Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming LAN isolator anyone?

Hi Nick,

Fair point, diplomatically made and well received!

I think listening to recorded music is all about psycho-acoustics and I�m tempted to think that Bob Stuart�s passion for this whole topic is a big factor in why Meridian kit sounds so good. I know my emotions and state of mind affect how I perceive music � some nights, I get home from work, sit down to listen to music and find I just can�t get into it � the response just isn�t there. Other nights, my hair stands on end and I�m up till 2am playing that �last CD before bed�. No doubt, this is down to state of mind, as the system is probably doing the same thing most nights.

That said, I�d like to clarify a couple of things on my earlier post. If anything, I was guilty of being a tad negatively disposed to the GISO in terms of dynamics, as I�ve so often found that devices involving filtering of any kind kill dynamics. Dynamics seem to affect me a lot and I really can�t live with sound that lacks life and energy. So I looked for that problem and jumped on it � not good behaviour.

My experience of adding components or devices that substantially reduce noise, aside from the �blacker blackness� that reviewers always talk about, is that it always makes the music sound more �organised� and easier to hear into the soundstage. If you don�t listen long enough, or if you focus too much on analysing individual elements of the sound, you can easily perceive the sound as having slowed down when, in fact, the sound is simply more coherent, to the extent you perceive more time between sounds. The telling thing for me was taking the GISO out and stepping back to listen to the overall rhythm and drive of the music. Hands-down improvement with the GISO in place, no question.

As for the 180 turn in my perception of dynamics and soundstage, the first was down to a mix of the point above and burn-in. The second was entirely down to burn-in. For the first 24 hours, the soundstage was simply narrower and less well defined with the GISO in place. This was a brand-new device, cold and fresh out of the box. With hindsight, I should have waited a week before posting � I apologise for jumping the gun!

While I listen to music for the sake of music and the emotions that go with it, my engineering genes force me to be painfully empirical when it comes to assessing the impact of new devices. I can�t speak for others, but my nature is such that, if the gain isn�t there, I learn and move on. Nothing lost, just experience gained, so I�m very happy every time that happens. We all think differently, but I always hold hands-on experience of the impact a device to be far more valuable than preconceptions. Now and then, it�s good to nudge the boundaries.

Truth is, I�m still a bit discombobulated by what the GISO has done to my system � a little gizmo like this hanging on the end of �20 worth of CAT7 cable has no right to bring such a big change such a great system. My guess is that there�s a heck of lot still to be learned about digital signal transmission and that HHers and manufacturers alike haven�t even scratched the surface yet. I think we�ll have some fun watching that unfold and experiencing the benefits.

Right, I�ll bugger off and stop bothering everyone now.

Cheers,
Dave