Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion HiFi & HT Chat ‘Budget’ AV System

FWIW, while the JBL Synthesis SDP-55 is a re-incarnated Arcam AV40, it’s big brother, the SDP-75 is a re-badged Trinnov Altitude, created in partnership with Trinnov, with 16, 25 and 32 variants. Quite why anyone would pay a minimum of £25k for this compared to buying a Trinnov…

Part of the reason is when it is a JBL Synthesis system, all the Harmon speaker eq is already loaded. Other than that badging is the main difference. When it comes to pricing the JBL SDP75 is actually cheaper than the Trinnov Altitude 32 as the JBL includes the 3d codecs and on the Trinnov, it is a $2950.00 upcharge. The 3D mic is also a little cheaper from JBL. Of course, this is based off US retail pricing. There is no JBL version of the Trinnov Altitude 16.

I visited my local PP to pick up an item and to discuss Home Theatre matters…

His advice was that my beamed Ceiling would play havoc with the sound if utilising Atmos up-firing speakers or any Atmos Soundbar - and subsequently I would be wasting my money.

I also asked his advice on ‘budget’ processors in a hybrid system (he sells Lyngdorf and Trinnov). Without any prompting from me, he suggested Arcam/Lexicon/JBL Synthesis because they all use Dirac - which, in his opinion, offers the next best solution compared to Room Perfect and Optimiser. Although he also sells Anthem and Marantz/Denon, in his experience Dirac was the better room correction software.

Regarding Atmos speaker placement, it seems to me that downward-firing speakers - mounted high up on the walls - is the compromise solution (or I could move house ).

In due course, my local PP is likely to have a JBL Synthesis on demo.

I have no desire for an Atmos type installation but I was looking at some of those upwards-firing speakers as possible candidates for an easy, non-invasive solution for side or rear additions to add a little height effect to a Meridian 5.0 DSP system.

The power-handling and frequency response seem well below what big Meridian DSPs can deliver. Surely they would either be overwhelmed or at risk of damage when the system is in full action mode.

Has anyone any experience of using Atmos speakers in that combination and role?

Home Cinema Choice magazine last month (Dec 2021) tested the new Anthem AVM70 processor (15.2) & concluded that its new ARC Genesis room correction was "cutting edge". As it's new, that wouldn't contradict your PP. It seems to be something of a bargain too at £3,600 RRP in the UK.

It might be a bridge too far but would / could you consider installing a false ceiling in your beamed room? I think that beamed ceilings generally are fairly low so it might not be practicable.

Hi,

Depending on your access to the space above the ceiling another option might be to use Gallo Acoustic 'pendent' speakers for the height channels.

Brian

You might like to know that, had I been as thorough as you in researching the immersive processor market, I very likely would have gone for the Dante equipped JBL you found together with a Sonifex Dante to AES converter (and a 271, of course). It would have been an excellent keep-it-digital-as-long-as-possible system at a very attractive price.

Regarding ceiling speakers (or their floor based equivalent, and I am not a dealer selling speakers) I do not think you should worry over much about your beams. From my experience with a Trinnov and in-ceiling speakers I am strongly of the view that the sound from height speakers is there to add air, atmosphere and ambience. Precision is not just less important - breaking up the directionality of sound from those channels probably helps. And I say this despite being rather obsessed with phase coherence from the main channels.

Well done and keep it up. You have shown yourself to be a very thorough and thoughtful person in striving for good quality but with a keen eye for value for money.

And that was how I was hoping to use them.

But surely, in a true object-based installation, they are there to accurately position sounds in three-dimensional space - at least that is what I have gleaned from the marketing literature for such things.

Accurate 3D positioning is indeed the objective - for cinema. Sounds swerving about your head is what many people find exciting, especially when it emphasises the action in a film. I should have made it clear, and forgot to do so, that I was talking about music primarily. I do, of course, use my Trinnov for films and even then I am not convinced that 3D point precision is that important. One's mind is on the drama so point sound precision is just part of a visual and sonic canvas that paints an overall picture. What I enjoy most with good 3D sound is music because it takes me much closer to real life performance. The point precision is at the front but the all important ambience is all over the place.

Nick; I'm amazed to read that after having previously enjoyed reading your unrestrained praise of the Trinnov. Perhaps I don't need to aim so high after all & a JBL / Anthem might do the job.

Also, McIntosh processors never seem to get a mention. Are they re-badged too? The McIntosh MX123 seems to have all the bells and whistles for c £10k in the UK.

Make no mistake, the Trinnov is wonderful. What surprised me most after getting it has been not so much its amazing versatility but its sound quality. Bearing in mind it is, at bottom, just a powerful PC with stunning software, its in and out interfaces must be very special too. However, to get the digital out version it is very costly (£20,000+) and I am very pragmatic. Would I be able to tell the difference in sound between it and the JBL/Sonifex/271 combo? I don't know, but I certainly can't hear many things (cables of all types with various claims made for them or special network switches, for example) which some people apparently can discern, so I might well have been satisfied. I would have had to try the alternatives and I don't at all underrate the Trinnov's very clever software. It is, after all, how they started out with their studio work years ago and it is certainly part of what one is paying for (the majority since there is a clear limit on what PC hardware costs).

Bearing in mind also my fussiness when it comes to phase coherence it could be that the JBL/Sonifex/271 combo would just not work for me, but money talks! I can usually tame my aspirations in the interest of value for money because I get a great deal of satisfaction of getting something really good at a fraction of the cost of the very best. I just love repairing things people are throwing out and getting excellence at the cost only of my time - though, as I get older, the value of my remaining time is shooting up!

So you might potentially be happy with a JBL or similar but you presumably weren't happy with your previous Marantz. What didn't that do that you wanted it to do? You've obviously found the elusive X factor with the Trinnov and are open to the possibility that similar pleasures might be found at lower levels. What is difficult / impossible for anyone this side of a dealer is to try a range of processors at various price points and be able to strike their own cost-to-performance balance, so to a certain extent a purchase will always be a bit of a leap of faith.