I have had a 301 for about a year. It is a vibrant yet smooth sounding player. Very, very detailed, great staging, and pace. It is truly high resolution. I used to have a Meridian 508.20 and the 301 is a definite cut above it in my system. The 508.20 is a little richer and laid back, but the 301 presents timbres more realistically, and it is always involving to listen to. Music just sounds more real. I also heard the 302 in a system simliar to my own and it sounded quite similar. The transport of the 302 seems more flimsy than the stable platter of the 301 but the new display is easier to read. But sonically they are too close to call.
