Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming My Mini Review: 861v6, 7200, ID40 & Sooloos

Robert, your post is long and not easy to read. However, here are some answers to your questions.

1) In *any* source component where the audio clock is reconstructed from the SPDIF or SpeakerLink stream, jitter is a factor. Therefore it is critical to minimize jitter (and correlated jitter) in the source component; this means upsampling and MHR. 1x SPDIF streams *anywhere* are likely to be "problematic".

2) On the other hand, standard-rate (1x) sampling into the ID40 is perfectly acceptable, because the master clock is inside the ID40 card itself. The data transmitted over ethernet/Cat5 are time independent.

3) We've talked (in other threads) about putting ID40 cards in DSP speakers. I think this would lead to the ultimate sound quality, but it may not be in Meridian's best interests (financially) to do this.

4) Apodizing vs. non-apodizing upsampling. In my opinion, this depends very much on source material. The human hearing system evolved to be sensitive to the smallest nuances in a natural (live) acoustic. It is logical, therefore, that material recorded in a live environment, rather than unnaturally "produced" in a recording studio, stands to gain the most from apodizing.

5) Remember that non-apodizing upsampling to 2x rates reduces both pre- and post-echoes by half.

I seem to misunderstand how Sooloos works, but why do you need a C15 if you have a ID40? I thought the ID40 is a Sooloos client (core)? Or do you just use the C15 as 'remote control' and could this be replaced with an iDevice?

Thanks for your answer.
I allways try nmy best english and simplest expression..

But you understand at what I posted nad confirmed my thoughts.

Apodizing/standard upsampling- You mean the preringing its easier to hear on "live" or "natural" acoustic even when this pre-ringing is allways a "unnatural" hearing experiences for the brain ?
You mean when "more" natural acoustic is there, then "unnatural" sound its easier to hear as compared to when all the soundfield is "unnatural"?

Do you have an idea how the data transdered to the ID40 card?
Is that a industrial standard or what do you think?

Robert

I am always coming back to this reading the forum, that virtually no-one says what their reference recordings are, or those which they are using for the testing being described. While we are mostly after the same thing (accuracy), that we are using such different music and recordings muddies the water.

So Carl, can you name the names?

Did any Sooloos component ever output MHR? Perhaps it was too far down the wishlist to make it into the Control 15? Or perhaps it would take away from ID40 sales?

Ah grammar! Ah Latin!

"client (core)" is a misunderstanding. "Client"=Zone. In network terms, the Core and Storage make up a server, the Zones are clients.

The Core and a Zone are in the same box in Control 15, Control:10, Ensemble, but don't have to be.

MS600 and ID40 and Source 1/5 are all Zones without any core or storage. They need Control, Core and Storage elsewhere on the network to work. So in terms of cost, the minimum for an ID40 to work is an Ensemble with PC/iPad/iPod control: in terms of simplicity, the minimum is Control 15 (including control, core and storage in one device).

AFAIK.

One tries.

I feel I need to make something clear: The above is an educated guess on my part, not something established empirically through hours and hours of listening. However, on the one occasion I have listened to an indisputably top flight system - 808.2 into 8ks at HH2 - I could hear/feel the space around the instruments and voices in the live recordings demonstrated by Bob Stuart. However, this "air" was absent in the studio recordings demoed.

It's not a huge amount to go on, but I think I'm on the right track.

It would have been perfect if the ID40 included the core and even better if the ID40 could work with a regular NAS instead of a TwinStore. But then Meridian would not make as as much money!

Or perhaps they would have by selling a lot of 861 V6 units

@Nic,
Thanks for your reply. So in SqueezeBox terms, TwinStore == NAS, Core == SqueezeCenter (on PC/Mac or NAS) and Zone = SB Classic/Touch?

I am not sure. As it is now there is now way I am buying into Sooloos ...

I agree with this

Well recorded Live music and also Studio Sessions which have as little as possible Processing and Reverb going on. "Live" Session in the Studio so to speak

Adding to the above, I think the following Music types or instruments are good for identifying sound quality differences (at least to my ears)

- bare bones Female Vocals (including Opera)
- Jazz and Classical Piano
- Jazz Trumpet & Saxophone recorded in a "live" unprocessed session
- certain Classical / Orchestral pieces which explore a wide dynamic range and presentation

That's not to say that these are the Only music types that differences can be heard on, it's just that in my experience, differences are easier to detect with those types of recording

YMMV

Last night I ripped the remaster of Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue": Miles Davis on Trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax. Should be an interesting listen...