Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Help with equipment choice for a music first movies second room

Not the best Subject title but I couldn't think of what to write.

Due to having to sell my house (divorce) I won't have a dedicated cinema or music room anymore, so now I'm going to have to have movies and music in one room.

- My cinema room only had an Onkyo 818 and M&k speakers and sub, so not good for music.
- My music room had an AudioLab DAC, a 501 and 555 with B&W CM5s, sounds great for music.

I'm thinking of a 568.2mm or G68 as the processor or is there an 8xx I could get for around £1000 that would do the job?
I'd like room correction for movies but music is more important. I will also want to add a HD621.

Regards,
The Lad

I have had my share of Arcam (AVR200, 300, 600, and AVP888) and Meridian (561M, 861v2, G61R) and the G61 wins. A fantastic mix of musical texture and dynamics for cinema.

The G61R is probably the best value that utilizes Meridian Room Correction as well. I am using ProAC and Meridian speakers both which are kind of fussy with downstream electronics and they both sound great with the G61R. How is it better than the 861v2 you ask? While the 861v2 sounded great (I used balanced analog outputs to my amps) the sound was rich and thick. Very polite and the nuances of some music / films could be lost. With the G61R the sound staging with MRC has blown me away. This thing recreates sound and space. The echo on a voice in a small room makes you feel like you are in a small room. The booming voice in a large throne room puts you in the throne room. This detail is present without having to have the volume at 100!

The 2 channel capabilities are satisfactory. Not bad, not amazing. I have a 800v4 DAX DVD player / PRE that I run directly to the amplifier and it wipes the floor with the G61R. If I am doing some special 2 channel listening the 800 and discs are the way to go otherwise the G61R with all of its inputs are in primary use. Some people rave about Trifield and the G61R has it. It works well but I prefer standard 2 channel, even if there is less bass.

Anyway, just my 2 cents. Good luck with your search and enjoy it. The search is half (sometimes more) the fun!

Nick

G68SL and G61R are still supported by Meridian and will be upgradeable to the latest software version (1.5, I think) which updates the Direct and Stereo DSP functions. I think they can still be be upgraded to a linear power supply as well (but that's an extra cost). There seems to be a number of G68ADV units on eBay at the moment, with some from known suppliers at sub £1k.
568.2mm is still a good option at a lower price, particularly when adding a HD621 as the 500 series units seem pretty solid and reliable.

Brian

There is an increasing availability of quality audiophile ‘music’ integrated amplifiers that have home-cinema pass-through capabilities. The idea is that the integrated amplifier provides the pass-through stereo front channels in a home-cinema setting, but then acts alone in a conventional stereo music-only environment.

Naim comes easily to mind as just one manufacturer to offer such flexibility in their music-only systems.

If I were you, and in view of where you live, I would have a word with Audioimages-Rick of this parish who is a Meridian Premier Partner and could be able to source whatever kit you eventually decide upon even just for demos. He has shops in Barnsley and Sheffield.

Personally I never really 'got' the sound of G-Series the way I did with 500 Series (still have my 561M). If you could stretch to it, 861v4 is a good place to start and should be easily sourced as they were accepted as trade-ins for v6/v8 models.

Good Luck

~M~

Hi

Sorry to hear of your situation. Are you looking to achieve this on a budget? I'm a great fan of the 568.2mm for sound quality in preference to the G processors. It lacks MRC, but in my systems/rooms over the years, I've found MRC to be of marginal benefit, and that's been with a G68 and an 861v4.

It's a superbly musical piece of kit, and does well as a stereo pre-amp, so you could partner it with your 555 for the mains you have at present, and add a 505 for centre duties. You didn't mention if you are able to run rears in the new set up, but perhaps the Onkyo could be used for this if it allows direct input to the power amps? It strikes me that with little change in kit (501 swapped for 568.2mm, and a centre power amp added) you might be able to re-use most of the speakers. Of course, you might also consider selling the lot and replacing with 568.2mm and DSP5000s for best music replay, and adding additional DSPs (centre, then rears) for movies as funds allow?

I'm also assuming that you're in no immediate rush to go for Atmos and the like, if you were then a newer Denon receiver with existing speakers may be the best route, but I doubt that would match the musicality of the older M kit.

You mentioned an 8 series processor, for £1k you'd likely be limited to an 861v2 which I don't think has the MC capability required for the HD621. A v4 is compatible, and is a hugely capable machine, but you're up around £2.5k for one with a useful card selection (and it was the first 861 with MRC) It's sound quality is sublime, like a grown up and even more refined 568.2.

I'm not a fan of G processors, although I'd agree with the comment above that they provide a slightly more cohesive wrap around sound field for movies than the 568.2, but for me it came at the cost of a less extended low end, which I find more important for the kind of films I enjoy.


You can add an HD621 to the 568.2mm, the 861v4 and any G processor.

Hope that's a help.

Cheers

George

Maybe this will help if you also plan to enjoy Roon:

I recently set up a new system using my 568.2mm, and found Roon's convolution engine for room correction to be excellent. For less than $200, an Allo RPI endpoint will provide a stellar source via SPDIF.

Thanks for all the help. I am on a budget, looking to spend max £1000 on processor and about £750 on the HD621.
I really don't want to use the Onkyo and I'm looking to sell it. I will keep the 555 for the front L/R. For center and rear I'll look at something around the £500 mark.

I do use Roon via a Ras-Pi with an Allo Digi One digital out board and all my music is either hires, WAV or FLAC.

Haven't bought a new house yet but it's going to be a lot smaller than my 3 storey victorian terrace
I will be adding a tiny sub and a small center and rears, probably B&W M1S.

Now the fun starts, I'll start looking for the items recommended.

Thanks,
The Lad

P.S. I can't believe how friendly everyone is on here compared to some forums.

I think you should be able to get a HD621 significantly cheaper than £750 - there was a recent trade in on them so a bit of a glut of them from official sources.

Hopefully that would allow you to put the difference towards a 861v4 to narrow the gap.

Can I ask how much should I be looking to spend for a G61, G55 (I'll go for for the 5 channel) and HD621?

I will have a nice bit of money from the house but that will mainly go on next deposit and renovation, but I will be selling my Onkyo, DAC, 501, 555 and Epson 3D Projector.

I think with your budget you will easily afford a 568.2mm and a 24/96 DSP5000C centre speaker. Chase up Tarik and get a capacitor refresh kit for the 5000C if it is sounding a bit flat. Depending on how you go you may just squeeze in a HD621.

This will allow you to integrate your analogue kit.

When funds allow you can then add a 218 which will give you 196k MQA (through your analogue speakers).
Then chase up some cheap DSP’s for rears and a sub and you will have a quality system that fulfills your needs.

+1 on all the 568.2mm recommendations, still love the way that unit sounds for music and movies.

I second Struttmaster’s suggestions too and, who knows, maybe once you try DSP surrounds you’ll end up with them as mains too, tends to happen