Hello and Happy Holidays from a newbie to the forum. In fact, I’m new to Meridian and new to streaming. I have wanted to rip my CDs to a server for some time, but I was daunted by trying to figure out which file format was best, which software to use, which electronics to use, etc. On top of that, the thought of having to rip all of my CDs (around 1,500 of ‘em) was even more daunting. Nonetheless, I had been slowly gathering steam for this effort and now I am finally ready to dive in!

I have a Classé system and with the recent news that the Classé brand was being discontinued I have been looking for a brand upon which to build my new system. My Classé SSP-75 was probably going to be replaced anyway, but the demise of the Classé brand hastened things.

Last week I was in a high end audio store and the dealer played for me a system with a Meridian 818v3 Audio Core. I was blown away! He said the 818 was functioning as the streamer, DAC and preamp. Not only did the 818 sound amazing, but streaming Tidal via Roon was eye-opening. I could have access to a nearly unlimited collection of high resolution music without having to rip all of my CDs. [On a side note, is the Tidal hi-rez collection as “unlimited” as the dealer was telling me?]

I am just about ready to pull the trigger and buy the 818v3, but at this price it is a major commitment. So I wanted to ask you all for some guidance, especially since even within the Meridian brand there so many different alternatives: 818, 861, 808 among the flagship products as well as the option of pairing a G65 surround processor with an MC200 media core.

My basic question is this: If you were assembling a system from scratch (with a budget of around $15,000 give or take) which piece(s) would you start with?

Two additional parameters . . .

(1) I listen to music in 2-channel stereo, but I also like to use 5-channel surround for movies and TV. So, a big concern for me with the 818v3 is that it is strictly 2-channel. How would I incorporate 5-channel surround into a system based on the 818? The dealer said I would have to use the 818 as a DAC only and then feed the 818’s analog output to a pre/pro or surround processor. But to me that seems like a waste of the 818’s high-end preamp capabilities. After I spend most of my budget on the 818v3, any preamp that I could afford (or sticking with my current Classé SSP-75 pre/pro) won’t be as good a preamp as the 818. If I were going to go this route and not use the 818’s preamp section, couldn’t I just get an 808 instead of an 818? Besides the preamp section, does the 818v3 have any other advances over the 808v6?

(2) I think I want to have MQA capability. I don’t know much about MQA, but from what the dealer told me, it sounds like MQA could be great and I would like my new equipment to have that capability. The Meridian 861v8 would solve the problem of me wanting 5-channels, but I’m told that the 861 does not have MQA capability. Should that be a deal-breaker for the 861? Is MQA that good, or potentially that good, that I should rule out the 861? Plus, I have not listened to an 861. How does an 861 sound compared to an 818? [Just in 2-channel stereo, to compare apples to apples.]

Lastly, and this might be sacrilegious on a Meridian forum (in which case, I apologize, I mean no disrespect), are there other brands that I need to consider before making such a big monetary commitment to a Meridian-based system? I was truly awed by the sound of the Meridian 818 in the dealer’s showroom and I’m sure I won’t be disappointed, but at this price point are there other brands that I should audition?

Thanks in advance for any insight and guidance that you all can provide.

Regards,
Doug

2-Channel System: Marantz SA-15S1, Classé DR-4 pre, Classé CAM-400 monoblocks, SoundLAB Millennium 2 speakers.

5-Channel System: Oppo BDP-103, SimAudio Moon Orbiter, Classé SSP-75 pre/pro, Classé CA-101 amps (bi-amping), Classé CAV-75, B&W Matrix 804, B&W Matrix HTM center, B&W Matrix 805.

Soon to be adding an 8-channel Merging NADAC Player.