Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Big DSPs vs other serious speakers

I've never been a fan of the Meridian speakers. I'm not against them, it's just I've never been taken in by their sound. As others have suggested, it's very much a personal thing of what sounds right to you.

I haven't shopped speakers for 5+ years. I've listened to B+W, Theil, Wilson, ML, SF and others. But for my ears, the Revel line did it. I've got a full Revel Ultima setup (Salons/Voice/Embraces/Sub-15's) driven by Krell amps. I've never looked back or had an inkling to investigate other options. They sound great quiet or loud, have great dynamics, imaging, and to my eyes look very cool.

There are any number of great speakers out there, Meridian included. Have fun auditioning and finding what fits your ears & your budget! :-)

David - you could do better ref to the sub had a little look and it does not fare too well with reviews, and there is alot of choice out there now with subs SVS / B&W / M&K & Velodyne all would do a better job than the Sonus.It does look pretty cool though.

Regards
John

Yes - when I got it, I compared it with what I think is your sub (MX350?) and it wasn't as good, but it was half the price.....and since my intended route at the time was SF I figured there would not be much harm!

I figure if I end up with a pair of 7000s then there is no need for sub with music and if it just general rumbling for a movie sound track, then the SF is fine enough to get my neighbour complaining. So a big upgrade in sub is perhaps not so important.

Definitly agree if you are getting something like the 7000's then that should be good enough, i always like standmount speakers so i really need 1 for the low end.

Regards
John

I don't know. I think a testament to the 8000 and 7000 I have is that Ive had zero desire to find out in the 2 years Ive had them now. I am completely thrilled with the speakers. I am in awe of the dynamics and clarity and imaging. I think one thing to consider is the whole system and if it achieves its objectives. Maybe someone ha a better speaker- when people ask me if they are "the best" my answer is I don't know if that's true or not, but they are definitely in the category of the best choices. Compared to my Aerial 10ts they are better in every way, and the 10ts are nice speakers- but of course not in the class with the Wilsons, etc. I think a die hard audiophile who wants (and enjoys) tubes and esoteric things might prefer a different speaker. I just want to have it all in one system and IMHO Meridian does that so well.

Best regards,
Jerry

John - so far the MX350 is the best sub I have heard on my travels so far so no arguement there!

Jerry - thanks for advice - easy is obviously preferable - and so far hearing 7000 vs B&W802 was a walk over, but think that it probably wasn't a fair fight - *to my ears*

I think the lower echelons of Wilson (including a very nice looking pair of used Watt / Puppy 7's for 14,000 euros I've found) would make for a better comparison - even if my current Krell is probably not properly up to the job. I have to be sure that I'm not giving something away by going digital - so far I have loved the sound - I just want to be sure.

I understand Jerry's comment well, albeit, I only have 4-5weeks of DSP8k experience to go on.

The level of performance that they deliver is far in excess of the smaller cousins. It is really 'big grin' listening.

I am still like a teenager on a first date with them and can't see myself 'wanting' for quite some time (at least until the 9k's come out )

Each to his own though. There is plenty of space with all of this gear for us all to find our faves.

Yours philosophically

Nick

I dit listen to the 8k - not heard 7k.
The 8k dit "sound" sooo good,that i have finally to buy it.
I like the "sound" of the 8k,
because they have no "sound".
That means the music get produced as recorded.The speakers dont add or subtract or distort anything from the source.
Maybe thats one reason,why DSP speakers dont
"sound impressive" for the first impression.
But after listening a while,you get really impressed about the great performance.
Connected with the 861+800,for me its best reproduction i ever heard.
With an analog chains,i never heard that quality.

Robert

I was wondering whilst reading the current HFN mag, whether the in-phase nature of DSP drivers adds to that aspect that some folk find either love or hate....since it may make the DSP's sound quite different from others.

It reports that many more manufacturers are beginning to move away from out-of-phase designs.

Nick

OK - I went and listened to Wilson Sophias and DSP7000s back to back through very similar kit to mine (Krell Showcase powering the Wilsons and Meridian G98)

The session was four hours long and we could not get either pair to work properly - the image on the Wilsons was set to the left of the stage and a lot of information was missing.

The DSPs also lost a lot of information and on one track added an additional 15 second loop which didi not exist onb the CD!

Needless to say I have agreed to go back and listen again - I did get an impression of what they were like and I am starting to get a better idea in my head, but it still needs to be done properly.

One other thing - I was simply staggered at the beauty of the two top end Sonus Faber speakers which were on show in the show - the Amati Homage and the Stradavari - stunning looking (I didn't hear them though).

I don't think Krell Showcase Amp would do the experiment justice. As far as I know the showcase is the low end MultiChannel amp with only 125 watts. You are comparing the equivelent of a DSP (based on the Meridian paper) 1000watts per channel. I would drive at least a KAV amp (2250 or 3250) or better for a real comparison. The showcase is like the old KAV 500 and just does not have enough juice. All the wilsons need power from what I recall.

Certainly the dealer proposed a bigger Krell, but that meant another 10k - perhaps I wshould use it at the next session - but that will be a little time now....