What can best my Meridian 808.3?

[jtein]

Hi folks, it's been quite some time since I last logged in. One and half years to be exact. In that time I've been enjoying my Meridian 808.3 CD player every time I play it. It is what reviewers describe it to be - very open soundstage, extraordinarily revealing, very analogue-sounding, very 3-dimensional, et al. It is indeed state-of-the-art and my ears bear witness to that. In short, I'm in love with its sound. Having said that, the unit failed me big time twice - it just shut down midsong! It's most disconcerting, to say the least. My dealer has taken it for repair. I suspect it's due to the transport mechanism.

So I'm now with some reluctance scouting for another CD (or CD/SACD) player that would give me as much enjoyment as my Meridian 808.3 sans the reliability issues. I would appreciate any input from the good folks here.

 

[JackD201]

On my shortlist of CD only players

EERA Tentation (Bobby Ng in Singapore might have it) This is my personal redbook only reference.
EAR Acute

CD/SACD players

Emm's new transport with the DAC2X this betters my CDSD + DCC2 in every possible way

All these have the smoothness and body people love Meridian for

 

[still-one]

If you enjoy the 808v3 as much as I do you will find it difficult to switch to some other brands. In my set-up have compared my unit to Playback Design, AR Ref units, the Esoteric D-3/P-03, McIntosh MCD-1100 and two different MSB units and found no reason to change. When I add in SooLoos integration it is going to require something special to get me to change. Maybe the DCS Vivaldi DAC/Transport might be an option but at those prices I doubt it.

The Meridian is not the option for those who can find music they enjoy on DSD, but so far that is not me.

 

[tunes]

Having had an 808 transport fail twice, I can feel your pain. Nonetheless, i stuck with meridian and ended up with an 808.3 that i've upgraded to .5
Have had no issues with it at all - touch wood.
As Still-one notes, with the sooloos streaming feature, it is very tough to give it up
I have swapped in a Nagra CDP recently and have to say that it is really really good in a different way. Superb clarity. Completely different approach to the drive mech than Meridian. Nagra's moves the entire solid transport, while Meridian uses a flimsy rom-drive tray.
I'd love to compare the emm labs in my system but personally, i have no interest in the DCS stack in my system due to funds and space.

 

[thedudeabides]

Hi folks, it's been quite some time since I last logged in. One and half years to be exact. In that time I've been enjoying my Meridian 808.3 CD player every time I play it. It is what reviewers describe it to be - very open soundstage, extraordinarily revealing, very analogue-sounding, very 3-dimensional, et al. It is indeed state-of-the-art and my ears bear witness to that. In short, I'm in love with its sound. Having said that, the unit failed me big time twice - it just shut down midsong! It's most disconcerting, to say the least. My dealer has taken it for repair. I suspect it's due to the transport mechanism.

So I'm now with some reluctance scouting for another CD (or CD/SACD) player that would give me as much enjoyment as my Meridian 808.3 sans the reliability issues. I would appreciate any input from the good folks here.

My Cary Audio 306 SACD CDP had a similar issue. Shutdown for no reason.

Bought a Allsop CD lens cleaner for $6. Ran it for several minutes. Problem gone.

GG

 

[mbovaird]

Linn Klimax DS (but no DSD) is worth considering.

I'm very happy with my Meitner MA-1 - which I bought after I attended three separate DAC blind shootouts this summer.

 

[jtein]

If you enjoy the 808v3 as much as I do you will find it difficult to switch to some other brands. In my set-up have compared my unit to Playback Design, AR Ref units, the Esoteric D-3/P-03, McIntosh MCD-1100 and two different MSB units and found no reason to change. When I add in SooLoos integration it is going to require something special to get me to change. Maybe the DCS Vivaldi DAC/Transport might be an option but at those prices I doubt it.

The Meridian is not the option for those who can find music they enjoy on DSD, but so far that is not me.

That's exactly what I'm afraid of, still-one. I can only think of EMM Labs XDS1 that could be a viable alternative but it's cost is prohibitive in my country (about $90K!!!). Do you have any experience with the new ARC Ref CD9?

 

[jtein]

Having had an 808 transport fail twice, I can feel your pain. Nonetheless, i stuck with meridian and ended up with an 808.3 that i've upgraded to .5
Have had no issues with it at all - touch wood.
As Still-one notes, with the sooloos streaming feature, it is very tough to give it up
I have swapped in a Nagra CDP recently and have to say that it is really really good in a different way. Superb clarity. Completely different approach to the drive mech than Meridian. Nagra's moves the entire solid transport, while Meridian uses a flimsy rom-drive tray.
I'd love to compare the emm labs in my system but personally, i have no interest in the DCS stack in my system due to funds and space.

