Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Meridian / Arcam / Denon !!!!!!

Guys,

I know most of you on this forum will probably be a little biased to Meridian.... and thats good because so am I actually, but I would very much appreciated any help and advise you could give me on the following.

I'm going for a dedicated cinema room at the beginning of next year but want to do a cosy room to keep me going as such until then and dont know when exactly I should be drawing the line on budget. Can you give me your opinions on the following please :

Speakers set up is as follows :

B&W 804S (stereo front)
B&W CCM 817 x 2 (front centre ceiling speakers)
B&W Sig 7NT x 2 (rear surround ceiling speakers)
B&W ASW825 Sub

People on other forums are advising that I go down the seperates road but that does significantly increase the cost so question :

1. If I did go down the 'one box solution' road which would be better, a Denon AVC-A1XVA or a Meridian G95 ? I really love the sound of the 800 series Meridian gear but have never heard their lower end stuff. Or if I wanted to spend more what about a G95 for the fronts and rears, and another 2 channel Meridian amp for the 804S ?

2. If I did go down the seperate route which would you give your preference too and why :

* Arcam FMJ DV139, AV9, P7
* The equivalent setup in Meridian (maybe some of you could suggest what this is becasue the Meridian gear confuses me as to what I would need)

I would like to note at this stage that I would love to go with the Meridian gear so advice on the best seup for my money would be appreciated. I live in Northern Ireland and we dont have any Meridian dealers over here so I will be making a rather substantial purchase on peoples opinions. Oh and by the way the cosy room is quite small at only 4.5m x 3.5m.

Thats my dilema at the moment guys. Want the best possible for my cosy room but keeping the cost curtailed does have to be an issue as I intend to spend more on the dedicated room. All opinions very much appreciated !!!!

Hi Ricky,

IMHO, the seperates route is always the best way to go. I have spent a small fortune over the years on A/V and initially i was a stout fan of the top of the range Denon's and the like as they provided power amps and processors in one box for relatively good value. Eventually i realised, that i was always upgrading to the latest kit purely because of newer sound formats and different types of connectivity. At the end of the day, Power will always be power, unless you go for the Digital Meridian route where the speakers are active and have internal power amps driving them. So in my opinion, you have the following options:

1) One Box Solution - Denon if the cash is tight. Or if you budget will let you, go for the Meridian 'G' series. The sound will be far better, but at a cost.

2) The route i would suggest - Buy seperate power amps, or even one 5 channel power amp. This should not change over the years, unless you want more power or an upgrade in quality. Then buy a seperate processor to compliment the setup. You should be able to pick up some good 568.2 Meridian's these days for around �1500 give or take. I used to have one if these before i got my 861V4 and can vouch for it's sublime reproduction of movies and music.

Don't know if any of that helps or not?

All the best,
G

p.s. don't forget to include a good amount on cabling. Powerchords,Interconnects and Speaker Cabling. My advice - Audience Au24 or Nordost Valhalla. The Nordost is over priced i think and the AU24 is simply a steal!

Also.....if your going to be spending that kind of cash and do not have Meridian dealers in NI, i would suggest getting a cheap flight over to London and checking it out. For less than �100 you could fly here, have a demo and then know that the purchase was a sound one. at the end of the day, sound is subjective, so something that i may like, you may hate and vice versa.
saying that though, i would like to meet someone that does not like Meridian kit, to me it is the reference.

Don't go down the Meridian road unless you are addicted to the sound of Meridian processors. I owned a Denon receiver a very long time ago, and I presume that their equipment lines have improved drastically over the years. My estimation and experience is that the gap between what is deemed lo-fi and what is deemed hi-fi has shrunken tremendously (look at transports for example). Nevertheless, I am with Meridian because of a certain musicality in their processors that I have not heard elsewhere. This is despite the expensive problems I have had with them. I won't change processors because of the sound.

For a bit of perspective, I've jumped from a 561 to a 568 to a G68. The jump from 561 to 568 was huge to my ears in bass quality, but to most it would be minute. The jump from 568 to G68 was far more different, than better (I actually regret the investment in hindsight). And in another recent thread, someowners have claimed that the G68 is no different than the 861 in terms of sound quality. I say all this to point out that the entry point to Meridian processors is the key.

Don't go thinking that you have to have the latest processor or build an entire Meridian system. If I were in your shoes, and the Meridian sound is what I was after, I would actually shift my budget entirely. I would spend the money on better L, R & C speakers, and a good matching amplifier. If you were stuck on the Meridian sound, buy a second hand 568. But in the end, if you are only looking for great sound, there are plenty of other options for less money (Arcam and Anthem for example). One last thing, don't forget that you are paying $$$$$ for the Meridian brand as well. A lot of what they sell is vastly overpriced IMO.

" Don't go down the Meridian road unless you are addicted to the sound of Meridian processors. "

mmmm......now how are you going to get addicted if you don't get one to try !!

Ian

In my opinion...

1) Meridian processors are excellent. I am very satisfied with my G68ADV which does a lot more under the cover than most people are aware.

2) The 861v4 will sound better than the G68 for analogue outputs (better DACs). How much better and is the extra cost worth it? Only your ears and requirements can decide.

