George, I got the full Meridian treatment. His test disk seems to have worked, mine don't.

Here are some new observations and comments for Gary while awaiting an opinion from Shawn.

Gary, I`m frustrated by all of this and probably any readers, too. I agree with some things you wrote, but not with your test philosophy and not with your service policy.

You believe your testing is definitive because you heard no flaws. And you claim this absence of evidence is proof that you have twice shipped a perfect product. I`ve reported consistent problems with all cds and all but the one multi channel Bluray which was yours, left in the Oppo when it shipped the second time. You claim that the one Bluray (that seemed to play without distortion) proves your case. You`ve explained my static as Oppo settings, something in the Meridian, and now there`s something wrong with all of my media.

But we need an explanation for why I'm hearing static and you do not. So much for philosophy.

My question about your customer service policy goes like this. You have said several times that you will support HHers who buy your product for 6 months or maybe more, up to a year. Yet you deny my listening experience. You believe you sent a working player and that's it, end of story. So no support, it`s my problem, not yours. That`s a very different cut on customer service from we get with Oppo, Meridian, others.

I`m hoping we could find a test disk that would be acceptable to you - how about the Spears and Munsil Bluray that came with the Oppo? It has several audio codec tracks (PCM, DTS HD, and Dolby True HD). Would you accept that this media is valid? If so, playing through Oppo/861 into my 5.0 system, here`s what I heard yesterday:

1. Montage in each of three formats is clean.
2. S&M intro in each of the three formats is questionable. It`s either a great special effect relating to the burning emblem/logo or it`s static. I can't tell.
3. With DTS HD MR 5.1, I have very loud static right at the start, and the initial sound is from the front right speaker but the picture flows left to right (inverted?)
4. With DTS HD MR 7.1. Same loud static. And the inversion is there…picture moves left to right but the sound starts in the right surround.
5. With Dolby True HD Same observations. Loud static and sound begins in right surround but picture comes left to right.

So with these sample codecs, there is sound distortion and inversion. This is a brand new Bluray test disk, came with the Oppo.

I also found an older CD test disk that you might also accept as valid. It`s The Ultimate Test CD published by ESX with Michael Fremer announcing 45 different tracks of tests. Here`s what I heard just listening for a few minutes.

On track 3, Fremer says this sound is coming from the left speaker. He then counts 1 to 10. On the Oppo, sound comes from the Right Front slave. On the Meridian 800, it comes from the left as it should.

On track 4, just the reverse. Fremer says Right, Oppo sound is from the left. 800 correctly from the right.

Then track 36, Night on Bald Mountain. 800 plays fine; Oppo has static, not as loud as on some media, but enough to make it unlistenable and risk damage to speakers.

I`ve sent all of this latest info over to Shawn. It seems this is what he`s been describing as a potential problem with his component. Specifically, inversion and sound distortion at 6db over some threshold, but I`m no expert and don't claim any technical understanding. I hope he`ll have time later to give us his opinion on what might be going on.

I also hope to get agreement on the next steps with you later today. Otherwise, I`ll be away until the end of the month and we won`t get the resolution that some HHers above (and over there) are waiting for. JimK

Roon, Technics SL10 turntable, Meridian 218, Jolida tube DAC, Nuforce STA 200 Amp and passive Swallow Acoustics ALS2 speakers