Meridian 808.2/808i.2 Signature Reference CD player/preamplifier

Meridian 808.2/808i.2 Signature Reference CD player/preamplifier

Apr 13, 2009

It's been a while since I auditioned a Meridian CD player in my system. I had enthusiastically reviewed the English company's groundbreaking <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/285meridian">Pro-MCD player</A> in early 1986, and over the years had kept up with the progress they were making in digital playback, either through my own reviews or by performing the measurements to accompany reviews by other <I>Stereophile</I> writers. The 508-24 player, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/590">reviewed by Wes Phillips</A> in May 1998, was one of the finest digital products of the 1990s, I thought. But when Meridian began promoting surround sound and DVD-Audio at the turn of the century, their goals became somewhat incompatible with my own. Yes, I can appreciate what surround playback can do, but my own musical life is still solidly rooted in Two-Channel Land.

Seriously good isolation for your system; no expensive high-end racks, bits, bobs needed

Forums
Tweaks 'n' Tips
Submitted by Stephen Scharf on

I've posted here before about the marked improvements you can make by putting your gear on a partially inflated inner tube, and Jan Vigne has posted some great advice about using squash balls and QuikCaps as well. Barry Diament of Soundkeeper Recordings and Barry Diament Audio has been recommending something similar for quite a while now on Steve Hoffman forums. Barry has been a proponent of inner tubes for quite a while as well as recommending using them in combination with "roller blocks" (in fact, I posted my roller block TT setup here a while ago, based on Barry's guidelines).

Do you perform blind listening tests when evaluating audio equipment?

Category
Vote
Ethan Winer

In our <A HREF="http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=64883">for…;, reader Ethan Winer brings up the concept of "listening blind when assessing audio quality." Do you perform blind listening tests when evaluating audio equipment?

How high do (we) want our fi ?

Submitted by johnnie225 on

I'd like to thank Steve Guttenburg for a great "As we see it" (AWSI) in the April issue. Steve's quite right that many (pop) recordings suck and are not good enough for high-end playback. What shocks me is how many are trying to do this. I've noticed over the years, in a competing (print) magazine, that the bulk of their monthly music selections are rock and pop. Nothing wrong with rock and roll...but is it a good idea to play this kind of music through a high-resolution music system ? And that's for any (historical) rock record - how about the ones made this decade ?

2nd Amendment Excercise

Submitted by Lamont Sanford on

"The right of the people to keep and bear arms has been recognized by the General Government; but the best security of that right after all is, the military spirit, that taste for martial exercises, which has always distinguished the free citizens of these States....Such men form the best barrier to the liberties of America" - (Gazette of the United States, October 14, 1789.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irykjLjuKo8

Anniversaries, Auditions, Advertisers Page 2

Anniversaries, Auditions, Advertisers Page 2

A couple months back, a question from a dealer set me back in my chair: "Are you guys <I>really</I> going to put out <I>Stereophile</I> on a monthly basis?" I was surprised&#151;when he put the question, we were just starting production work on the issue you hold in your hands, the twelfth to hit the stands since we started publishing monthly. Beginning with Vol.10 No.5 in August 1987, a <I>Stereophile</I> has gone in the mail every month, pretty much on time despite having gone through the trauma of changing printers last December on one issue's notice.

Anniversaries, Auditions, Advertisers

Anniversaries, Auditions, Advertisers

Apr 12, 2009 First Published:Jul 12, 1988

A couple months back, a question from a dealer set me back in my chair: "Are you guys <I>really</I> going to put out <I>Stereophile</I> on a monthly basis?" I was surprised&#151;when he put the question, we were just starting production work on the issue you hold in your hands, the twelfth to hit the stands since we started publishing monthly. Beginning with Vol.10 No.5 in August 1987, a <I>Stereophile</I> has gone in the mail every month, pretty much on time despite having gone through the trauma of changing printers last December on one issue's notice.

Avast, Matey!

Submitted by Lamont Sanford on

Forget North Korea and Iran. The president's first real international crisis is 4 Somalian pirates holding the captain of a lifeboat hostage. I don't think this is something "meetings" alone are going to fix. I find this incident a little ironic. Come on, Mr. President, Aye! mon then!

Subscribe to
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement