DCS Puccini and/or Soulution 740 players? Anyone??

Mtkhl567, a Meridian 808 cannot be upgraded to an 808.2 because of all the changes made inside and out (they probably should've called the new player something different, like an 809). And sonically, the two machines are different animals -- probably because the .2 uses Meridian's new "apodising" filter. I don't know how the 808.2 compares to the DCS, Soulution, or Playback Designs machines, but I preferred it head-to-head to an EMM Labs CDSD SE - DCC2 SE combo (which had previously smoked an older 808) on redbook CD's.

Interesting Cleop, the long-time Meridian dealer here said they could be upgraded...

Comparing can be a tricky thing, isolating only exactly one component with another. Don't you think? You have the 808.2? May I ask what system you run this with?

Hi Mtkhl567,

I do have an 808.2 (and used to have the EMM Labs) running directly into a DartZeel amp, driving Vandy 5A's. I'd like to try the PD, but I need something with a variable output (the Vandy's use a balanced line-level high-pass filter that plugs into the amp, so the DartZeel preamp -- which uses a 50 Ohm BNC connection -- won't really work for me).

Something tells me we deal with the same gentleman in the Pacific Northwest.

The Meridian 808 and 808.2 do look the same, but the inside of the case, the power supply, and the circuit-connection scheme have all been changed (or so I've been told), which is why the old units can't be upgraded.

I agree that changing a component can help you make a comparative evaluation, but not an absolute judgment, because of potential colorations elsewhere in the system. But that said, there are certain tell-tale distortions that, once removed, become somewhat obvious. The 808.2 simply sounds less digital to me than the EMM Labs -- less hard, more natural. I once heard the new DCS Puccini on Vandy 5A's and felt it sounded qualitatively a lot like the EMM Labs, but you can never be sure in someone else's system.

and what about the Soulution 740?

Cleop, thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I agree with you on the sound of the Meridian vs EMM/DCS. The PD/DZ pre run very well on normal IC too, I had my PD connected with the Evolution Acoustics SE interconnects before the 50 Ohm BNC Zeel cable and the sound quality can hardly be told apart, if at all. I haven't heard the DZ pre and power amps connected through SE interconnects (my old Valhalla's) for a long time, but I remember that the sound was still extremely impressive. Have fun with the 808.21i as it is a great component! I'm tinkering with the 24/192 high-rez downloads into my PD next, that should be fun.