Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Re: Message from Meridian concerning Firmware (including Supplementary update)

Well, it would seem to me that requiring software upgrades through the dealer network would accomplish a couple of things right off the bat.

First it would create a large degree of "hassle factor" for the customer, client, user - perhaps to the point of turning the user into using another brand entirely.

Second, it would alienate the dealer for having to do extra work without additional compensation - pushing the dealer to drop the line.

But maybe more importantly, does it really matter anyway??? Meridian has not delivered on their promise to make upgrades available. Certainly not in a timely fashion and has not fixed a very annoying condition in Trifield. So we wouldn't really have to go to the dealer, now would we? Why, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO UPGRADES! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

When I was running my own business, I would have been out of business if I had operated this way!

Perhaps that is what the new investors want. A handsome tax write-off?

Bob, I have tremendous respect for your digital engineering prowess.

Not so much for the company's business acumen.

That statement I don't understand!
Meridian screwed up when they stopped letting us debug there firmware. I had a software guy helping me with bug fixes when the 568 Verison 1 was first released. Then when I tried to help back in 2003 they wouldn't respond. Trifield was broken back in 2004 and they never respond except that they will offer a fix in the future. Well when is it? It's been at least 7 years. This code change would have never happened if they stuck to the way they used to run the company. They brought this upon themselves and it pathetic they don't see it.

Communication, Communication, Communication...

I feel this whole state of affairs has come about because of poor communication from Meridian.

I respect their reluctance to discuss future products (and you can include firmware revisions in that) but I feel that where we are now shows that simply saying nothing at all doesn't always work.

Bob states:
Now I wasn't aware of this - at least not the "late stage" - which implies an impending release. We all know they have repeated that they will do an update but they have never said for which equipment and when. Not knowing and waiting, waiting, waiting results in frustration that will make people try anything to get a small improvement in their system. The new 'apodising technology' seemed such a great idea we all want it!

If Meridian had set a timescale for the updates and communicated that to us enthusiasts, and kept telling us about progress even when it slips a few weeks or even months we'd probably be fully on-side. We wouldn't be happy about delays but with information we could make knowledgeable judgements. With no information we just guess what's happening and inevitably jump to the wrong conclusions.

Like many people my investment in Meridian equipment is partly based on an expectation of updates to keep my system near the state of the art. Recent history has unfortunately shown that this is now a highly optimistic view and certainly should not be relied on.

Having said all that I'm quite happy to have my dealer come and update all my system (for a reasonable fee) as this will save me having to find my old serial port laptop and struggle with Windows 2000. And provide some backup when it inevitably goes wrong somewhere.

just my 2 cents...

Chris

+100

After reading the 1st Meridian post I got really Not pleased; the 2 post was
But there are still some problems with product quality checks
Their quality control should be better in this pricerange ....own experience with all of my 800's, DSP 8000.2 & DSP 7200HC been faulty - just to name a few.
My dealer has always made this up to me - thats why I still have Meridian.

I feel that in order for Meridian to "believe" ME I have to prove that it's not user fault and get other users as witnesses before they might believe me.
It took M over 1 year to believe me that my HD621 was faulty - but only after I got to borrow my dealers demo HD621 - that they didn't get back I just returned mine - the faulty one.

Software Updates:
Meridian is there already, they no longer post the latest firmware updates - It's only if you need it you might get it from the Dealer - they are of the opinion that a hard reset will fix most problems not a firmware update!

My replacement HD621 came with version 1.0.9 Meridian latest official update is the 1.0.8 posted in February 2010.
ref Meridian Post 2 the only release major updates .... at least I like that.
Looking forward to the "major" update post 2 talkes about

Just my 2 cents

And another ++++ w.r.t. communications.

I have said many times here before that in this age of Facebook, Myspace and Twitter (all of which M seems to want to adopt) it is absolutely ridiculous that a ready-made customer group (i.e HH) hear nothing from M until something like this happens.

It is so avoidable and unnecessary.

It could be so, so different.

I don't have a local dealer, so in case the fortuitous update becomes available, where am I suppose to go get it, Bob?

I've used the Meridian software link at the bottom of this page to update several bits of Meridian equipment I've bought over the last few years. I have never had to enter my details or even confirm my acceptance of terms and conditions to use this software. Whilst I fully accept that Meridian and Bob Stuart have the full rights to their intellectual property in this software and has every right to express his unhappiness that we might have taken this and modified it or re-used it in someway, there is no obvious statement to restrict us doing this that I can see. Surely if they felt this strongly there should be?

