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

Anyone know what the 271 actually does, if it can't decode audio inputs?

The 271 just gives a means for non Meridian equipment to deliver audio to M DSP SpeakerLink speakers. A sensible move by M, that will allow users who appreciate the design of M speakers, to buy partly into the M ecosystem.

For somone like myself who purchased a brand new 861 only 3 years ago and has been waiting patiently since then to open the doors into Atmos etc, at least I now have, with a 271 purchase, the possibility to move forwards again.

However, what I don’t particularly want to do is spend yet another £13K+ to get me there,

Basically my 861 investment has turned out to be a poor investment, even although I have enjoyed the audio quality.

I never look at audio / video purchases as an investment personally because it almost always loses value but more as a hobby that provides enjoyment. If movies are your main use of your system than I agree with you that it seems it will be necessary to go a different route then wait for a new M 861.

Since in an earlier post you stated you wanted to stay all digital I have to say that even if M does come out with something it will likely cost about the same as a Trinnov Altitude 32/271/722 combo (I add in the 722 because the Trinnov has it built in) so by the time you bought the Trinnov / 271 and sold / traded in your 861 it would be about the same - cost wise - to getting a new version of the 861 - if it ever comes.

I realize you lose M Trifield but the Trinnov has some nice audio options for music.

Folks,

This is not officially public from Meridian but internally there are no plans from Meridian for an ATMOS upgrade to the 861 in 2018. I still hope that doesn't also rule out a MQA firmware or card solution for the 861.

I just mention this for anyone sitting on the fence patiently waiting for a solution to appear. The 271 appears to be it for now.


Cheers,


Steve M

I think that can be deduced from the mere existence of the 271 – you’d hardly release a product enabling competitor products if you had your own imminent solution. I would guess any next gen Meridian processor is 3 years+ away. The appearance of these new cinema audio formats has really messed up M’s model – it used to be decode in the player, now it’s decode in another’s processor.

i feel for those that recently purchased an 861v8 thinking that's it's a future-proof modular solution for ht, as that's what it was promoted as for longest time.

not sure why M would drop the ball so badly w/ their flagship processor; i believe they could have developed a card or some kind of upgrade by now and had room to fleece their customers up to the pricing of the Altitude vs giving away market-share, as niche as it is at these nosebleed price levels, to other competitors.


the perception of M not being at forefront is a letdown for sure. here's hoping a relatively sensibly priced card solution appears one day...one day...