Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Multiple Issues with Meridian DSW.2, DSP3300, G61R, and Optical 5.1 Setup – Need

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out to the community for help diagnosing several problems in my Meridian system. I’ve listed them in detail below. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Problem #1 – Meridian DSW.2 Subwoofer Accidentally Plugged into 220V

I accidentally plugged my Meridian DSW.2 (configured for 110V) into a 220V outlet for about 10 seconds. I immediately unplugged it after detecting a faint burnt smell. I opened the unit and rewired the internal transformer by separating the center tap wires to adapt it for 220V.

The transformer now outputs clean and stable 48V, and shows no physical or thermal damage—no signs of burning, no discoloration, no smell. I believe the transformer is working correctly and can be ruled out as the source of the problem.

I replaced the fuse, and now the main power board shows several green LEDs lit and one orange/yellow LED, indicating power is reaching the system. However, the main front power indicator LED remains off, and the subwoofer does not function.

During inspection, I noticed one potentially damaged component: a ferrite-core inductor marked “221” looked mechanically stressed, possibly from accidental contact while opening the unit. Its legs are still soldered in place and not broken, but I’m unsure if it could be the root of the problem.

Could this inductor be the cause of the issue? If so, how can I test or confirm that? If not, what should I investigate next?

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Problem #2 – Intermittent Distortion from DSP3300 Center Speaker

My DSP3300 center speaker occasionally emits a distorted or raspy sound, especially during calibration. Sometimes, even when the system is idle and no audio is playing, I notice small audio “pops” or brief output from the speaker.

Once, the DSP3300 was completely distorted and would not play clean audio at all. Power-cycling did not help. I opened the unit and found no physical damage or bulging capacitors. After letting it fully discharge and reconnecting it, the speaker started working again—but the occasional issue still happens.

I suspect the unshielded SpeakerLink cable might be part of the problem, but I’m not certain if the issue is signal-related, power-related, or internal to the speaker.

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Problem #3 – G61R Requires Multiple Restarts to Output Audio

My Meridian G61R occasionally fails to output sound after powering on. I hear a soft relay click when turning it on, and all four connected M6 speakers light up white, indicating they are powered and linked—but no audio plays.

Only after switching the G61R off and on a few times does it begin outputting sound normally. Once it starts working, it performs without issues. I’m wondering whether this is a failing relay, a firmware problem, or some other startup-related fault.

Any recommendations for diagnosing or resolving this would be appreciated.

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Problem #4 – No 5.1 Passthrough from TV to Meridian via Optical (TOSLink)

In my setup, I connect a MacBook Pro to the TV via HDMI, and then route audio from the TV to the Meridian G61R through the TV’s optical output (TOSLink). When running speaker tests from macOS, each speaker receives the correct signal and channel assignment, so the TV and Meridian appear to handle channel mapping correctly.

However, when watching movies via media players that support passthrough (bitstream output), I only get stereo sound. Despite the 5.1 content and correct player settings, the TV seems to output only 2-channel audio over TOSLink.

I’m not sure if the issue is a limitation of the TV’s optical output, incorrect passthrough settings, or a compatibility issue between the TV and Meridian. Any advice on achieving full 5.1 output over optical in this setup would be great.

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Thank you in advance for any help. I’m happy to provide additional details, photos, or test results if needed.

Best regards,
Kamnran Aydinov

I can only answer question 4, many TV's only output stereo over their toslink output so only using a external source for movies will probably solve this.

Hi Kamnran,

Welcome to the forum.

If the unit won't start, you may have blown something on the DSW.2's comms board. The ferrite-core inductor is unlikely to be the problem. You may need to source a replacement comms board.

I suspect that the DSP3300 may have failed capacitors in the PSU section. If you can remove the rear panel and examine the main PSU capacitors, look for bulging or leakage from the top or bottom of the capacitors.

The G61R most likely requires a new PSU (ECM60UT31), replacement capacitors on the backplane, and cleaning of all the card edge contacts/backplane connectors.

The issue with the optical passthrough may be dependent on what the TV supports. There is limited bandwidth on an optical connection compared to what HDMI can support.

You may be best to find a local tech to take a look.

Good luck,

Steve

Everything Steve said. My G61RSL did something similar, bad cap on the Backplane, G91 similar symptoms with a bad Power supply. Some of the caps may look good, but actually be bad; very slight slightly bulging can be present or none at all. just the start of your board level troubleshooting, good luck!

Hi Steve,

Thank you! Glad to be here.

Thank you for the reply.

Today we diagnosed the issue with my DSW.2 subwoofer and confirmed that two chips are burned.

LPC2138FBD64/01 LQFP64

One of them I can replace easily, but the main LPC2138FBD64 microcontroller likely contains firmware (BIOS) from Meridian.

I’ve already ordered a new chip, but now I need to flash the correct firmware onto it.
Does anyone here have experience with this?

Can the firmware be read from a working donor unit and then written to a new chip?
Has anyone done this before, or can anyone provide a dump of the firmware?

MVirgil,
Thank you very much for the advice!
I will replace all the capacitors and report back afterwards.

There is a chip on the comms board on the DSW and DSP3200 that is a common failure. So far for me the only remedy is a replacement board.

Where can I find such a DSW.2 board?

They have to be ordered from a Meridian dealer.

Does anyone know any technicians or professionals who truly understand Meridian equipment, especially the internal logic boards and SpeakerLink systems?

It seems that there might not be many active specialists here on the forum — but if you know someone by name or nickname, please let me know.
I’d really appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction. I’m happy to contact them directly myself.

Thanks in advance for any help!

This site is sponsored by the repair agents for the U.K., Mr Tech Guy - link at top of page - call them and they will tell you the best course of action.

Thank you for the detailed information — it was very helpful.
I’ve already submitted the request and I’m now waiting for a response.