Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems CES 2008 Extended G series press release

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Meridian Bows Upgraded, Extended G Series

Slot-Load Drives, USB Connections Augment British Firm's Most Popular Range


2008 International CES, Las Vegas, Nevada, January 7, 2008—Meridian Audio Limited, the British firm recognized the world around as a leader in digital audio and video technologies for music and home-theater systems, will take advantage of the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV to showcase a newly extended range G Series components.

The updated G Series, which comprises Meridian's most widely adopted family of music and home-theater system components, has established itself as a world standard of performance and quality for audio and video playback.

"The new G Series family is both broader and deeper," says Meridian co-founder and lead designer Bob Stuart, "offering out customers more individualized routes to arriving at fully Meridian-level music- and home-theater system performance. At the same time, we availed ourselves of the opportunity to introduce advancements such as the series' new slot-load drive, and USB connectivity, that enhance both quality and versatility."

At CES 2008, an extensively reworked G Series will be prominently displayed among the full range of Meridian innovations. G Series components to be featured include:
G68 AXD Surround Processor: The popular G68 digital/analog preamp/processor is extended into two versions, the G68 AXD and the G 68 XXD (below). The G 68 AXD includes full analog and digital I/O, with 4 channels of professional-grade balanced analog output plus 10-channel unbalanced outputs, Meridian's powerful proprietary DSP engine, which implements Meridian Room Correction as well as the firm's renowned surround and ambience-recovery processes, and incorporate USB audio input/output for the last word in system extensibility and configurability. Designed for US market and maximum performance.
MSRP: $10,995, Available: Now
G68 XXD Surround Processor: The G68XXD is identical to the AXD (above)—including USB digital connectivity—but supplies fully balanced analog connections with 8-channel pro-grade balanced output to complement Meridian's uniquely capable digital I/O.
MSRP: $10,995, Available: Now
G61R Surround Processor: The G61R expands upon the highly successful original G61, a compact, more accessibly priced but full-performance derivative of the G68 family, by implementing Meridian's acclaimed Room Correction processing and adding USB connectivity to the models flexible analog and digital I/O facilities.
MSRP: $7,495, Available: Now
G92 DVD Player/Controller/Tuner: The world's only legitimately high-end "system in a box," The G92 combines much of the functionality of the G61R with a fully integrated optical disc drive—the same superb-performing slot-load mechanism found in Meridian's astonishing G95 Series flagships—and with Faroudja video processing up to HD 1080p. The net result is truly state-of-the-art 5.1-channel home theater from a single, sleek, marvelously usable component. HDMI output and onboard FM/AM tuner facilities complete the package, which requires only power amplifiers and speakers—or better still, Meridian Digital Loudspeakers—to complete a superb multichannel system.
MSRP: $8,495, Available: Now
G96 DVD Transport: A new slot-loading optical disc drive (the same found in the flagship G95 Series) highlights Meridian's latest DVD design. The G96 accepts virtually every current optical-disc audio-video and audio recording format, and features HDMI video output that exploits Meridian and Faroudja digital-video processing, for HD 1080p results that have again and again been judged the industry's finest consumer-video playback.
MSRP: $6,995, Available: February
G06.2 Compact Disc Player: The G06.2 is one of two newly refined G Series CD players. It, too, adopts Meridian's flagship slot-load disc-drive mechanism, and incorporates audiophile-grade circuits and topology developed from the award-winning G08, including fully Class A analog stereo outputs, alongside Meridian's exclusively versatile digital outputs.
MSRP: $3,495, Available: February
Compact Disc Player G08.2: Evolved from the acclaimed Meridian 800 design, the new G08.2 delivers state-of-the-art music playback by way of fully balanced, professional-grade Class A analog outputs (unbalanced analog outs are also present), or via Meridian's refined digital-output connectivity. The same superb slot-load optical drive found throughout the new G Series is on board the G08.2, whose performance is further enriched by Meridian's exclusive digital audio upsampling/reformatting, to 176.4kHz/24-bit, for unmatched musicality, transparency, and precision.
MSRP: $4,995, Available: February
For more information and high-resolution photography please visit the Meridian Media Center: http://media.meridian-audio.com.

OMG. "Virtually every current optical-disc audio-video and audio recording format". That is some claim. Surely not HD DVD and Blu-Ray?

Edit: I'm assuming every format, except SACD, HD DVD, and Blu-Ray...

Quite Interesting stuff.........

If this was CES 2005!!!!!

