I'm having difficulty in Manassas VA finding a dealer to install the firmware update for my G68ADV. I purchased the G68 off Audiogon so do not have a dealer relationship for this. I contacted a "premium partner" 30 miles away from whom I bought a Meridian 565 and a Bryston amp eleven years ago, and they indicated that they had received the firmware but had not installed any yet and would be prepared to schedule upgrades very soon. Three weeks later they have not responded to two subsequent emails or my phone call seeking to set up an appointment.

I also contacted Meridian dealers 70 miles and 128 miles distant (this is in the metropolitan area with the worst auto traffic density in the U.S. and travel times are significantly longer than one might expect). Both dealers were friendly and responsive but neither indicated they have any experience installing Meridian firmware. I was concerned when I was informed by one dealer that they tried out the Meridian firmware website after my call, experienced an interruption and that I should be prepared to accept the risk if they had to "force" acceptance of the file on my unit and my unit is damaged. I would also need to leave my G68 with them for up to a week.

While I am certain I will settle soon on accepting some significant inconvenience to eventually get the firmware installed, I sent an email to Meridian today expressing my opinion that the options I am facing for the new dealer delivery system for updates can be quite inconvenient and urged Meridian to consider whether it could improve the options for Meridian owners like myself. I am still looking for a reasonable way to get the firmware update.

Bruce Nicholson

861v8, HD621, MD600, Oppo 203, B&W Speakers.