Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Off Topic RIP Allen Boothroyd

Very sad to hear this. May he rest in peace, my thoughts with his family and friends.

As others have mentioned, Meridian was never only about sound quality for me, although that was a large part of it. No, I recall being blown away when I walked into Doug Brady HiFi on Seven Dials in London in the mid-90s and was treated to a demo of 500/6Ks while waiting for a different dem (no way I could afford Meridian as a student).

Well I was blown away, both by the incredible sound quality, the likes of which I had never heard in recorded music, and the stunning design, which I rate to this day as some of the best I’ve ever seen, especially in 500 series. I only learned of the earlier series (200, etc.) and Lecson in more recent years while on here as a Meridian owner and getting equipment serviced by Chris, but it is no less stunning in its design.

I find it disappointing, in a post-Alan Boothroyd world, that things haven’t moved on more than this by now - most hifi boxes still look like they did 30 or 40 years ago, give or take, with no real thought to industrial design beyond a subtly different front fascia layout or badging. Don’t start me on most speakers. But this disappointment in lack of progress extends way beyond the world of hifi, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

Thank you Alan, for giving us aesthetic perfection to match the sonic perfection we all love.