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Meridian 800 DVD/CD Version 4

Looking for some advise. I am in the midst of constructing a new office / listening room in my house (Walkout basement). It has been a while since I sold my last house and most of my equipment. The last cd player I have was the Cary 306 SACD. It was the best cd player I have owned but sold it years ago.

So now as I rebuild my system I will be buying a new cd player and a turntable. I am looking at the Small Audio Manufacture (SAM) turntables for under $2K. But my reason for this post is the Meridian 800 DVD / CD, Version 4.

I am able to acquire one for about $1,000.00 and was wondering if this represents good value or is there something else in this price range that would be better. I mostly listen to jazz, old R&B, and some classical music. This setup is strictly a 2-channel only set up and no subwoofer. The room is 12 x 20 with 8 ft ceilings. 

I have a pretty good integrated amp (300 / 600 watts a channel) with newly acquired Canton 3 DC Reference speakers I purchased new. Pervious speakers were Salk HT3 but I really like the sound of the Cantons. 

Thank you in advance for any information. I know there are several posts concerning the Meridian 808 but how does the 800 compared to those units.

Thanks.
revrob

Showing 1 response by mooglie

mooglie
101 posts
 

The Meridian is older, and getting replacement transports can be an issue. If you listen to Redbook CD only, I’d suggest considering a decent, low cost  transport and DAC.  

For a little bit more than your budget you could get a Tascam CD-200BT and a Schiit Bifrost Multibit. The Tascam has a dedicated 44.1 clock and a real Teac 5020 CD transport, not a re-clocked DVD or Blu-ray player. 

Match that up with a <$100 SPDIF cable, and you’ll be close to state of the art for CD playback. You could also just try the Tascam as a CD player first to see if you like it. 

You can try the Schiit DAC at home for a small fee.




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