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Can I replace my Meridian 568 & get QUALITY sound?(CAUTION: GRAPHICS-HEAVY;SLOW OPEN)

post #1 of 12
1/25/08 at 10:01am
Thread Starter 
I have a Meridian 568 and I must say that the sound of everything I run thru it sounds great. However, it only has DD 5.1 or DTS 5.1 along with ProLogic II. Movies and CD sound the best I have ever heard from my system, and this Meridian replaced a Proceed AVP. Anyway, now that I have a new BD30K Blu-Ray player with all of the new lossless audio being bitstreamed, I wonder if I should think about replacing it?

So far I have seen people saying the new Integra DTC-9.8 will do it all. OK, but for 30% of the cost of my "old" Meridian, will it sound as good...especially on 2 ch Stereo CD's?

TIA
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post #2 of 12
2/3/08 at 3:53am

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MPSAN
I have a Meridian 568 and I must say that the sound of everything I run thru it sounds great. However, it only has DD 5.1 or DTS 5.1 along with ProLogic II. Movies and CD sound the best I have ever heard from my system, and this Meridian replaced a Proceed AVP. Anyway, now that I have a new BD30K Blu-Ray player with all of the new lossless audio being bitstreamed, I wonder if I should think about replacing it?

So far I have seen people saying the new Integra DTC-9.8 will do it all. OK, but for 30% of the cost of my "old" Meridian, will it sound as good...especially on 2 ch Stereo CD's?

TIA


Dave,

As an owner of a Krell HTS 7.1 I have the same question. My Krell sounds great for SACDs and CDs and DVDs but is now out of date and no longer made by Krell. Their new pre/pro has all of the new audio formats but costs 18 THOUSAND dollars. Krell has also stopped selling the 7.1 so they are not going to update the model.

So far the Integra DTC 9.8 seems to be the only pre/pro that is under 10K. I am sure that will change but when? I think there is a way to pass the analog audio through so I could use my unit for music but so far I do not really understand how that would work with the Integra unit.
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post #3 of 12
2/3/08 at 9:17am

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

Quote:
So far I have seen people saying the new Integra DTC-9.8 will do it all. OK, but for 30% of the cost of my "old" Meridian, will it sound as good...especially on 2 ch Stereo CD's?

For movies it will sound 100% the same, have a look at some of my other threads, high end processors are no different then receivers.
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post #4 of 12
2/3/08 at 12:31pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

Thank you both. Our first house was down from where Krell was "born". Boy have times changed! I am surprised a lot buy the hype of Meridian, or at least the sales people. I was told that new formats could just be added in firmware. I guess that was OK with Pro Logic II. I must admit, now, that I listen to very little 2 ch stuff anymore.

I also hear rhat Denon and others will come out with pre/pro's soon...at far less than the 10K pricepoint, but the 9.8 is very much less than that.

Thank you both again,

Dave...
and I never saw a place to get my name out of the post. How is that done as I do not see that option in user CP.
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post #5 of 12
2/3/08 at 1:39pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

I sent a reply and it does not show so I will try again. Thank you both. I am surprised at how soon my Meridian is out of date. I must admit to not listening to much 2 ch any more. I suppose that the Integra 9.8 would not be a bad option...especially for the price. I hear that several other pre/pro's will be out soon from Denon, etc, but not at the Integra price point!

Anyway, I used to live where Krell was "born"...boy have times changed! I am not sure I would spend as much on a pre/pro any more. There is just no support from anyone any more!

P.S. I just noticed my name under the MPSAN...how do I get rid of that? I do not see a place in the UserCP?
After many trips to Japan I picked MPSAN as my username.
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post #6 of 12
2/3/08 at 2:43pm

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

Hey Dave,

If your DM30K decodes all the lossless audio you can allways send it to your Meridian via analog multi channel input, as long as your 568 has analog inputs. That is if you are really happy with it and are not ready to move up to something more up to date?

Now I would imagine that the Integra 9.8 pre/pro would be a very good choice. And as long as you run really good amplifiers you may not notice a difference or you may like it more than your current 568? I use to own a McIntosh MX-130 and then I got married and the wife would not agree to let me spend the $2k to upgrade it to Dolby Digital and DTS. So I got rid of it and ended up with the Yamaha RX-V995 that I have now. I wish I still had the MX-130 so be carefull before you get rid of the 568? I would put alot of thought and research into it. But the Integra 9.8 like I said should be a really good choice especially for the price and all that technology in that pre/pro. Also if you really like the 568 but are going to buy something new with all the new technologies you might want to keep the 568 and just use it in another room as a secondary music system?

