Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems F80

Hmm... well that was 2 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

It's a clock radio on steroids, how cute. While I understand this is intended for the more mainstream market, I can't see 'joe 6 pack' spending �1000 or more on a book shelf system, no mater how good it sounds. Not when you need to add quality speakers to the price.

I'm starting to think Joelc might be my evil twin, across the waters, as he keeps asking for the same as me... again, where is the G46 (as promised), HD-DVD (as leaked), streaming/media server (as desired).

Cheers,

Chris

Hi Chris,

But if you are a footballers / cricketers wife or girlfriend they will want one, to add to everything else they have !!

Regards........Ian

Target isn't Joe Sixpack, rather it's for rich people (of which there are more now than ten years ago) who want style pieces. B&O w/better fidelity. I think there's a market -- success will depend on marketing.

there is no doubt that this is not what we hitchhikers want from Meridian or believe that it is a direction they should be going...

However, it did sound fantastic for what it was and in the enviroment that i work in there are a lot of people around who would love that bit of kudos of a ferrari badge (although personally i dont think Meridian need them) and therefore the marketing will work hopefully.

i do also think they could be missing the boat on the whole wireless/streaming server thing although there were hints on the visit that this route was not being ignored altogether.

maybe we just have to wait a little longer for Bob to reveal his true hand... again!

lets face it 30-40,000 F80 units will give the big M some seriously needed profit.

Who said anything about having to add quality speakers?

Its basically a 'stereo' DSP speaker on a par with 3100's with radio and CD/DVD built in.

People pay �2500 for a pair DSP3100's? Add CD, DVD and radio and its still 60% cheaper. So if you were looking for a second room system, its cost effective, but if you were looking for a luggable hifi system, not sure if people who wont appreciate the sound will find it too costly.

I just know I'm going to end up buying one... Guess I can plug my Squeezbox into it when Meridian release their own streaming device .

Jezclayton

Chris1971, evil twin or not I am, like you, completely disappointed and underwhelmed...I had truly hope for one or more of the following:

-- G46
-- HD-DVD/Blu-Ray upgrade for the 800
-- HDMI upgrade for the 861/G68
-- JVC RS-1 based MF-2 update
-- Software/firmware upgrades previously noted

Guess I am not much different that anyone else here....

James, where do you get that from? It sounded fairly sensible to me when Bob indicated how many 1st hand M customers there were in this world and that, given how good their products can be, they think that they could and should be branching out into other areas where they can set new standards for others to aspire to.

As you state above, if this injects some good cash flow into other areas that you might prefer to see...then surely it is the right way to go.

Chris, Ian's just beat me to it. You won't need extra speakers for the type of target placement this has. And, it's bar far the cheapest option to get some really quite surprising sounds out of something of such size.

Bob did also indicate a few more things this year may emerge. As long as it includes a HDD streaming toy (preferably wired for some folk ) the we'll all be happy with the new direction.

But then maybe not for some I expect.

hi
In our dining room at the moment we have a 506, 551 running a pair of Anthony Gallos, which we use for good quality back ground when we have friends round enjoying a bottle of shiraz and my wife's excellent cooking.

Is a f80 going to give us better sound with less boxes and more sexy to look at? If so I am interested.

( the gentlemen still retire to the lounge for port and the full Meridian experience afterwards!)

Chris

Huh? I'd like to actually see it and read about its capabilities instead of just listening to Bob whisper about the electronics in the base.

Hmm,

This all sounds a bit familiar to me. Porsche took a caning from journalists and enthusiasts when they released the Cayenne - to quote Evo magazine "an answer to a question no-one was asking". I think I read that it's doubled its pre-manufacture sales targets and put Porsche on a stronger footing financially leading to the ability to produce very highly regarded hot-rods such as the various GT models (GT3, RS, GT2).

There's nothing wrong with appealing to the mass market if it allows a company to thrive and move on in a stronger financial position. Maybe the enthusiasts will benfit in the long run in this scenario too...

Stu

I don't see it as a bad thing at all. There's clearly a market here - look at the Arcam Solo, B+O things, Linn Classik, etc - so why shouldn't M have a nice steady revenue stream from a competing product with very low support costs. Sure, it's not what this board and its 1%-of-the-1% demographic would wish for, but it will fund those desires over the long term.

Regards

Mark