Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Meridian CD Transports/Players still good?

Hi everyone, it's been a log time since I have ventured onto these boards! I was hoping to get some opinions and advice.

I used to be an avid Meridian owner and user with the G68 and HD621 years ago. While I loved the sound and tinkering it allowed, when we built our house and put in a home theater, I opted for some more "modern" pieces for ease of use and to cut down on wire clutter.

I currently use my Oppo 203 and McIntosh MCD301 for playing CD/SACD, etc. Maybe it''s nostalgia for Meridian or the fact that my Explorer 2 sounds better than a lot of current portable and stand alone DACs, but I was kicking around the idea of selling the McIntosh and giving one of the Meridian players a shot. I would probably be looking at the G08 or something from the 800 line.

There is obviously no place to audition them, so I was hoping to get some thoughts on making that switch. I do have a brand new McIntosh tube preamp (C2700) that has a damn fine DAC in it, so a transport is obviously on the table.

Yes, Meridian CD players (and DACs) are still excellent, in some cases superlative, performers.

On the level of your system, I’d look at an 818v3 if you want a DAC/Streamer (Roon), or an 808v6 if you want a CD transport/DAC/Streamer) and use the HT bypass I presume your Mac preamp has for ultimate 2-channel playback.

Both are reference systems sound very, very good, and both offer MQA decoding and rendering, if you need that.

Above this, you have the UltraDac if you want something of super reference level, but the above are likely some of the best transports/DACs available in any case.

I have a 808v6 and a 818v3 in my demo room should you want to audition them. I am 5 hours from Birmingham.

The 818v3 is really amazing - it is one of the best upgrades I have made.

I have used the 800 for many years. Obviously it does not play Bluray or SACD like the Oppo 203, but I prefer it for or both CD and DVD audio (yes, I have a lot of those). I recently had a health check performed and the drive, PSU, and a couple of caps were replaced. Good to go!

I can vouch for the brilliance of the 818v3 also.

The 800 player is indeed very fine compared to the Oppo machines. Although I use an Oppo myself, I recall having an 800 on loan a few years back while an 808v2 of mind was in for repair at the time. I was using an Oppo at the same time for Bluray playback and did a side by side comparison with the 800, which proved much better for audio playback (and I preferred its picture for DVDs also - very natural).

I can vouch for the 800v4 CD/DVD player producing very fine results, and mine proved to be be largely reliable aside from replacing the DVD laser a year ago (which was a straightforward DIY job and low cost part).

Can you send me a PM so we can chat? I almost bought a G08 today on eBay. I am sick to my stomach after today. I sold my McIntosh MCD301 so I could likely get an MCT450 or 500 and use the MCT connection. So, for a last hurrah, my Dad and Wife joined me to have a few laughs on the last day with the MCD301. I wanted to see how far tech has come since 2012, so I hooked up the MCD301 to my 5 week old CD2700 tube digital preamp, which was only 8500, 2 different ways.

1. Digital out to the C2700's new and shiny DAC
2. Balanced out to the C700's balanced inputs

2 hours later ... we were all in agreement that the MCD301 sounded much better when it was putting out the analog rather than letting the 2700 decode it. So, I of course then compared the DAC in the Oppo 103D to the 2700 and it was a wash at best.

I don't know what to do next. I traded my B&W 802 D3''s and HTM1 for a new pair of Focal Sopra's. That same online dealer had a pair of white DSP7200.2 speakers for 7500 that I almost pulled the trigger on and used the other 13k on whatever.

In my experience, the built-in DAC implementation in the McIntosh preamps doesn’t come close to a decent dedicated DAC, so I wouldn’t assume it’s state of the art just because it’s newer.

Going the DSP route is a big step, but one many have taken and never looked back. Get a decent length demo, then home demo of this before you sell any more of your original system (unless you can afford to buy used DSP without selling your other great so you can try at home and compare, then sell whichever you don’t wish to keep).

It’s a sound which, IMO, takes a little acclimatisation after most other audio systems (particularly “audiophile” ones, but not after real, live music). I keep listening and have yet to find anything I’d personally go back to in analogue terms - some do one aspect of audio reproduction “better” but not the whole envelope (which is to say they likely accentuate one thing at the expense of others).

After owning DSP systems for many years now, I’m shocked when I put on my old gear (some of which I still possess) how obviously distorting and unbalanced it is in comparison.

You might miss the lovely blue VU meters dancing away though!

FWIW, 7200.2 are a truly lovely speaker, I owned a pair for three or four years.

As a fellow B&W w/McIntosh separates user I can tell you that Meridian CDPs are a great match. I started with an 808.2 then 808.3 and finally updated my 808.3 to 808.6.

Well, I think I am going to jump into the deep end on this. If I am making a bad deal or if y'all think I am nuts, please chime in! I am going to trade in my brand new Focal Sopra 2's (still on pallet new) for a pair of 5200SE, a 210, and a 218. I will wait for the right Meridian disc player to come along, but there is a nice G08 on eBay at the moment.

The 5200SE are very good indeed, I doubt you’ll be disappointed with them.

Did you mention that 7200.2 were an option? I had a very hard time choosing between these when I auditioned both side by side. I ended up with the 7200.2, which to me had more scale and authority, (more inert cabinet and dedicated midrange/bass units). But on the other hand, the 5200SE were incredible playing MQA - so crisp and natural - musical and beguiling!

Don’t think you can go wrong with either, can you get to hear a pair somewhere?

You can later add an 808.6 for superlative CD playback when funds allow 😁