only set up. My current set up is also a 2.0 home theater.

I sincerely appreciate any guidance.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Best Regards,
Gary

If you intend to stay with 2.0 for HT, search for a pair of DSP8K.
If you want spatial audio (as in Atmos, Auro3d or DTS:x) look at other brands..

Hi Jaco,

Thanks for your input. I am more interested in music reproduction, so I think M 8Ks would be great. What do you recommend for the processor? Do the Meridian processors have HDMI inputs for my cable box and Bluray player? Thanks, Gary

Hi,

For two channel you could look at an 808 that has a built in CD ROM drive, or an 818 without the drive; both units have a Meridian-Sooloos network audio streaming input, which is also supported by Roon (an alternative music streaming app).

If you did want to go multichannel then look at an 861v4 or preferably higher processor.

For two channel, other than HiRes Bluray you would not really need HDMI, however if you did then Meridian have a the HD621 it's a 6 input 1 output HDMI switcher but it also strips out the PCM audio from the HDMI and sends it to the processor.

The new (soon to be released) 818.3 will also support Meridian's MQA format.

if the 800 series are 'to rich' you could consider G series or say a 568.2 s 568.2mm.

Regards,
Carl

PS There's a lot of discussion on all of the above, you the Google Search box (top of page) to dig deeper into to the details.

I would suggest a used DSP8K pair, 818v2, HD621 + a Roon license for a great high-end digital audio experience. At some point in the future you could upgrade the 8K to 8KSE and the 818v2 to 818v3.

The HD621 handles the HDMI (kind of). This would only provide a 2 channel path for your inputs. To go 5.1 or 7.1 you would need a 861v6 or above.

You would probably need a pair of Revivers to handle the SpeakerLink digital audio output and convert it to the old style Comms+Digital Audio inputs of the non-SL DSP8K's.

Bear in mind the 8K's are partially side firing. the DSP7200's are front firing. There is a good Meridian dealer in Mountain View ( Audio High )

The downside to buying used is that many of the audio "A-Ha" tech improvements like EBA and MQA are only available on the new speakers - which for example for the 8K series in the states are 3X+ the price of used.

I would argue going with an 808/818 is essential to get the most out of the speakers, but if it comes down to timing, get the best speakers you can, then upgrade to the processor.

This was my approach, but I had no idea what I was missing.

Are you planning on using an analogue or digital source for listening? The 818 will serve both very well. If you're going digital how do you now store your music?

Ken

Heartily recommend DSP8K, AC12/Reviver (SL-legacy connection) and HD621 (for HDMI sources)- that is a no brainer based on your post.

Based on source/extra budget you may wish to invest in a 818.

Regards,
Kishore

Thanks everyone for all the great input! Lot's of friendly advice.

It sounds like everyone is in agreement regarding the DSP 8k. I am only have 3 sources (should have included that info in my original post): mac mini (I have great USB converter), cable tv box and Oppo 105 player. So, HDMI is not necessarily necessary, but I do like the idea of a processor that passes a the video signal to the TV so that I have only one HDMI cable running to the TV. I am completely a two-channel guy.

I will visit the local Meridian dealer, Audio High and search the normal websites for used equipment.

Curious, why do the processors cost so much? I get why the active speakers cost what they cost, but the processors seem to only be digital switches to me. What am I missing?

Thanks, Gary

Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, surround sound processing, speaker delay processing, cross-overs for subwoofers, room correction (in some cases), many more DACs required, etc. etc.

In part, it's the magic sauce that makes them so much more than just a switch. Once you hear the difference, I think you'll be surprised how much difference it makes.

I've always suspected that a lot of this is down to the lack of jitter in the signal sent to the speakers.

Hi Carl,

Thanks for all the tips! The google search is a really cool feature. How do you feel about the Audio Core 200?

Thanks, Gary