Hi Mark, thanks for the heads up. Great setup but the VTL retails for £33k in the UK, that’s $45.4k at today’s exchange so a crazy price. I was considering Nagra as a preamp but I’m still looking. I went the Meridian route in 2019 as I figured the 861 was the best multichannel preamp out there and I have many 5.1 discs I still enjoy. The decision to buy the Ultra came later and for me was the logical choice over dcs as it slipped right in to Meridian ecosystem and I am not disappointed. An upgrade to my power amps with new monoblocks may come soon but I want to improve my digital stereo source from the Oppo 205 and will now investigate the Antipodes.
Colin.

861v8, 3 x Ultra Dac, 800 v4, UHD722, 5 x B&W 802d’s, Linn LP12 Akurate, Linn Uphorik, McIntosh MC205, 2x Oppo 205,Roon Nucleus+. All Nordost Heimdall 2 and Valhalla 2 cabled.