Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Ultra DAC v 818v3/808v6 (Analogue)

If it helps at all, there is a review from a former forum member of the 818v3 here. (Scroll down past the DSP review and it’s analogue-outs into his high end analogue setup).

And the same guy’s review of the Ultra DAC here.

Spoiler: “ the 818 is one of the best DACs that I had heard so far. The Ultra DAC however, manages to surpass the 818’s performance considerably.”

Also, Sterophile gave a detailed review by John Atkinson, who has long familiarity with Meridian products here.

Now, if his conclusion is correct - “ Yes, it's expensive, but Meridian Audio's Ultra DAC joins the expensive dCS Rossini ($23,999) and Vivaldi ($35,999) DACs in offering the best sound I have enjoyed from digital recordings.” I can offer an opinion also, as while I was the owner of an 818v3, I demoed a DCS Rossini and found, to my ears, it was indeed better than the already excellent 818v3.

I’ll say that if your budget won’t stretch to an Ultra DAC you’ll likely be more than pleased with either of the other two, but if it will, you’ll be among the best D/A converters in the world.