I have been a loyal customer of Meridian for some 10 odd years following a move from Tag Mclaren. What really sold me on the brand in the early days was not isolated to the SQ but the quality of service I received from Meridian and specifically Des.

Had I heard something a little better (and lets be honest for most of the time we as enthusiasts are chasing small improvements for considerable investment) I would have remained loyal to Meridian.

One of my previous main dealers (who I spent a considerable amount of money with on Meridian equipment) offered a poor service compounded by Meridians refusal to deal directly with customers. I was close to moving away from Meridian when someone (3 actually) on this forum restored my faith in Meridian (none of whom work for Meridian or a PP) resulting in me deciding to remain loyal to Meridian.

The outcome for Meridian is someone who will continue to purchase new equipment via a PP or SH equipment (possibly from an independent). Either way Meridian win as I remain a Meridian customer recommending its equipment to other potential customers as well as upgrading in the future. 3 of my friends/colleagues have complete Meridian systems not due to Meridians marketing but my recommendations as a satisfied customer. Many other friends have a piece of Meridian equipment (even two of my sons have Meridian systems and will likely remain Meridian customers for many years).

A healthy SH market maintains equipment values which in turn gives customers the confidence to spend high amounts of money on equipment. This equipment all starts life being sold by a PP!!!

Conscious this response is turning into a rant (not my intention) but I can't help but feel we all lose on the back of this decission.

I very recently purchased an 861 from a PP advertised on these forums and have received excellent service. I would happily pay a premium to receive such service on any future Meridian purchases as its an important part of the ownership experience but believe a free market benefits us all in different ways.

Anyways I have always found this forum an invaluable resource and look forward to it continuing to go hand in hand with Meridian ownership.

Good luck to those who are impacted by these changes.




861, G98, 568.2, DSP5K, SVS PC 13 Ultra, Pioneer KRP600, LG 77CX, BDI 3379.