Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Meridian 218 Zone Controller Announced!

Why all the settings about room height. Subs. Treble base. Speaker position. This is all setup in my g65. Am i right in thinking for SL passthrough these settings are null and that they will only be added when i am streaming from MC200?

Do not have 218 but have 808v6 and as previously posted have found a few solutions that I believe would also work with the 218 but none are perfect.. Currently I have retyped my 8000SE front speakers as COAX with front right master.. Then go SL master out of 808 into 8000SE right master.. SL out of 8000SE master to left 8000SE slave.. I like to listen to the CD and ID41 from the 808 so on the speaker set up those are identified as digital input 1 (SLS and CD)...

Now to the 861.. Front right/left SL master goes to an AC 12.. AC 12 Dig out goes to 8000SE front right dig in.. 8000SE front right dig out connects to 8000SE left dig in.. AC 12 master comms connects to 8000SE front right comms in via BNC.. AC 12 slave comms goes to 8000SE comms out.. All other sources TV, Bluray, SACD are set as digital input 2 on the 8000 front speakers..

Center channel and rear right and rear left are typed as RJ 45 slave and connect via SL to 861..

This allows for full 2 channel MQA and also for multichannel on all sources coming from 861..

There are a few glitches.. Volume syncs perfectly between all the speakers but does not match what is shown on the iPad, iPhone, Control Mac apps - believe it is because I have 808 and 861 both set as controller and startup volume may not be the same.. Also switching between the 808 ID 41 to the 861 ID 41 requires powering down the system and then re powering..

Wish there were a simpler solution and hopefully one will be provided..

If time allows this weekend I am going to try analog out of the 808 into the 861 so I can evaluate how full MQA analog out will sound coming out of the 861 for Trifield, room correction, bass management etc... Know it will no longer be an MQA signal leaving the 861 but it should be one going in.. Will report back on SQ..

Finally, I have found MQA sound to be quite dependant on the recording.. I almost always seem to hear more "content" from the fully unfolded MQA but have found several albums where the bass seems to be elevated.. As mentioned before I much prefer rebook for GD American Beauty and Warren Zevon Excitable Boy over MQA..

Lastly, it seems a shame that 2 channel MQA can not be routed through the 861 for room correction, much more significant bass management, etc.. Or a shame that the 808 does not have room correction and more advanced bass management...

I have just got MQA running through 218. You can tell immediately that there is something different about the sound quality. More detail. More presence.

No sign of fabled blue light coming on the 5200SE speakers.

I can cycle through master speaker to see MQA 192k and then it sometimes flicks between that and MHR 48k without me pressing the display button. The slave just says 218 and cannot be display cycled.

Listening to Fleetwood Mac - Dreams. The drum kit sounds so detailed. The symbols inparticular.

Some MQA is 44k. Some 88k. Coldplay was 192k.

There is no blue light on the DSP5200SE's or any other SE's, you see MQA on the display.
The cycling between MQA and MHR if it is happening in the middle of a track playing is not right and needs investigation.

Russ

Check that your firmware is up to date on your 5200SEs. Put them in standby and press 'display ' on the remote. It should be 3.08:

https://www.Meridian-audio.com/Meridian-uploads/download/release_notes.html

Mine wasn't on my 7200SEs.

All firmware up to date.

I can't understand what you expect from the 218 it is not a high end Product. This is what Meridian states about 218:
<The performance of the 218 is somewhere between the MS200 and the MS600 on PCM files up to 24 bit/96KHz. So for a collection made up of mainly CD-quality material, the MS600 has the edge on the 218 by virtue of its superior power supply circuits, digital signal processing and output stages.>
I Think it's a good replacement for MS200 but nothing more.

I have finally got my G68J and 218 working and configured correctly.... I think. I have played around with sources and have taken into consideration what Ian mentioned about routing the signal back to the processor.

My current way of thinking is if you have speakers attached to the 218 via Speakerlink (and maybe other outputs too) then your only going to get stereo from the sources that are connected to the 218 or Sooloos/Roon. i.e. you can not push the 218 signal back into a processor

Anyone agree/disagree?

- Just had a second thought - might work if you remove the speakerlink in on the 218 from the G68J/Reviver and take the coax feed from the g68 and feed the coax in on the speaker. Thereby utilising both COAX and Speakerlink modes on most Speakerlink speakers.

Cheers
Tom

On the contrary, it's so much more than an MS200 or MS600 if you have the right need. I may yet end up with a second one.

Would be good to understand your experience of sound quality of 218 with the 3200s.

I am considering buying one but am keen to understand:

1) sq on regular pcm compared with MS200 into 3200
2) sq on Mqa compared to direct tidal mqa to MS200 into 3200

If you have a perspective on this would be grateful to hear.

Thanks
Tony

As 3200's are not SE they would treat MQA from the 218 the same as MQA with the initial unfold from Tidal so there should be no difference, as for redbook I can not say as I don't have a 218.

Russ