Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Source or speaker?

I was chatting to a jolly decent Meridian Unplugged member earlier about whether you should place the emphasis on the source or the speaker.

It dawned on me that, while conventional wisdom suggests you buy the best source you can afford, I've gradually come to the conclusion that I prefer to do it the other way around, mostly because the speaker is going to be the unit that exerts the most colouration and everything else in the chain can be either designed to be relatively neutral or complement the sound of the speaker.

To my mind, it seems to make sense to choose the 'colouration' you like the most and build the remaining components around that. What do others think?

Ultimately you want a balanced system, but with Meridian DSPs, then I consider these to be most important. I often listen to drama, via Bluetooth (210/218) from the BBC sounds app. In Hi Fi terms, that’s a poor source but, listen to an episode of Stone (a 45 min detective drama) and it’s like a movie. To be honest, I prefer shows like this without the limitation of images…
I watch YouTube videos, again a poor source, of shows we have recorded and filmed at the LRB, and they also sound incredible as an experience. So yes, a great source is fantastic but DSPs make the best out of any source you have…

Stone, Radio 4, Detective series created by Danny Brocklehurst

Latest LRB - Mim Grey - Travelling Star

Try them and report back…

Interesting to me that the two respondents so far, Jeremy and Chris, represent two extremes of the debate about source “tweaks” that many consider snake oil. Jeremy seems to agree with me that better feet, power conditioning and “audiophile” network switches are very audible through his SE speakers, while Chris consistently suggests that he’s happy without such complications.

For myself, I am continually surprised and pleased by the extra lift I’ve been getting when I recently changed ps into a Cisco switch and EtherREGEN, or added an ENO Ag filtered cable. My Shunyata-enhanced sources are sounding really good at this point, so that if I’m ever willing to trade up from 5200SE to a bigger brother I will be ready to rock & roll…

Many years ago I had 7k2s fed by a highly modified G series CD player that included such goodies as a Trifield clock. I was disappointed by the sound in comparison with what Meridian were able to get out of the speakers at Bristol. Once I had an 808 the system was transformed. So, the system has to be seen as a whole. But a DSP speaker fed by a source saturating it with jitter, RFI etc. is not going to sound very good and will not do justice to the speaker. What is required is the best source, DSP speakers and infrastructure you can manage to get your hands on.

What you hear is, the room that has been energised by the air movements of the speakers.
So your perception is correct! Always start with the speakers, then the amplifier as it doesn't just drive the speakers, it is more of a coupling. The concept of get the best source you can afford, came about in the analogue days of TT's and Tape Decks. Where the more you spent the better quality you seemed to get, so that legend remains in the audiophile psyche. Although there always was that "one piece" of equipment that broke that rule. With digital sources, the money spend is a lot less critical, as it has really democratised music reproduction. Any money you spend on improving the room's acoustics, will always exceed any gains you wiil get from other expensive tweaks.

I would agree with this. When my 508 failed, I switched temporarily to our DVD player as the source to the processor for playing music. That sounded awful... I then connected the Logitech Squeezebox and all was good with the world. I would also agree that, if you are buying a HiFi with no intention of upgrading any time soon, a balanced system is what you should be aiming for.

I guess I should refine my question: If you're planning to build and upgrade a HiFi in stages, which priority do you place on which components first? To my mind, getting the sound signature right is the priority (I would argue, in a good system, the speakers tend to be the greatest variable in what sounds right to you) [In the case of the DSP speakers, some of these decisions are made for you (to great effect)].

Absolutely The difficulty, for me perhaps, is knowing when lots of smaller upgrades would have been better spent on a more fundamental upgrade (as in 'should I buy Shunyata power conditioning or upgrade to the next DSP up'). The advantage of the former is that you can spread the cost over a period of time.

That is my current thinking (and I believe applies to headphones too, even without room acoustics!). It goes against the grain, but (as you say) seems to be based on what was going on in previous decades and appears less applicable now.

You are probably right. However, for most people, room treatment is not possible because of cost or aesthetics and domestic harmony (I am not being sexist here; audio systems are mostly in family rooms that have to be used by all the family).

For my 2 cents I'll use an analogy/example. The single easiest and most cost-effective upgrade one can do to gain performance from a vehicle is to get good tires. Literally the rubber meets the road there. For motorcycles, most tires can outperform nearly all riders' capabilities.

With audio its a similar thing. The single biggest and most cost-effective way to upgrade a system is to give it good "traction" with the air where the system meets the air - the speakers. We can chase that last .001% of quality with super pricey capacitors and power supplies that cost as much as a mortgage, etc. Most audiophiles I've read articles from/youtube vids (yes I know... youtube...) agree there. Buy the best speakers you can FIRST and grow into them with your system. Play a super-high quality source through garbage speakers and it wrecks the source material. Play garbage source through great speakers and it reveals the limits of the source.

I fully support and agree with this take - and there are VERY cheap ways to modify room acoustics. Plus I think a/b testing this stuff is faster and easier to do.

Room treatment done (tastefully) right, can be athletically pleasing without wrecking the "family room". A thick Turkish carpet has more sound absorbance that 6 inches of fibreglass/rockwall panel of equal size. A bookcase full with uneven arrangement of books (real life, not Fashion/home Mag bookcase) can be a better diffuser than a random surface wooden block panel. Even corner bass traps can be made into furniture and achieve both goals. Ceiling absorbers, don't have to be ugly pyramid foam things resembling egg cartons.
And it's cheaper than a Tellurium Q Statement or Shunyata Research Mains Power Cable, or Nordost Valhalla Ethernet Cable or a Entreq grounding box, and has measurable provable/reversible results unlike that other woo-woo stuff.