Bewildering!!! It's as if they just emerged from a Time Capsule, but in the wrong year!!!

Also CANNOT understand a change which removes the ability to play one High Resolution format and then act like the other/ current High Def format doesn't even exist


I spoke to Bob Stuart on two separate occasions last year and I told him that Company CREDIBILITY is a very important Currency to have. And just like a Currency, if you continue to use it unwisely, you will eventually have none left.

ANY claims that Meridian / Faroudja are at the top of the Video Processing pecking order is SIMPLY NOT CREDIBLE any longer. And their continued claims to the opposite seriously erodes their quite legitimate claims regarding their relative positioning when it comes to Digital AUDIO Processing

Claiming superiority doesn`t make it so and the sooner they get off that very shaky ground the better for us all. Even better, if their Video Performance actually began to match their claims, then we would be getting some where

Here`s hoping that they very quickly reboard their Time Capsule and travel at warp speed to 2008, because Customer Patience is yet another important Company Currency!!!!

I couldn't agree more. I have no problem with Meridian holding back on a high-def spinner until the dust settles (though they should be starting to ramp up development of a Blu-Ray player ASAP), but these ludicrous claims are, well, ludicrous.

From what I can infer, this is a DVD-Audio player and a direct replacement for the G98. Almost every optical format eh? Bet it even does MPEG audio, the preferred surround format in European territories.

Joel
While I will gladly accept being proved wrong, I'm pretty sure that neither G92 nor the G96 slot loaders, will play any MLP Encoded Tracks from DVD-A's

Edit: Having looked at the G96 Image on the Meridian Media site, their is no MLP Logo on the Front Panel. Not definitive, but not exactly encouraging either

As discussed in yesterday's thread, they will allow playing of High Res 2-Channel 96/24 PCM Tracks

Fine. Many people think DVD-A is a dead format. But it is still a differentiator!!! And in today's world of Hard Drives and Streaming, you simply don't drop things that differentiate you

If any of my friends (or anyone on this forum) now ask me what to buy, my advice will simply to scour for a 2nd hand G91 / G98. At least with those, they will be able to enjoy something you can't with these new Players.

That isn't good for Meridian and more importantly, that Ultimately isn't good for you and me (No Revenues means fewer, if any, new products)

As I said, just bewildering!!

I hadn't seen those images Ronnie. You are right: It appears that Meridian's dedicated G-series DVD transport no longer supports DVD-A. We know that DVD-A failed, but to exclude playback of some of the finest recordings when Meridian specifically backed the format? Bizarre.

In summary, this "play all" AV transport does CD and DVD-Video. Oh, and probably MP3 discs; thank goodness for that! No SACD, DVD-A, HD DVD or Blu-Ray. This really is the most astonishing and laughable piece of product mis-description I've come across in some time.

Again, I am in complete agreement with you with regards recommendations. Anything other than the G91 or G98 is folly. Very sad indeed.

As an aside, I wonder why none of the G9x players has a DTS logo?

Still no HDMI input for the G68? Unbelievable! On what planet does Meridian live? Sure not earth!
I really would appreciate getting 5.1 (or 7.1) PCM from my HD-DVD and Blu-ray players ...

My 596 desn't have a DTS logo on it (there again it doesn't decode DTS onboard which I guess the G96 must for upsampling)........but it does have a CD logo which the G96 doesn't on the front.

The G96 also doesn't have the RJ45 plug of the new DSP7200s which seems lke an omission? I wonder if the 4th (Aux) digital output is ready for a 7.1 solution?

I also just had a look at the MAX221 bumpf on the media site. Now something like one of those boxes could provide could provide an HDMI to Meridian solution as an interim.

Agreed! Who in their right mind would drop $11K on a SS processor that does not support HDMI? No problem getting it in a $500 receiver.

I asked this question in the G95 thread i started
Is the only difference between the G92 and the G95 the digital amplification
if so why are they priced the same?

Cheers

Edit: Answered in previous post...Thanks

Pretty confusing all those G models.

But for my understanding (and everybody elses ?) :

A G92 seems to be a G91A with Room Correction

A G96 seems to be a G98 with slotload drive.

No Room Correction in the G91A and would doubt that it is now included in the G92. Not sure if there is a detailed Spec Sheet on the Meridian sites as yet??

The new G61R does have Room Correction (the old G61 didn't)

I think the key word is MUCH, when the above says about the G92 that

"The G92 combines MUCH of the functionality of the G61R with a fully integrated optical disc drive"

However, once the detailed spec sheet is available, then we'll know for sure