Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Should I upgrade my 565 to a G61R?

Hi Conan

I would agree with the comments raised so far, do your upgrade in stages (unless you have a large wallet) and upgrade to 24 bit by buying 24 bit speakers. I too have 18 bit D5ks and the last quote to upgrade these was �1100 a pair (18 months ago). Having had the luxury of going to the HH2 visit, I would agree that 24 bit speakers would be nice though .

In terms of the equipment driving my D5ks, I am upgrading in stages. Having gone from non-Meridian DVD player/500/561 to non-Meridian DVD player/500/G61R to G98DH/G61R, the main benefit I have noticed is having the MRC facility in the G61R which has tightened up the bottom end of my 5.1 system.

I see a future upgrade path, when funds permit, as being HD621 (to keep audio output from my HDDVD & PS3 in the digital domain) and then 24 bit speakers (to take full benefit from the HD621).

regards

Mark

Of course you should upgrade!
I have gone exactly the same path that you now considering.
I started up with the 200 CD player and DSP5000 18bit`s , upgraded these to 24/96, and later on changed the player to a 500 unit and added a 518. When I decided to go for multichannel, I bought a 565Z3 and a DSP5000C and where very satisfied with my system. However when I swopped the 565 and the 518 to a G61R I realized that this was the greatest improvement in my system - ever.

Hi Conan,

Sorry for the delay, I've been on hols. Firstly, the PS3 upsamples 44kz WAV files to 48kz. Believe it or not I found this makes a difference. The up-sampling slightly softens the sound in a good way. The PSP is essential for navigating and playing discs from the hard drive. Essentially you sync the PSP with the PS3 and put the PS3 into remote play mode. This gives you the PS3 menus on the PSP display and allows the PSP to navigate through to the songs so you can select and play them. No need for a separate display.

The question you raise, 'is the G61R a BIG improvement over the 565?'. I would say YES especially when paired with the HD621. The reproduction is much more explicit and articulate than the 565. Along with the explicit sonic picture there is greater drama to the music and sound from film. However, for music this signature can sound forward emphasising the steely nature of some CD's. It is not like the comfy old shoe sound of the 565. I have found that the forward nature has been significantly tamed with use as the processor has burned in. In addition it is also possible I have become accustomed to the newer more lively presentation. I think its wonderful. But, to have the 565 laid back presentation without giving up explicit detail and drama then you would probably need to go to the 861. And please remember that this only applies to an anologue system like mine. For digital speakers I think the differences between G61R, G68 and 861 are even less. Hope this helps,

Regards,

Paul

Well, thanks very much to all of you for your replies. they have certainly given me something to think about!

I will need to speak to Meridian and see what they have to say about upgrading my speakers (if they still do), it seems ironic that the more expensive DSP5000's need updrading and my "cheaper" M60's do not.

I had always thought that if I ever replaced the 565 it would be worth waiting for the 861, but I cannot really justify the amount that it costs - even if it does almost guarantee a future proof (and superlative)system.

Paul, I am quite intrigued by the idea of using a PSP as a remote for the PS3. I have a work friend who owns one, so I may see if I can borrow it.

Am I right in assuming that the PS3 will now pass the audio to the processor using HDMI (rather than optical) via the HD621 now?

Thanks,

Conan.

Generally speaking, most people (Meridian included) think that Non-Integer Upsampling (i.e. if it's not 1x, 2x, 4x; 44.1Khz, 88.2khz, 176.4khz) is not a good idea

Agreed; and most of us would prefer Meridian to do the upsampling. This will become a no brainer once the processors get apodizing upsampling upgrades.

You can buy an IR to bluetooth adapter for around $80.00 for PS3. It's clean, very small and works perfectly on every function including power on/off.

Yes PS3 would send all audio via HDMI if you use an HD621.

George is quite right about the IR to adaptor. The beauty of the PSP is that it gives you the menu bars to follow as if you were using it off the TV etc. And yes, just to reiterate Georges point, the HDMI from the PS3 connects straight into the HD621 outputting audio with no issues.

Regards,

Paul

Hi all.

Well I spoke to Meridian yesterday and they said that they are still offering the upgrade for the DSP5000 speakers to 96Khz/24 bit. However they could not say for how much longer they would be doing this.
As it would be difficult to get my speakers into a dealer (I live across the Irish Sea) they said I could return the boards to them (which they would upgrade) and then I could re-fit them myself. As I build my own computers this should be fairly easy.

They also said that I would get a fairly large improvement by replacing the 565 with a G61 and a HD621.

Thanks for all of your replies, now I just have until the 30th of September to make a decision!

Taking the boards off and on is easy. You will have no trouble.

Conan,

Fairly obvious but just in case, if you do elect to send the digital boards to Meridian for upgrade, just remember you don't need to send the power supply of each speaker, which are on a separate board at the bottom. The power supply is very heavy but unplugs very easily from the main digital board.

On your upgrade journey, I have no doubt that at some point in time, you will eventually move to 24/96 capable speakers all around. I started my journey with the purchase of a brand new 561 when it was first released. I have never sold any of my Meridian gear as things have progressed and over the years I have now accumulated and run 3 separate Meridian systems in my home. My oldest system using the 561 still sounds better than any of my friends systems.

Decisions, decisions, decisions ???

Enjoy the journey as most of us here have.


Cheers,


Steve

Thanks for the advice on upgrading the speaker boards.

If I do take advantage of the trade-up it is a real shame that I will need to hand in my trusty 565 that I have had since new.

I agree that even though the 565 is rather old it still gives a better sound than any system that any of my friends have. It really was a superlative product on release and the passage of time has been kind to it. Its just a shame that Meridian were not able to upgrade it any more after the Z3 board came out.

As for upgrading my rears (the M60's) it may happen at some time but I suspect it will be rather further away.