Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems What did you own before Meridian?

I'm in that "inbetween" state of considering but not yet buying a Meridian setup, so i'm looking for reassurance. As part of that what equipment did you previously own and why did you move to Meridian?

I'm considering the G91 + DSP 5200's as my "Swiss Army Knife" entertainment system.

MTIA

Welcome!

I had a mixture of budget hifi (Marantz, Musical Fidelity, Castle, Denon, Mission) and mid-range home theatre (Sony, Yamaha).

Why Meridian? I was smitten by the design philosophy the first time I came across it in 1991 - it just made so much sense to me then. Incredibly, in the digital age, it makes even more sense now. Bob Stuart was at least two decades ahead of everyone else.

Thanks to the wealth of information and opinions on forums such as this, and the second-hand / ex-dem market, I'm truly Meridianized!

Hi, You wont be dissappointed with Meridian.

The Philosophy is the thing that attracted me.
Pure digital path, un-learn stereo, that sort of thing.
I had a Sansui music center when the thought came that things could be better.

They (Meridian) do the right things for the right reasons and by trusting their judgment, saved me having to become a Hi Fi Hot Rod Bore..

Of course the best will cost you, but you will relish the joy long after you have forgotten the price.

Good things arn't cheap and cheap things arn't good.
Chris.

Yamaha player + sugden amp + mission speakers (poor student gear)
1991 = first M player (206b)
1997 = DSP5000/562V with 206

If I write the rest down the wife would kill me if she found out !!!!

I went from a Lexicon MC-8B to a G68J.

I started with a Nakamichi Ca-1 /Pa-1 and Toshiba 9200 DVD. I then began to learn more. I couldn't decide between Mcintosh & Meridian. So I purchased the 561 and a Mcintosh 851 DVD & Mc 207 amp. I didn't like the mix and had to have the Meridian, so I got the G68 & G98. I still have the Mc 207 but looking for a G55 or 558. The Meridian is HOT!

YamahaDSP-A2070 prologic. Modified to 5 channel input with AC3 decoder (for laserdiscs in the old days)

Wanted to get rid of the update: 2070 (prologic) -> 3090 (AC3) -> A1 (DTS)
I skipped going to the 3090 with the upgrade of the 2070, but than i saw within 2 years the A1 coming with DTS.
I thought than i needed something more future proof. So the 861 was almost the only realcandidate back than (upgradable and expandable) Isaved up for awhile and bought one. Never regretted that.

Kenwood X1
Kenwood Z1
Lexicon DC-1
Meridian 561
Meridian 568
Meridian 568.2
Meridian 861.4

Prior to becoming infected with MAD (Meridian Affective Disorder), I was a true 2 channel tube purist and had been so for years. Everything had tubes in it, even the DAC. The Aesthetix Callisto line stage and Io phono stage each were twin chassis devices with tube regulated powersupplies. The Audio Research monoblock amps ran 16 6550 output tubes run in triode. Lots of glowing boxes in a dedicated room that became much too hot to enjoy in the summer due to all the tubes. All those tubes certainly brought the musicians to sweaty life though!

So, about a year ago my spouse asks for "a radio" for the sitting area of our loft. The only audio in our home other than the big rig was a ghetto blaster! With a cheshire grin pasted on my face I suggest we set up a little home theater in our siiting area. I'm a rather fortunate man. The wife is in the TV production biz and thought it was a great idea.

We gradually purchased a bunch of older used M gear- 565, 562V3, 504, 208, M100s, 2 pairs of M2s, and a pair of M3s. An accomodation deal on a 50" Pioneer HD plasma, an HD cable box and a decent DVD player rounded out the wife's new "radio". In absolute terms the new gear wasn't as good at the nuances of music reproduction as our two channel setup. No surprise, the tubed big rig was many times more expensive but you know what? The "radio" was more fun, more versatile, much more energy efficient, and far more practical.

So one thing leads to another and the two channel tube setup in the dedicated room was sold and replaced this Spring by a complete Meridian Digital theater. The new rig consists of a 598DP, 568.2MM, DSP6ks, DSP5kC, and DSP5ks along with the phono rig from our prior tubed system. That and a 109" Vutec screen and a PD Action One projector for life size movies and xBox gaming. We are very pleased.

So thats how I drank the Koolade, got the tattoo and donned a somewhat more suave hair shirt. I'm certain that all the Hitchhikers would be happy to assist you in finding the perfect hairshirt too!

Happy Trails!
Vince@freewheelcycle.com

Pre 1982

Quad 44 pre
Quad 405 power
Linn LP12 + Itok & Asak
Yamaha NS1000

Post 1982

Meridian 101b pre
Meridian 105 x 2 power
Meridian 104 tuner
Linn LP12 + Itok & Asak
Yamaha NS1000

1992

Meridian 206 CD player
Meridian 201 Pre
Meridian 204 Tuner
Meridian M30 MKII (still have these in my second system)

Upgraded M30`s to D600`s in 1994

Over the last two or three years upgraded to current cinema system.

Hi

Meridian, since the launch of M10's and Linn Turntable.

Just enjoyed the music from then on.

Regards

70s/Early 80s

Rega Planar II; Aiwa Cassette Deck + Rotel amp; bookshelf speakers (brand escapes me...)

Late 80s/Early 90s

LP12/Ittok/Troika; Linn Lk1 (later Kairn); Lk2 x3 (later LK280+Spark); Active Isobariks; Nakamichi cassette

Late 90s/Early 2000s

500/562v/565 (later 568)/ DSP 6000 + 5000c + 5000

Current

861v4/G91/ DSP 7000 + 5500HC + 5000


Why? I fell in love with the sound a fully active system was capable of producing and the Linn was pretty state of the art at the time - oh and it sounded great too but the cable sprawl was frightening (6 runs of thick speaker cable for a start!) and it was 2 channel only - also Linn changed direction and began to kind of disown their former owners with their newer kit.
I liked the purity of the Meridian solution and the fact that it looked good and required a lot less cable was a clincher in the end! Still have the LP12 though - it still sounds pretty good in its own unique way!

Graham