To check my facts I've just tried the link below again and again it allows me to download the flash-uploader and firmware versions for the kit I own without any statement of restriction on use. Have I missed something?

I have no doubt that if I choose to download software/firmware to my Meridian equipment or the ECU of my car that hasn't been approved by the OEM then would expect the OEM to invalidate the warranty. If however the warranty is already expired the risk of damaging my hifi or my car is my own. Isn't it? My car has a flashable re-map that gives improved economy (and power TBH) I did this when it was out of warranty and did a lot of research before I did it. The biggest factor before deciding to do it was that it can be flashed back to OEM at any stage I want, and it doesn't do anything that I think might damage my car. I own my car and have the right to make that decision.

I've been waiting for a fix for Trifield since I upgraded from my 561M to a 568.2 about 2 years ago. With the 561 I could find that sweet-spot where everything clicked in my setup. The 568.2 sounded "better" but without the ability to adjust to suit the layout of my LCR speakers I have always felt it wasn't as good as it could be. I've followed the "Trifield is broken" threads far longer than M have actually admitted it was. We know that 2.12 works but the 2.5b and beyond (568.2, G series and later 800 series) is broken. Anybody who's heard width work could have no doubt it is currently bust. I still don't really know if it works in the 861v6 or G68SL but if you aren't sure it almost certainly isn't fixed!

Please Mr Stuart, put this slight behind you. Give us the bug fixes and new software, please. We'll happily agree to not misuse it, reverse-engineer it or install it in our cars.

Not that it will change the way Meridian approach this forum, but I would also like to add my voice to the call for you to give us just a little more. We have often invested more than money in our systems. HH isn't just a fanzine (as I think we've proved rather too successfully recently) but we are your biggest supporters. I'm not asking you to break the secrets of your road-map (I want to believe you have more brilliant ideas to bring us that you don't want your competitors to get wind of) but perhaps an occasional input to the forum from the support/service team or the software guys. How about a comment of the 3db tweak?

Best wishes to the future of Meridian. I'd like to think you'll be with me for the longhaul.

Richard

Trifield width clearly and unambiguosly works in the 861v6. I can report this from personal experience - the effect is not subtle.

Correct 861v6, G68SL, 561, 565, 568.1 and 568.2 (with older firmware). Everything else is Broken.

The message posted by Mr. Bob Stuart contains some specific warnings against using modified firmware.

One thing worth noting is the particular case of DSP speakers. It is speculation from my part, but the filter coefficients MIGHT be the result of aggregating several filters (bandlimited upsampling + apodising + digital crossover bandpass - or low/high pass - specifically for DSP speakers). If this reflects reality (it is just a possibility, I do not know for a fact if that's the way it is done), then importing filter coefficients from one DSP product to another (model) MIGHT just screw up the crossover part (which is supposedly different, crossover frequencies are not the same with different models). This could have more or less important consequences on the proper operation of said DSP speakers IF filters are aggregated that way.

For source or processor components it is not very clear to me at this point where the technical problem might lie (other than the result being suboptimal from M's point of view), while it is true that even at the same installed processing power, two models might differ in available working memory. On the other hand I do not fully understand M's processes inside their boxes, so this is (as I have said) speculation on my part.

The point is that IMHO, people should be particularly careful about modifying their DSP Speakers' firmware using a different model "donor". Maybe our colleagues who have worked out this interim soultion for fellow HH'ers too long in the wait for good (firmware) things coming their way would care to elaborate on this.

Supposing the official post is the reflection of genuine worry about equipments malfunctioning, this is just my interpretation on those worries.

Many other companies - and even some Governments - are actively embracing open source and crowd-sourcing. They see the significant benefits available in harnessing the intellectual horsepower, spare time and diverse opinions that people are willing to donate - free of charge - to directly improve the quality of products/laws they care about, or to increase the speed at which they can be improved.

Meridian had all that and did all that before it was trendy. The willingness to provide from this side not only remains but, like a damn, there seems to be pent-up creativity seeking outlets. But Meridian is trying to put the customer participation genie back into the bottle of central control. I fear this is going to end badly.

More in sorrow than in anger,
Duncan

Please see initial post in this thread as updated with Supplementary information from Bob - 5th March 2011.

First post.