Originally Posted by George Mills
One thing I often see not discussed is fatigue. To me this is the major difference between say B&W and Meridian. B&W's may sound more airy and detailed but after a few hours of some types of music I have a headache (sometimes the next day too). The Meridian's I can listen all day and no fatigue. It's a trade off, they are not as detailed and airy (and when you compare them side by side you'll notice it a lot).

It`s sort like buying a car with stiff suspension and wide tires. Cool for thrill ride but for a long trip you'd be numb in the butt. I'd rather take the Mercedes for a long trip and the stiff suspension to the race track.

B&W makes fine speakers but they are too bright (stiff) for a lengthy music session and on some movies. Meridian`s have a great balance, detailed enough to get what`s needed through, incredible bass for their size.

Just like driving a car (stiff or soft) your body (in this case your ears and brain) will adjust to the sound (some call it breaking in cables etc.). For the B&W your ears will kick in a high frequency filter over time. I think this “Filter” is what gives you a headache. For Meridians it will turn the filter off over time. So to be honest to REALLY compare them you have to own each for months to appreciate either and then and only then you`d really know what`s right for you.

I know this sounds crazy but this is my current belief. The brain is way more complicated and learns how to listen to each set up. It`s not instant. The brain can also get bored and sometimes people enjoy a change (for better or worse technically).

That said I switched from N803`s to DSP5500`s and it took a little while to adjust but I love them now.

One other data point. I have read numerous posts of folks going from B&W's to DSP's but I don't recall ever reading the reverse.


Hi George,
I agree 100% but I suspect that the laid back, non-fatiguing, balanced nature comes from the Meridian electronics (Players, DACs, Amplifiers which are integrated to the speakers in case of DSPs).
I have a Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home analogue speakers and in the past I experimented with naim equipment which made them really bright and fatiguing.
The Meridian made them laid back, balanced and natural sounding
And the missing bass came back too...\:\)

It may as well be that the B&W are so bright and in-your-face that nothing will tame them (I do not have enough experience to comment but I did not like the 805s at all).

I thing the Meridian natural and non-fatiguing sound is the magic that keeps us here and it is a sound that the more you listen to the more you appreciate (Bob Stuart did his homework on psychoacoustics).

Cheers,

Doron





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