Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Meridian 210 Streamer - Released!

Thank you Rick as that is contrary to what I had been told. In my home it does not matter as we use Tidal/Roon (me) and Spotify (my children). But of course it will matter to others.

Mat

I had planned in utilising the 210 in streaming from Amarra via AirPlay.

Guess I will wait until the exchange rate substantively improves before considering Roon (gasp).

Or try Roon’s free trial and see if you like it? I use Roon and AirPlay to stream to my sound bar via SkyQ and it works perfectly.

I have already tried it: I was a Roon beta tester.

I asked Meridian why they had dropped AirPlay from the 210...

I've added a link to a video all about the 210 in my original post.
Link here also: Meridian 210 Video
Rick

That must be a sour Apple to swallow for some.
Hector

Loss of Airplay is a major omission IMHO. Since Apple devices can't do aptX (let alone aptX HD) they will stream over the lowest possible quality (SBC) - unless the 210 is capable of AAC over Bluetooth (the data sheet says AAC decoding but I don't think that is the same thing).

Airplay would have given the ability to stream losslessly. Right now there are quite a few devices out there with Airplay that are cheaper (Bluesound devices for example) that have greater functionality as well (including internet radio). Let's face it even the Naim Muso QB (a well regarded device) has better functionality + amplification and speakers for less.

Right now I'm on the fence - the 210 fits nicely into my Meridian ecosystem but its functionality doesn't match what I need in my home - disappointing.

Graham

You are in error: MacOS does indeed stream aptX (but not HD). I routinely use it to stream to my B&O H8’s from my Mac Mini Server.

By using Apple Remote on my iPhone, I can access/stream my entire music library that is resident on my MM, and listen on my aptX H8’s.

True for Macs not true for iPhones/iPads (which is what we care about) - they still don't do aptX.

I saw the 210 today in Martins Hi Fi Norwich, it was playing some M6’s.

Apparently they only had one left to sell, that’s good business. I have a kitchen to plan for so couldn’t oblige...

The glass top is apparently required for the Bluetooth function and is not just cosmetic.

It’s a lot for me to spend just to be able to sync with other Roon ready devices. It would be great if they did a RAAT update, even at a cost, to the 218. Not holding breath though.

They probably meant that it needs a hole in it so it does not act like a faraday cage - I assume its metal. The glass probably is just a cosmetic choice of material.

I didn’t go into detail on this but you are probably correct and glass is the best cosmetic solution which also mirrors (Pun intended) Previous Meridian designs. There are also glass panels at the sides.