Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Celebrating 25 years of Digital Loudspeaker innovation

In that G65 thread:-

I think this is what he is referencing.

The word from M is that they will be "considerably more" than current pricing...

So new Anniversaries then.

My issue isn't with technology advancement, I work in tech and have bought endless upgrades over the years on most things. it's that I bought all of it a month ago.

Car analogy isn't a great one as someone who also buys cars you know exactly what is rumoured to be launched and when. Just get a copy of Auto Express and it lists out every new car for another 18 months. Most tech has that if you keep an eye out and thoroughly research your products (Apple - Mac Rumours).

My issue is I actually met with several people from M to the end of last year to discuss (including Bob and Tim Ireland). All through that process I continued to ask "is there anything major coming that I need to worry about" and was told categorically no. Considering part way through that discussion we were taking possibly about 8k's rather than 7200's I think it would have been the right thing to do. M sin't about selling mass market of FMCG goods, they produce a few high end systems.

I've had M kit for over 23 years and while I appreciate M's foibles as a smaller company this is the first time I've actually detracted from from them. I'm not minted, far from it. Putting a �40k+ system in my house has taken years and years of saving to be able to do it and some massive sacrifices for both me and family. I wanted the best for my house. We can debate on here the subtleties between 8k's and 7k2's etc. etc. but the point being I finally made a call that this system was "the best" system for my house and within six weeks I now have M and Bob on video telling me it's not, because they have made "significant" improvements.

Kind of makes me feel I just bought a �40k "not bad attempt"...

Now in no way did I get home last night and throw up due to the crappy and tinny sound of the system. No way at all. I loved it. As I've loved it since it was installed.

It's an emotional reaction, we all know it is. However, rational it didn't stop me losing sleep last night thinking about it.

As you say, let's see how we're treated before reserving judgement.

Just for kicks - how much more would you have been willing to pay for SE versions of your kit?

I'd have stretched ... not 100% sure how far. Likelihood I'd have waited and saved more so I could have had it (I wanted the best at the time).

I know it's stupid and irrational, I do the same with cars (always buy the top spec). I'd rather have top or range lower vehicle than bottom of the range higher one (if choice to buy new). I just don't like feeling it's second best. Buying second hand is different, you make compromises and choices based on what there is.

If it had been a year since I bought then I doubt I'd have the same reaction, it's only because it feels like the custom lacquer isn't even dry yet ...

I sympathise with your situation, but the glass half full perspective is this: The SE editions won't be available for three months. How long would it have taken for you to save up? (<rhetorical>) You are enjoying your kit NOW. You will be able to upgrade if you want to and, given your situation, perhaps you might be able to engineer a good price for an upgrade in the future which won't be much more that the incremental retail cost from non-SE to SE?

Edit: Upgrades TBC of course.

Just hope that Rick's expectation about upgrades is correct, and in the meantime enjoy your system while saving up for them. Win-win, no?

Congratulation and that's a good move from M

A little surprise to me to change the tweeter after keeping it so many years.

The "old" tweeters have a weak point/oscillation at about 27kHz as it was measured in a test report many years ago. Anyway the sound was/is very good...

I believe that simply SEAS produce newer driver as discussed earlier for the bass chassis and therefore the mechanical adaption rings get necessary.

The "wide bandwidth analogue electronics" to get the "maximum advantage of high-resolution recordings" needs no hardware changes I think, as that "limitation" was just necessary for the ultrasonic tweeter oscillations.

And "wide bandwidth" is already there since M have developed the DVDA...

The new oscillators as Bob speaking could be on a modified/new processing- and D/A- board in the speaker. So to enable the upgrade path a new tweeter (6 screws out and in) and a modified/new board is necessary.

With the new or modified board (new oscillators are similar to the v6 to v8 cards in the 861 it's better but not necessary when the user is satisfied) you get the advantage.

So even a two choices for an upgrade with or without a new/modified card might be possible.

As the bass chassis are not need get changed (advantage to price ratio) only a small firmware update for the level and crossover of the different chassis is necessary.

So there should be no economical/technical limitation to not making an upgrade AFAIK.

Of course M will and have to sell new speaker to survive, that help all of us, but M shouldn't close the door for one of the major buying reasons. The advantages that their products are basically upgradeable and the buyer/owner of the new DSP have still advantages to an upgrade model.

So both the new and old DSP owners are satisfied. As swap/replacement of the current DSP with new one is not able for every DSP owner, so M still will make some money on the upgrades as otherwise not.
So every current owner can decide how to spend his money,
a new to is a new toy... and a new model will catch new customer.

So again Bob, thanks for doing that and congratulation, keep your goals and don't let the "money" determinate too much your great work.

We crazy HH will support you/M as much we can do or "allowed" us to do.

Robert

I can't hear 27kHz...

Good news (well sort of) is that the Prime is not available in white, I'm reliably informed it's just the light in the picture.

So my Prime Power Supply is not out of date before it arrives...

Put it this way, I am in the same boat as you. Only I haven't even received my speakers yet. However, as soon as I found out it is not going to be even out till April I am more settled as it is actually quite far away before the product launch.

I have got some affirmation from M that there will be an upgrade path, so I am not cheesy after all and hopefully it happens.

I am sure M will look after you (hopefully) with the upgrades. I guess it is difficult for companies to let out new product lines even they were asked a direct question, especially one in development.

As said, this is not the right place to discuss it, but I sometimes feel we are all not really honest to ourselves. Why do we debate about something more when it is fresh, true for two weeks and do not mind, if our investments get slashed in half a year later with a new version, especially if you have a hobby wallet instead of unlimited resources. Is that "fraction in time" to just make that one next step so important? I'm sure we see "soon" from M some sort of Meridian Wireless SpeakerLink. All of a sudden people will discover that high bandwidth FM transmission and high precision re-syncing/clocking will lead to fantastic Jitter values. One day, one day, Meridian may let you use two to four rear speakers for Stereo as a Meridian Digital Bass array (digital instead of double). Who knows what shows up. But again, let's put this aside.

I think it is truly amazing how much Meridian offers in the form of upgrades, you can almost always hop back on the train.

What I personally cannot understand, that people get slammed in discussions as they insist that Meridian is supposed to use off the shelve drivers, true fans reply, no, it is customized and top notch, and the same people cheers now for a beryllium tweeter. Truly amazing...