Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Thread Like Summary - Best Meridian DSP speaker system for minimalist system

Hi,

Meridian DSP newb here. Sorry for the ignorance!

I have a Meridian 200 CD transport that can output pure digital via optical or coax I believe.

Is there a DSP speaker system, that can take that signal direct?

I'm looking for there to be no other box required (just a meridian remote to control volume).

If I can get a DSP system that does do direct coupling, what will be the limitations, and why shouldn't I do it?

Thanks for your advice.

Hi, and welcome to the forums.

The best Meridian DSP to start with is the DSP5000. They are compact floorstanders and contain digital-to-analogue converters and multiple power amplifiers, so they are digital, active speakers. They represent excellent value for money and are the starting point for most Meridian enthusiasts...

They come in several versions. 18-bit and 24-bit (with the latter having 7-segment and moving onto dot-matrix displays, which were the last versions) - Check if they've been serviced as they'll certainly benefit from a re-cap and service.

They will hook up directly to your Meridian 200 transport, and a Meridian remote will be able to control everything. You should even also be able to get basic track information on the loudspeaker displays!

Have a look at eBay for examples - they'll start around £300 for older examples (probably in need of a service), and can go up to £800 for the latest examples that have been fully serviced.

Your only downside would be if you ever had any analogue sources, as you would need to acquire an Analogue to Digital converter (something like a Meridian 562 would work well)

Good luck,

Steve

That system should work well. The DSP5200.2 speakers are great and have the latter (.2) tweeter, which is more sensitive and transparent.

The only limitation is that Meridian DSP speakers can only take a maximum of 96/24, so if the WiiM Pro is outputting anything above, the speakers will only produce silence.

If you link the comms from your Meridian 200 CD player to the DSP speakers, you can then get the Meridian remote to turn it on at the same time as the speakers and control volume/CD functions.

Cheers,

Steve

I have both WiiM and the Meridian 218, while the 218 is better, the WiiM provides a lot of functionality for the money and can be a very cost effective and minimalistic solution using its digital coax out directly in the DSP.

You miss the integrated volume control of the 218 but it sounds fine.

The WiiM is a more versatile streamer, having embedded Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz. It’s also a Roon endpoint. The 218 offers a slightly better sound quality but is only a Roon end point, no embedded music services. So you will need Roon if you want to stream over the 218.

Hi Jon,

Each of the cables is mentioned in the rear of the various 200 series handbooks. You need to work out what 200 series units you want to link together, or what else needs to link in via comms, then read the appropriate handbook.

For example, there are different cables to link between the 204 and 201, and 204 to a 207 or 208.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Steve

Forgive me for jumping in here with something that may be too complicated or expensive, but I’ve recently upgraded a Raspberry Pi source combination to leave my 218 in the very distant rear view mirror (sonically) for about $1,000 See this topic.

You wouldn’t have to adopt Roon to make use of this; applies just as well to LMS, UPnP or WiiM whatever.