Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Upgrade path

The start of this is all preamble and not strictly relevant to the question but some people may find it interesting....

I've been using Meridian products for about 20 years now and it's fair to say I am hooked. First of all I bought a pair of very tatty M3s which Russ Andrews himself had been using for testing upgrades. One speaker was "upgraded" with new wiring, the other was not. They still sounded like a pair but the perfectionist in me couldn't keep them in this state and I removed the electronics and mounted them in a separate case each with a dedicated PSU to each amplifier. The reduced convenience was worthwhile for the improved sound.
Next I acquired a cheap pair of M1s. I was very impressed by these but after a few years one of the 6 power amps died. Learning from the M3s I removed the crossovers and built both into a nice case with a dedicated Cascode PSU for each board. Then I got 3 stereo Naim NAP180s (I know this is sacrilege but it was easier to get 3 matching used amps from Naim than Merdian and the Meridian units were too large to fit 3 of them to my racking.) I remember when I first powered up a test rig in mono and was scared by how it presented Portishead in my room.
I used first the M3s then later the M1s in simple stereo connected to a 502 preamp and supplied by an LP12 and a 588 CD player. I still listen to a lot of vinyl. The MM boards for the 502 were dreadfully disappointed so initially I used a Croft Micro valve preamp then later a Linn Linto when I changed to moving coil.

Becoming more relevant ...
The M1s sounded great but were frankly an eyesore. I sold these and bought a pair of non-speakerlink DSP5200s from a fellow Hitchhiker. They are clearer than the M1s but don't have anywhere as much sonic impact. They are more acceptable in the domestic setting. My problem was how to get analogue sources to the DSPs. I bought an E-MU 0404 USB Audio/MIDI interface which has an outboard PSU, and has A/D and D/A converters operating up to 192kHz/24-bit. I could connect all my analogue sources through the 502 to the E-MU and into D2 on the DSPs with the 588 playing direct to D1.
This worked ok but I figured I could cut out the 502 altogether to make the system simpler, but then went back on this by buying a 562 (version 1) from a fellow Hitchhiker in order to accommodate more sources. (Thanks Hector - I never got round to thanking you or for that matter even plugging the 562 in to the system until a few weeks ago as I was taken ill not long after I saw you.) Sadly the A/D converters of the 562 are a massive letdown and don't do justice to the source ... Hence I am looking at upgrading again.

Now getting to the questions ...
I currently have the following sources: line-level from LP, line-level from TV (no digital output available), optical SPDIF from DVD player (not Meridian), optical SPDIF from Xbox (it's for the kids, honest, though I did experiment with this as music player, but it is terrible and has no support for uncompressed audio formats), 44.1kHz coax SPDIF from the 588. I also want to experiment with high-definition audio formats, possibly using a silent PC and network-attached storage. All this needs to output to the non-speakerlink DSP5200s in simple stereo.

I was thinking of getting an Audio Core 200 to replace the 562. I understand this samples analogue and converts to digital at 96kHz. Is it 24-bit? How does it sound? Any comparison to the MP MAX 221 (which a friend of mine uses and I can borrow)?
Does the AC200 work well as a PC soundcard and could I play high-definition FLAC files through it? Up to what sample rate? What Operating-Systems does it support?
Does this AC200 output the digital signal through USB? I.E. can I use it to record vinyl to digital format?
Can I use my existing MSR+ with the AC200?

I am also considering later buying a Media Core 200 - new 1Tb version with improved sound card. How does this compare with the sound of my 588 CD player? Or G-series CD players? What support does the MC200 offer for high-definition sound files. I read that using dBpoweramp HDCDs can be stored in 20-bit format. What about 96kHz files from my recorded vinyl and purchased from Linn Recording etc?
I also think I read that a Media Source 200 would improve the sound of the MC200. Did I misread or is this true? Why would this be? And if true would that still be the case if I am using an AC200 between the MC200 and the DSPs?

Finally, to connect the AC200 to my speakers I assume that Meridian would like me to use the AC12 interface at �400. Instead can I use a pair of Revivers? Any advantages/disadvantages? If I were using an MS200 would I still be able to use Revivers? Would the Reviver power the MS200 or would I need additional power supply?


Sorry it is such a long post but I find the modern Meridian kit quite confusing and I wanted to ask all my questions in one post as they are all related.

Richard,

Most of the answers to these questions are available by researching on Duncs site.

Yes.

AC200 will apodize. It also has two optical, two coax digital inputs and two stereo analogue inputs, versus one each for the MP221.

Of course it does. It will output 24/96 upsampled and apodized. As long as the OS you're using can stream music via a USB the AC200 will see it.

No. You'll need a phono stage for recording vinyl. Plenty of those come with USB out.

Yes

Um, have you read anything about Sooloos in general? dBPowermp will create 24-bit FLAC files, but the last 4 bits are padding. The MC200 (and any Sooloos/MDMS system for that matter) will handle up to 24/192, the output will be 24/96 though.

Some say that the MS200 is better sounding. Different hardware might well be a factor. Bear in mind that for Sooloos you need a Core, Storage, Zone and Control. The MS200 is just a zone, so you'd need at least an MC200 in the system (which runs Core, Storage and Zone) to get any sound, so adding an MS200 to a zone where you already have an MC200 seems a bit like overkill.

Without knowing your room layout and networking it's difficult to advise you as to what to do. If you have lots and lots and lots and lots of CDs then an MD600 remotely sited into an MS200 may be preferable. The MS200 is "cute" as well.

They'd love you to. However, the Reviver is excellent, and you'd only need one per pair of speakers. Alternatively Steve Eyles can do you a custom-made SpeakerLink to SPDIF and Comms lead for even less.

Since you have non SL DSPs, the advantage of using one of the three options is you'll get sound. Struggling to think of a disadvantage that will outweigh the advantage. The Reviver is a passive item, so no power unless Robert.W has added a supply. Not sure what this would get you over using the M supply for the MS200. I'm not sure whether the AC200 will power the MS200, I've only read that new SL DSPs will.

The AC200 will power the MS200.

Slartibartfast

You don't say much Slartibartfast, but when you do, it counts!

Cheers

George

Obviously busy designing fjords.

Maybe a bit sleepy still after his 5 million year kip.

Welcome back, Slarti. Good piece of knowledge added that's not in the manual.

From the datasheet:-

An RJ45 SpeakerLink output allows the unit to be connected direct to a pair of Meridian DSP Loudspeakers or a component, such the Audio Core 200, with a SpeakerLink input. When connected via SpeakerLink to the Audio Core 200 or loudspeakers such as the DSP3200 and DSP3300, the SpeakerLink destination powers the Media Source 200. An external power supply is also included for operation where the Media Source 200 is not connected to a compatible SpeakerLink product.

Like I said, it's not in the AC200 manual.

Tutt tutt tutt......someone really should RTFM I think ......especially when you have 5 of these

My point was that's the MS200 manual, not the AC200 manual.

Oh, never mind!

Wow, I really appreciate your time and effort put in to the comprehensive reply. I find even with scouring the datasheets and the manuals there are details which are hard to track down. But with the details you have provided this deals with all my concerns about whether the AC200 will work for me. I have a good phono-stage already in the Linto so can continue to use the E-Mu for recording vinyl. I'll check out the Sooloos info in more detail and work out how to best utilise FLAC files.
The only question remaining is how does playback from the MC200 compare to the 588 or a G-series CD player?

Well, thanks to reassuring advice here I have ordered an AC200 from my local Meridian dealer, Music Matters in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Expect a 562 in Classifieds soon.