3) I believe that Meridian DVD players are now *grossly* overpriced vs. what is available elsewhere for less. As such I sold my SDI-modded 598 and replaced it with a $140 Oppo HD970 as a digital video transport and a Squeezebox 3 for RBCD replay. No matter what you might think about it, HD is with us *now* and I would not want to be sinking mega-��� into a DVD player at this time.

4) You need to audition Meridian amplification - be that G95, G55 or 558(.2) - with your (bright) B&Ws. You need to discover whether or not the combination works for you in your own home.

HTH.

Joel

You'll find from reading my comments elsewhere that I have real issues with the G95 in terms of its limited feature set. Given limited living-room space I really wanted to replace my existing kit with one box (and I may still end up buying one when all is said and done).

Not only does the G95 not have DVD-A, on the movie DSP's you are limited to 'Cinema' and 'DPLII Movie, and on the music side to 'Trifield' - and stereo. That's a lot of money to spend for not a lot of features. However, it sounds fantastic and drives loudspeakers really hard. The sample I auditioned, though, ran very warm - almost hot enough to fry an egg on (the Arcam Solo Movie sitting alongside the G95 ran as cool as Meridian's quoted expectations for their own product).

Now, the Arcam FMJ DV139 is the best all-round disc spinner currently on the market - and will play DVD-A and SACD, for �1,795. The matching FMJ AV9 features five HDMI inputs and offers more DSP surround pre-sets than anything Meridian can offer. If you're keeping to 5.1 rather than 7.1, the partnering FMJ P7 spare two-channels can be used to bi-amplifiy your front left-right channels. Although I'd buy the DV139 new there's some good ex-dem prices to be had for the AV9 and P7. Moroever, unlike the G95, you can swap and change individual components as and when new products and technology appear. Likewise, unlike Meridian, Arcam actually provide upgrades for their high-end FMJ kit (in addition to software updates). For example, the previous AV8 can be physically upgraded to an AV9 for �750 - something G-Series owners can only dream about.

However, I've read on another forum how one AV9/P7 owner was selling his kit because although it was a mighty fine surround system it wasn't a very satisfying two-channel music system. Then again, once you hear Trifield on a G95 subsequent stereo playback is less than satisfying.

Many of us started out in the same state your in. You can pay now or pay later :-).

568.2 is a great machine however it's missing Meridian Room Correction and limited on connections.

G95 is a nice machine as well if compact is what your after. But if you have the space I'd pass.

A G68 with unbalanced analog (for your current speakers) and DSP outputs (for after you listen to them you'll likely want them) is your most flexible option without mortgaging the house.

G68 has Multi Channel analog input and multichannel digital inputs as well (i.e. 6 channel).

Try, but not buy

The beauty of coming into the game this late is that you can get a stellar processor for very little money. The 568.2 is a wonderful option. I'd even sell my G68 and go back to one of the price was right. Even sans room correction, it is an incredible choice to make (I don't even bother to use MRC any more, though my room may not be as bad as others).

Just keep in mind that it is your speakers that will have the greatest impact on your sound. That is where you should put the most of your investment.

Kis, what do you run for speakers?

MRC needs depends on the speakers as much as the room. The lower your speakers go the more you get out of MRC.

You are in a very small minority that feel mrc is not worth while.

568 has no tuner
568.2mm has 1 6ch dig g68 has 2
568 has no mrc
568 no 6channel analog input g68 has 1
568 has no 24/96 ADC g68 does
568 has max 3 balanced out g68xx has 8
568 has 1 opt input g68 has at least 2
g68 is more likely to get HDMI support

There is always deals on 568's why not trade down. That's because you'd miss it. Hey I'd trade my 861 down to 568.2 if someone gave me $18k.

Ricky,

I guess the biggest question is how much are you willing to spend? You have so many options at most price ranges. I actually had a Denon/Definitive Towers setup before I purchased Meridian. While the Denon is an awesome piece, it is definitely no Meridian (IMHO). If a small cinema room is all your looking for at the time, I would recommend going with a Denon receiver (e.g., 4800 series) or something equivalent and the B&W speakers you like.

As some of the other members stated, the Meridian sound is like no other. It's worth every penny. I won't go into how much I like the system (just check some of my other posts on how I feel about the Meridian sound), but if funds permit, get a Meridian processor now (like the G68J) and a low-cost good amp (like a Rotel) and your B&W speakers and you will have an awesome analog setup. And when you finally get your big theater room, you already a Meridian processor. So all you need is some DSP speakers and you are good.

I am going to go out on a limb and say you should almost save the money you would spend on your setup and find a decent HTIB soltuion from Denon, Arcam, etc and some good bookshelf speakers and save the money for a full digital system from Meridian.

Good luck.

Nick

If I was starting again - and had the room for floor standers, I would go as sns says. G68(J or ADV) + 5200's + some other source or simply a pair of 5200's + G91(A?). For movies, add rear speakers and amplification using something that would fit into your room/budget and center as per budget - DSP33 or 5200C and some form of sub.

Either would give you a great system now and the flexibility to expand in the future when you know what direction you want to finally go.