Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming 218 evaluation / testing

Sorry, power up or power?

Correct, that is was what I was clarifying. It is important to note that the 218 is universal power, provided you have the appropriate power cord.

I think that there is still plenty of differentiation between the 218 and 818v3, particularly for (a) CD, (b) DSD, (c) 4x rate material. My 818v3 is paired to my 7200SEs (critical and majority listening zone). My 218 is paired with 5200SEs in the living room, which is *mainly* a TV zone. Overkill? Perhaps.

Edit: Plus it's a rather good DAC! The difference in the analogue outputs should be like chalk and cheese.

Ok so today I got to evaluate the following:

MS200
MS600
218

The setup:

ATI 200 watt amplifier
Monitor Audio Sliver 10 speakers
AudioQuest Ruby RCA interconnects
AudioQuest Type 6 speaker cable

Playing Tidal non MQA material the sound was very similar between the MS200 and 218. The MS600 had a slight but discernible edge on the 218. Playing the same material in MQA goes without saying, the 218 performs well and as some have said the quality is sublime. The MS600 balanced outputs into an appropriate amplifier will definitely give it an edge over the 218 or The MS200 on non MQA material.

For another evaluation, I connected the 218 to a pair of DSP320 in ceiling speakers via SpeakerLink. In this setup, again playing the non MQA track and then the same track in MQA, the MQA track was always preferable and sounding more expansive.

To turn things up a notch I connected the 218 via its digital output to a pair of 24/96 DSP5000's borrowed from a client. As with the DSP320, the MQA track was always preferred by those present.

The 218 was a welcome addition to the whole house music system allowing us to enjoy MQA tracks in our favorite outdoor space through a pair of Monitor audio Climate 80 speakers. When in this setup, there were two 218's playing in different zones. As with all Sooloos products, choosing between multiple devices of the same type is a simple process when they are appropriately named.

Lastly the 218 vs. 818v3 into DSP8000SE. In the first part of the evaluation, we used Tidal into each device and went digital out into the RCA digital in of the 8000SE. In this setup, in my room, to my ears, the difference was just not appreciable. Maybe longer term sessions with wider varieties of material will expose some differences. With MQA material using the SpeakerLink in, I want to say that there was a big difference but I can't. I think that the 818v3 is better in some way but, so far I can't put a label on it. If you are going to use the 218 or 818 solely as a streaming endpoint, get the 218, as it is simply that good. If you need the 818 DACs, DSD, 4x rate, superior electronics, RS-232 MSR plus, and a lot of inputs, the 818 would be the right choice.

Frankly, given the price of the 218 and all things it does so well, it should cost twice as much. For the legacy DSP owner, it provides a way to enjoy the first unfold of MQA as well as being able to switch between the Sooloos endpoint and digital or analog sources from your iPad. Add an AC12 and you have a really good minimalist system.

Great honest review Bruce. Thanks for taking the time.

Thanks Honest Bruce much appreciated.

My limited vocabulary, compared to the professional wordsmiths is definitely a constraint in describing opinions on MQA.

Hector

+1

Bruce, thanks very much for taking the time to do all this and share your findings in such a candid way.

Much appreciated.

George

Bruce,
Thank you so much for your great unbiased evaluation/testing.

Whilst the 218 is a pretty amazing bit of kit, I think when Roon introduce the first unfold update the MS600 may become the better bargain. As Bruce indicates it is hard to find words for what is different; more authoritative/confident/secure? But it is there.

Haven't tested the 218 with DSPs yet which may change this view, but was surprised how good the MS600 was given that it seems quite dated now. But that is the Meridian weak spot; they seldom (if ever) make a bad product, hence even the 5ks shine with MQA.

I imagine a Roon ROCK NUC, 218 and 5200SE set-up would be the most sensational (albeit pricey) MQA system.

Good times.

Richard

Good and honest review of differences between 218 and 818 especially for us with 861's.

I haven't compared the 218 vs the 818, but I have had the chance to put it up against the MS200 and MS600 using Speakerlink - feeding both into a G65 and straight into a pair of 5200SE. In both these scenarios i personally believe the 218 is the best option even when not using MQA. It makes the others feel a bit "rough 'round the edges". I wouldn't say the difference is night and day, but its there.