Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems First Meridian - G68 or 861v4

I'm contemplating my first purchase of Meridian equipment. Up till now I've been using an Anthem AVM-30 into a Bryston 9B-SST with JM Lab Electra (Non Be) Speakers in a 5.1 Setup.

The 861v4 is end of life, so the upgrade path is gone for it. The G68 has the same issue, by design, but is less expensive. The question is, which sounds better?

I've noticed a lot of people who have upgraded from G68s to 861v6 or v8, and I would expect them to sound better, but for us high end bottom feeders, is the 861v4 that much better than the G68? I don't plan on adding speakers, but I do have analog requirements. Eventually I'll add a HD621 for HDMI.

Should I:
1) Purchase a G68?
2) Purchase a 861v4?
3) Wait for a 861v6?
4) Wait for a newer version of the G68?

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Russ

Analogue speakers? 861v4.

You can also get a more reliable and less noisy (= less jitter) linear PSU for the US equivalent of �500 and a five year warranty to boot.

Russ

If you want the 861v6 there is one here for a great price including analog cards. link

Russ

VirusKiller,

Is that upgrade from Meridian, or aftermarket?

Ratbert,

I appreciate the link, but my budget is about half what he's asking, not that it isn't a good deal. I can get a G68 for around 2K and a v4 for about twice that. Much more than that and I'll be enjoying my new sound system by myself, if you know what I mean.

Russ

There is a G68ADV on Audiogon this morning for $1900. No connection with or endorsement of the seller, but, if legitimate (he has good feedback), that is a bargain.

My first Meridian processor was a G68 - it has great connectivity options but I felt the 861v4 upgrade was worthwhile. TV/HT vs 2 channel listening are important decision factors and also the ability to have an ID40 card if you are interested in Sooloos as the card is only available in the 861 series. Since your current processor is not M. asking whether or not you like Trifield is premature

That's the one I'm looking at. Can you tell me if it can assign more than one output to the same physical inputs?

I'd like to use Digital coax for CD, Dolby Digital, and DTS, and 6 channel analog for SACD, DVD-A and Bluray (at least until I get an HD621). I need the G68 to treat the player as a CD player for CDs and a DVD player for movies (which includes triggering a screen to come down for video).

The other option on Audiogon is a 861v4 with HD621 for $6200. Other than the LPS, there would be no upgrade path. Is it worth the $2000 difference in price (factoring in the HD621)?

Russ

Welcome to the forum.

Who told you that 861v4 had no upgrade path? Check out the upgrades Meridian have made available to it only this year... I'm not saying that its ever going to become a v8, but for a product of that age, Meridian like to surprise their users even now...

As for inputs. Yes. All physical inputs and sources are logical associations. You can mix as you wish. Check out phantom sources and if you ever go with a HD621, MHR Smartlink. Apart from limitation of 12 logical sources, Meridian pretty much have flexibility in that department well and truly sussed.

Your best bet would be to download and play with the Configuration Program which be can downloaded from here. Pretty much everything is configurable and assignable.

Factoring out the used HD621, it is then "only" about $1000 difference. As you say you will be wanting the HD621 anyway, I'd say it's worth it. The LPS and the ID40 options that have been mentioned are still nice to have in reserve.

Thanks for all of the responses. Is there much of a difference in SQ between the earlier G68 and the newer G68SL? I have read that the newer model has apodizing filters, but I thought that a SW update would allow the older units to do that too. Is there much of a difference between them? and how does the newer G68s compare to older 861s?

Russ

If the firmware is up to date then the G68's should sound the same, though I guess an updated power supply may affect things a little.

If you are running analogue speakers, 861 everytime. Much closer call DSP speakers Newer does not mean better.

Buy for the present not for what may or may not appear in the future - in the Meridian world, it's more often than not the 'may not'.

You may be waiting an eternity for an updated G6x and even if an update is forthcoming, it may well be a fairly minor revision. Architecturally and SQ wise, the 861v4 is more than likely to remain superior.