Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Trifield alternatives

From what I have seen most potential alternatives from the major players have it as standard.

Due for release in Q2 2025, the AudioControl Hyperion DPR-16…

Marantz, Denon, Arcam all have their house sounds, and loyal customers who prefer them. Personally, I’ve never liked Arcam and would likely prefer Marantz out of that list, all other things being equal.

Aren’t Marantz and Denon in financial trouble, though (or the group who own them)?

I think the question you really need to answer is how much are you interested in more channels vs 7.2 super quality channels in e.g. a Meridian 861…

This is the question in my mind. I think for my listening habits I think an 861v8 would be a perfect solution. But it is still 7 plus years old with Room correction older than that. Plus lack of manufacturer support and scarcity of parts. Plus it’s still a decent chunk of money.

I have looked closely at the Lyngdorf MP40 and the Anthem AVM70, which have manufacturer support, warranty and new codecs. I had a demo of the Lyngdorf and the Anthem and they were really nice indeed. Very hard to assess music performance in a demo room with different speakers, acoustics etc. But of course even more money.

I think if there was manufacturer support for the 861 I wouldn’t need to have these types of conversations.

Think longer term; both Trinnov and Storm|Audio can be comprehensively upgraded over time (unlike the competition).

For example, buy a used Trinnov Altitude16 for £5k (eBay), and you can upgrade the HDMI Card, or DAC’s, as when your budget permits.

I am not rushing into anything. I am reading stuff and posting on various other forums to get some more understanding of what is available.

Join the queue. I’m in the same position as you. Initially, I investigated the ‘budget’ options as I was overwhelmed by the high cost of buying the likes of Lyngdorf, Trinnov or Storm|Audio.

Over time I’ve adjusted my thinking. Standards change quickly, resulting in a constant cycle of selling and buying replacement kit. Plus, some brands (Arcam, for example) bench test their designs in the marketplace, resulting in buggy software that can sometimes render the product inoperable. By comparison, the reputable brands are more likely to fully test their designs before release.

By comparison, if, for example, you had purchased one of the first Trinnov AVP’s some 10 ago, you would not have been in a position that required you to sell it for the latest version of essentially the same product but equipped to the latest audio/video standards. Instead, you will have been able to incrementally upgrade your original Trinnov purchase. The same applies to Storm|Audio.

Even though it might be ‘used’ you can submit your AVP to the manufacturer for testing (either brand) to renew the product with a fresh/renewed 5 year warranty (for a fee).

Over time the Trinnov or Storm|Audio AVP subsequently becomes the authentic ‘budget’ purchase - especially if you purchase a used example. Both brands have a well-earned reputation for reliability.

Why have I set aside Lyngdorf? Should you decide, for example, to upgrade its HDMI card, the customer is given a limited time to submit the whole AVP back to base - typical cost £3k. Compare the same HDMI card upgrade on Trinnov: £900 (fitted by your dealer, or by you if you’re sufficiently handy with a screwdriver).

For me, I’m saving the pennies to purchase either a Storm|Audio or Trinnov AVP - as I have also been buying open box/ex-demonstration/used Meridian kit to partner either AVP.

You could also search for a secondhand avr with al the formats you want and pre-out connections for a good price. Connect the corresponding pre-outs to the G68 so you can keep Trifield and also can give the object based audio a try. If its turns out that it isn't what you like you can sell the avr for approximately the same money. If you like it, you can enjoy it now and upgrade later. Life is to short ;-)

I don't know if the installment is already done but if not please read up about the right placement of the ceiling speakers as it maters a lot where you place all the speakers if you want a good result. In my experience its very comparable with room acoustics as that it has more influence than processor x or y. There are some good youtube tutorials about the subject of placement (the Dolby install guide has some strange contradictions).

No install done. I am still thinking out the options.

Fast forward a month and after a couple of auditions and a home demo, I have decided to buy a Lyngdorf MP40. It offers what I want with Auro3D upmixing very very similar to Trifield and manufacturer support/Warranty. I am impressed with the web based config and software update functions. I can install some acoustic treatments as I re develop my lounge together with Room Perfect it will be a great replacement

I will be sad to retire my G68, but 20 years is a long time and I am happy with my choice.

‘Notarf’ of this parish also purchased a Lyngdorf MP-40, if you wish to seek out his user experience.

You could do a lot worse than Lyngdorf on the current market, now that Meridian no longer offer a surround processor (which I still think is tragic).

I had an extended demo of a TDAI-3400 for a whole afternoon a while back, and it was impressive sound quality for a standalone unit, with amps built-in, at the asking price.

I had a chance to re-run Room Perfect a few times, with the speakers in slightly different positions (including as recommended by Lyngdorf with them up against the wall). This produced variable results each time we re-ran the measurements. According to Lyngdorf, RP is supposed to learn the room, and so basically remove it from the equation. However, it sounded different each time, which left me in some doubt as to what it was actually doing. Things sounded at their worst with Lyngdorf’s recommended placement of speakers against the wall, and best where the speakers would be ideally placed if one were using no correction.

Two channel only, though, and multichannel makes a big difference with things like room correction.