What power amps do you run with your 568?

If you decide to keep your 568 you can pick up a Marantz HDMI 1.3a switcher for about $350 that has 6 HDMI 1.3a inputs and 2 HDMI outputs.

Integra 9.8

Integra Home Theater

Integra DTC-9.8 Three-Zone Preamplifier/Processor Introduced — Audioholics Home Theater Reviews and News

My new pre-amp = Integra DTC 9.8 - High-Def Digest Forums

AMPLIFIER:
# Channels
7
POWER (8ohms 20-20kHz 0.08%) /CH
N/A
POWER (8ohms 20-20kHz 0.05%) /CH
N/A
THX Certified
Ultra2
Continuous 6ohms Rated
N/A
Certified 4ohms performance
N/A
High Instantaneous Current Capability
N/A
Amplifier Frequency Response
N/A
S/N Ratio (LINE IN)
110dB
All Discrete Circuitry
Absolute Ground Plate
Dual PUSH-PULL Design
N/A
Independent Block Construction (Amp/Preprocessor)
Toroidal Transformer
Independent Power Supply
4
Optimum Gain Volume
-
Linear Optimum Gain Volume
Non-Scaling Configuration
Bi-amp Capability For Front
BTL Capability For Front
N/A

PROCESSING:
DOLBY Decoder
DD Plus, TrueHD
DTS Decoder
DTS-HD Master Audio
Neural Surround
Neural THX
THX Processing Mode
DSD Processing/Direct Mode
/
Direct
192K/24 Bit DACs
Burr Brown
VLSC
(ALL CH)
DSP Type / QTY
32 BIT / 3
Adjustable Crossover (Hz)
40/45/50/55/60/70/80/90/
100/110/120/130/150/200
Adjustable Crossover by Channel Pair
Accurate Speaker Distance Setting
0.2ft step
AV Sync Delay (by source)
250ms
Multi-Band Speaker EQ
15 Band

CONNECTIVITY:
Audio I/O
9 / 2
Balanced Audio Output
(7.1ch)
Balanced Audio Input
(2ch, assignable)
Phono Input
Digital Audio IN (OPT/COAX)
3 / 3
Digital Audio OUT (OPT/COAX)
1 / 0
Composite I/O
6 / 1
S-Video I/O
6 / 1
Front-Panel A/V
Front-Panel Optical
Component Video / Bandwidth
3 / 100MHz
HDMI I/O
4 / 2
HDMI Version
V1.3a Repeater
HDMI Bandwidth
1080p
HDMI Deep Color Capable (36bit)
Component Video Upconversion
Analog to HDMI Upconversion
480i to 480p Processing
HQV
1080p Upscaling
HQV
Noise Shaped Video (NSV)
Multi-Channel Input
7.1
Pre-Outs
7.1 RCA/XLR
Powered Zone2
N/A
Zone 2 Fixed/Variable line Out
Zone 2 Fixed/Variable Subwoofer Out
Zone 2 Tone/Balance Control
Zone 2 Max/Power On Volume
Zone 2 Composite Video Out
Zone 2 HD Component Video Out
Zone 3 Fixed/Variable line Out
Zone 3 Max/Power On Volume
Zone 3 Fixed/Variable Subwoofer Out
HDMI / Component video assignable to Tape/CD/Phono
iPod Ready
(DS-A2)
Radio Data System (RDS)
Internet Radio Capability via Ether (PlaysForSure)
-
Streaming Audio From PC via Ethernet (PlaysForSure)
-
Streaming Audio From USB memory (PlaysForSure)
-
Built-in HD Radio Tuner
XM Radio Ready
SIRIUS Radio Ready
Sat Radio Accessibility
Both
Simultaneous Access to Multiple Tuner Bands (Z1, Z2, Z3)

INTEGRATION ACCESS:
RS-232
IR Input/Output
2/1
Ethernet (E-control, AMX Device Discovery)
(4)
RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI)
RI System Control
12V Trigger (w/adjustable delay)
Assignable (x3)

