I think that those who claim the 568/598 combo provides 95 percent of the sound quality of the 861/800 are exaggerating. I just dropped off my 800 v.2 at the dealer yesterday to be sent off to Meridian for a v3 upgrade. The dealer was kind enough to loan me a 598. The differences in sound quality on CD reproduction were immediately apparent. The magic that I had experienced with the 800 was just gone. Less air. Less attack. Less clarity. Just a little less of everything. The 598 reminded me of the Proceed PMDT. Is the 598 a slouch? Of course not. But it is not the 800. So in addition to an upgrade path, the 800 series also offers flat-out better performance. You pay for the difference, but no more than a Mark Levinson fan pays for the difference between a 360S D/A processor and their reference processor. Each individual will have to decide whether the incremental improvement is worth the added expense. For me, the answer is clearly "yes."

2-Channel: Mer 800, Wadia 170i, Ipod, Berkeley DAC, Clayton M300 Amps, Martin Logan Spires
Multi-channel: Oppo BDP-83, Mer 800, HD621, Mer 861, Clayton/Rowland/Classe amps, Martin Logan Spires & Stage, Revel Embrace, REL Stentor