This post is in no way a critcism of Meridian's sound qualities. All I'm saying is that there are now other products (Krell and Classe' for example) that have products in the $4000-5000 price range offering more features than the 561 and 568 with far more upgradeabilty and have been reviewed to have excellent sound. Do they actually sound better? I don't know as I haven't heard them myself.

Does Meridian want to cater to the super high-end megabuck people, or do they also want to increase their overall sales base by providing relatively affordable products that still give a hint of Meridian's excellence in digital technology?

I purchased the 561, then a few short months later the 568 came out. If I had known I would have waited and paid the extra money.

Again, I have been very statisfied with the sound quality of the 561, especially since I use it for home theater and have no immediate desire for 7.1 sound or DVD audio. If I do in the future, I may look elsewhere.

And I'm no slouch when it cmes to judging sound quality having been a former audiophile for over 20 years. My last system consisted of all Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) equipment which I consider them to be one of the finest in the field of high-end audio. But kids came along and I went with Meridian as a good compromise between excellent home theater and good high-end audio.

[This message has been edited by Pete Saunders (edited 02-17-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Pete Saunders (edited 02-17-2003).]