I'm not sure it's just down to any perceived lock-in to the Meridian ecosystem. The 818's appear to be slipping in value, despite the fact that they are considered one of the best DAC's on the market and will happy drive any analogue equipment.

I suspect it is partly to do with a lack of advertising by Meridian and lack of coverage in the HiFi press that is driving second-hand values. If no-one has heard of Meridian outside of our niche group, there won't be much demand, so prices are bound to fall.

Prolific music listener / Hi-Fi addict!