Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion HiFi & HT Chat The Philosophy of Tweaking Equipment

Which is sort of saying that you can do what you like in your own home; but (as an example) what if you've transplanted Meridian apodizing into your 568.2MM so that you don't have to buy a more modern Meridian piece of kit?

Unless of course, Meridian secretly values the second hand market of their gear. Seems like the car anology is used frequently. To many high end cars, the purchase of a used one first is a very common, some times required first step to owning a new one.
The threat of "modified" equipment disrupting the fairly healthy second hand market is a threat you cannot take lightly.

That is certainly a very key question IMHO.........

And perhaps to extend the same question even further...........what if a User were to Copy and Extract Meridian's Code for its USP.........e.g. Trifield, its version of Apodizing, and its own DD / DTS Decoding Algorithms

And then simply Transplant that same Meridian Code into e.g. a Linn / Naim / Lexicon Processor..........thereby negating the User's desire to buy a Meridian Product with those USP's

Is that User still within what people here would consider to be an "acceptable" realm???........

If your answer is No, then it's worth considering if your answer is different if Meridian's Code is Transplanted into another Meridian Product???.........as both result in a reduction of Meridian's Sales........with the User enjoying Functionality and Performance that he hasn't "paid" for??

So are you saying that that I shouldn't have an older car modified to run on LPG so I spend less overall on fuel and I should spend thousands on a new more economical model - 'cause the same logic applies.

Not really, because hifi is purely aspirational, whereas you are talking about an economic question.

Whose ethics?

At the end of the day anyone who designs or develops something would love no one else to copy them or try and do a better job, you always want to have the best that is out there. However, the human race is never satisfied, luckily it is in our nature to want better, and so we take things and constantly evolve and improve them.

Sure BMW hate the idea that someone may take their car and get more of it then they could, or then they were allowed to to stay within insurance bands, BIK tax bands, emission bands etc. But people do and along with that they risk loosing the warranty. All the courts in the land have said that once the user has purchased the car they can do what they want with it, BMW even have to make their diagnostic equipment and tools available to anyone who wants to buy them.
The courts are saying it is unethical for BMW to lock anyone else out of repairing, diagnosing or modifying their car.

And it is the same with computers, buy something from Dell and you can do what you want with it, however, swap the main board over and you can no longer expect Dell to come out and repair it under the warranty when it goes wrong.

I see no difference with a Meridian processor, if I buy one from them for �5000 I can see absolutely no reason why I should not put whatever firmware on it I please. I also believe that if others are developing firmware that improves a product you suddenly see the manufacturer pull their fingers out and start to produce their own official firmware so as not to get egg on their face. Which is what I believe has happened here.
It happens in loads of other fields.
People have been tweaking hi-fi for years, just because things are now digital and we are modding code rather than parts why has anything changed?

I have waited 6 years for Trifield to be fixed, to leave all your customers waiting that sort of time hardly gives anyone the right to start talking about ethics.

For me the thing that I liked most about Erwins firmware was that Meridian suddenly released a new one fixing issues that they hadn't bothered with for years previously.

I hope that more people start to release stuff, it may kick Meridian into gear.

Not really, because hifi is purely aspirational, whereas you are talking about an economic question. [/quote]

But Joel's point was "upgrade" 568.2mm with firmware or purchase a more modern piece of kit. That is an economic question as well.

The answer is add things to your new product that make it more desirable that are not just software based.

In 5 years time this will be a complete non issue imho, I think the hi end guys will have to start being more open with code, look at the fan base Squeezebox have where you can tweak the sound with various filters that suit your ears.
This is the way it will go, and those that don't get on board will be left behind.

It must be pretty daunting for old school companies, but they have got to start getting used to the fact it is going to happen.

The courts have said that it is unethical of Apple to stop anyone unlocking their phones os.
As much as Apple want complete control they are not allowed to do anything about it other than make it awkward to achieve.

Actually the same logic does not apply..........

If you get an LPG Conversion carried out on your car, then that will cost you a certain amount of money...........i.e. you Paid to improve the Economy of your Car

The only way your car Analogy works is to ask "If I somehow magically cloned the Hybrid engine from my Prius AT ZERO COST, and then put that 2nd Engine in my Other car..........am I in breech of what's acceptable"

The difficulty is that everyone knows that you simply cannot "magically" create a Hybrid engine for Free..........it will cost you money, even from a Scrap Dealer

The Copy and Paste of Meridian's Software Code to achieve Extra Functionality and Performance.......without needing to pay a Penny........is what's really at the core of this particular thread

What if I took one of Naim's linear power supplies and grafted it into a Meridian 568.2 processor and thus made it sound "better". As a result, I did not then buy, say a G68. Would that be unacceptable modification or is it just software that has this cachet?

To extend the above post.......

Imagine a world where 100% of Meridian's Sound Performance came from their Case Design of e.g. their 861

I don't think that there is a Single person here who would expect to get that Case (and therefore its implied Performance) for Free........be that getting it Free from Meridian.......or getting it free in the 2nd hand market

Yet, the tone of some posts here seem to imply that simply Cloning Meridian's Firmware from one product..........and then Transplanting it into another.....is more than acceptable