Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Is the 861 a dead end?

Hi,

I've got an 861v6 and have been contemplating an upgrade to the v8 (I know I've been thinking a long time!). I am now just about ready to go ahead.

With the lack of MQA and Dolly Atoms support do I go ahead and then wait for the v9 (will it support these?) or is it time to call it a day and move onto another processor/system?

Today, there seems little point in upgrading to v8. I agree that it seems very outdated for the reasons you give. How long you would have to wait for a v9, and what the cost would be, are matters known only to Meridian. Perhaps you could talk to your dealer? Meanwhile, as you say, other brands beckon.

I don't think there's any guarantee that a v8 will be upgradable to a v9/10 supporting Atmos and DTS:X. It all depends upon how / if it is implemented but considerably more processing power will be required somewhere. If the 861 is the target for extra processing power then it’s a distinct possibility that a completely new architecture will be required.

It could also be a long wait so I would consider your options carefully.

Talking to a senior Meridian man (can't remember his name) at a hifi show in London last October he said the 861v8 to v9 will not happen as to include Atmos DTS/X and whatever else they choose will require a complete redesign and almost certainly a new box. So the decision seems to be do you wait or move on? I chose to move on YMMV.

Russ

Do you like your current Speaker setup? If you do then an 861v6->861v8 upgrade is a nice soundquality improvement.

Also your voice is needed if you want an 861v9 with Atmos/MQA if Meridian hears the interest it would mount and understand it might mean even more DSP SE Speaker sales/upgrades than only 2ch systems.

I think it is better to invest in good a/d converters and buy another brand for HT usage.

Meridian makes very nice gear, but they always come late with HT inovations.

Same with MQA, other companies can play MQA on their streamers. For now Meridian doesn't have an affordable MQA compatible player for DSP speakers on the market.

I find it kind of strange as the have years of time advantage on MQA.

Hi,

An 861 is just a pipe dream for me at this time but, I would like to think that even if the v9 doesn't have Atmos or MQA as standard that there would be an upgrade path once they became available...

On the other hand I would struggle to fit Atmos into the listening room or 'lounge' as my partner calls it without having raised eyebrows! MQA might be ok though, especially if it's software based.

For me and my 2p... A good M system, even a little out of date, will always be better than a bucket load of features on another brand. Maybe that's bias but I know what I like and have always come back to Meridian.

Good luck whatever you decide though 😃

Kind regards
David

Agreed, my kinda dead end. We are not really movie fans and as such Atmos is on no interest. Great DD or DTS is fine in this house for the occasional film.
Chris

My 2p is in agreement with your 2p!

Cheers
George

It rather depends on what the 'other' brand is, doesn't it? The premise that M is head and shoulders above everything else out there is quite frankly, nonsense.

I know what Meridian is like, and I like that alot. But it is weird that a processor which cost €20.000 doesn't support anything diffrence then old standards.

I know that the 861 is superb to many other brands, but otherwise then sound improvement there is no difference between a v4 and a v8.

I actually agree, and my original draft was a qualification about being better than "many brands", but I plumped for a more populist headline just for the hell of it

Cheers
George