MISC.
Pre-Pro/Learning Remote
/
Back-Lit Remote
Color-Coded Speaker Terminals
N/A
Auto Speaker Calibration w/ Mic.
Audyssey MultEQ XT
Audyssey Installer-Ready (MultEQ Pro)
GUI for Setup Menu
(Advanced)
Input Name Edit
Setup Store/Recall function
Permanent Memory Storage
Solid Aluminum Front
Detachable AC Cord
Rack Mount Kit Available
IRK-175-4
Warranty
3 YEARS
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post #7 of 12
2/3/08 at 8:33pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

Well, Dave, the 568 does not have analog in...other than 2 ch. I will look into this a lot, and may be able to take a 9.8 home from the dealer to see just how it does compare!
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post #8 of 12
2/3/08 at 8:44pm

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

What amp are you running with your 568?

Anyway you will most likely be very suprised that the Integra pre/pro should sound very good. From what I hear the Audyssey does wonders for movies and music should sound great as well. And if you have some really good amps behind it then you never know, it may be just what the doctor ordered? Let us know what you end up with and how it works out for you.


Dave
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post #9 of 12
2/4/08 at 10:42am
Thread Starter 

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

Dave, I am using a Rotel RMB 1095. It is a big amp and has always sounded great to me. It is, however, a 5 ch amp. That does not bother me, however! OH, also we are using B&W 800 series speakers all around.
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post #10 of 12
2/5/08 at 8:06am

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Asahikasei
For movies it will sound 100% the same, have a look at some of my other threads, high end processors are no different then receivers.
Bob Smith you do not know what you are talking about. I have read your posts and the only conclusion I can draw from your so called knowledge is that you simply cant afford higher end gear. Thats O.K. not everyone can but for those of us that can afford a nice processor rather than go with a cheap receiver the sound difference is very noticeable. I have owned and still own several different receivers. Currently I have a Marantz 7500 doing bedroom duties and an hk 435 in the kids play room. Neither give sound quality anywhere near the B&K ref50s2 in my main system. Yes I have tried them both in my main system. For that matter I bought my nephew the Denon 2803 for Christmas so he could run his 360 and cable box through to his t.v. since he only has 1 hdmi jack. We hooked it up in my system just to see how it would sound, the B&K won hands down. Do I believe that HDMI could sound better than analog out from my bluray and hddvd player's sure but not from a cheap receiver, for me I will wait for the new ref70 before upgrading. So until you have first hand experience with so called high end gear dont bash people that do. For the record I also use a Rotel 1095 and B&W speakers although I only have 7series.
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post #11 of 12
2/5/08 at 10:21am

Re: Can I replace my Meridian 568 with NEW Proc and get QUALITY sound?

Quote:
Bob Smith you do not know what you are talking about. I have read your posts and the only conclusion I can draw from your so called knowledge is that you simply cant afford higher end gear. Thats O.K. not everyone can but for those of us that can afford a nice processor rather than go with a cheap receiver the sound difference is very noticeable.

I have to agree with Richard about there being a noticable difference between cheap receivers and pre/pros. I to have owned a number of receivers and one really nice McIntosh MX-130. IMHO a big difference as that was the best sound I ever had. But then I got married and could not afford to upgrade the MX-130 so I have what I have now, a Yamaha RX-V995. The Yamaha has done a very good job and has never been in the shop but I do miss my MX-130.

I have also been to a number of high end retailers and to the CES show in 03' and 04'. And IMHO the high end processors (pre/pro's) do offer what cheap receivers do not, better sound. They also offer flexability that the low end receiver do not offer. While I can not afford the gear I would really like to own and will be most likely be buying a Denon AVR-3808ci or Integra DTR-7.8 or maybe even a 8.8. The sound is still going to be good for the price I am paying for it. It just will not be as good as the top high end gear and I can live with that until I hit the power ball that is.
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post #12 of 12
9/26/08 at 5:29am

My Meridian 568 search

If your 568 is available for sale, I'm in the market.

I owned a 565 and miss the Trifield function.
Either iteration will work for my application, purely 2-channel music.

Feedback on Audiogon, Anji12305.

anji12305 at yahoo dot com

(I'm a noob here, so no PMs allowed.)
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