Yeah, what you said resonates with me. Meridian's transport is rather flimsy. EMM Labs XDS1 really interests me, but as I mentioned above, the price is prohibitive in this part of the world

 

[jtein]

My Cary Audio 306 SACD CDP had a similar issue. Shutdown for no reason.

Bought a Allsop CD lens cleaner for $6. Ran it for several minutes. Problem gone.

GG

Wow, really? Maybe that's all I need to do for my unit. But the way it shuts down and won't play after that is pretty scary.

 

[thedudeabides]

Yes, really in my case.

Need to determine if it is simply a dirty laser lens or something else.

Worth $10 to see if it resolves the issue.

GG

 

[Lee]

EAR Acute 3 CD Player/DAC

 

[still-one]

That's exactly what I'm afraid of, still-one. I can only think of EMM Labs XDS1 that could be a viable alternative but it's cost is prohibitive in my country (about $90K!!!). Do you have any experience with the new ARC Ref CD9?

Yes, I have listened to the Ref CD9 and similar to their Ref DAC I find their gear does not resolve the higher frequencies as well as other gear. I have a couple of compilation discs tI use to audition gear and on a couple of tracks the AR sounds like hash where some other players/DAC's differentiate the guitars/cymbals etc.

 

[orfeo_monteverdi]

[please forgive my poor English]

@jtein, did you find a solution for the transport of your Meridian 808.3 ?

To other members: do you consider the CD drive/transport section of the Meridian 808.3 as unreliable?
(a used Meridian 808.3 Signature is for sale in my country)

Today, in 2024, can Meridian still repair a 808.3, and replace the (Teac I think) transport section of the 808.3?

Thanks!

---

CONTEXT -
I only spin classical music CDs (and original jazz vinyls). No demat, no streaming.

I have an excellent YBA 1 Delta CD player which dates out of 1996 (!!). Old embedded DAC, but top-notch implementation (double power supply, etc). YBA's French office replaced the drive recently without any problem, and mechanically fine-tuned the player too; the player came back from their French office (I live 300Km away), and sings now like never before.
I also owned a Meridian G08.2, with apodizing filters: it was stunning, but the loading mechanism made slight abrasions on the CD's surface and had erratic behaviour (cheap Chinese crap, CD/DVD drive). So I sold the G08.2. A pity because it was a very good player (for the price), and sounded very natural, if a tad dark or mate. I'd say that my YBA 1 Delta is certainly not less good than the G08.2, though I did not compare them face to face.

Because CD transport reliability always makes me a bit anxious, I am vaguely considering a Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T CD transport, and a DAC. This way, It would be a new start, for years to come.
The Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T CD transport is said to be very good, and it had his youthful illnesses, mainly due to the software (it seems to be a thing of the past).
Then, which DAC? R2R are said to sound "natural".
I attend classical concerts very often, in various concert halls. So I am demanding regarding timbres and naturalness, but also transparency and "air". I don't want an over-bright, super-detailed and "un-natural" sounding DAC (but the details must be there !)
Requirements: Low budget for the DAC (max €5K). Used gear is OK. Max depth = 39cm. If you have some ideas...

 

[davenrk]

[please forgive my poor English]

@jtein, did you find a solution for the transport of your Meridian 808.3 ?

To other members: do you consider the CD drive/transport section of the Meridian 808.3 as unreliable?
(a used Meridian 808.3 Signature is for sale in my country)

Today, in 2024, can Meridian still repair a 808.3, and replace the (Teac I think) transport section of the 808.3?

Thanks!

---

CONTEXT -
I only spin classical music CDs (and original jazz vinyls). No demat, no streaming.

I have an excellent YBA 1 Delta CD player which dates out of 1996 (!!). Old embedded DAC, but top-notch implementation (double power supply, etc). YBA's French office replaced the drive recently without any problem, and mechanically fine-tuned the player too; the player came back from their French office (I live 300Km away), and sings now like never before.
I also owned a Meridian G08.2, with apodizing filters: it was stunning, but the loading mechanism made slight abrasions on the CD's surface and had erratic behaviour (cheap Chinese crap, CD/DVD drive). So I sold the G08.2. A pity because it was a very good player (for the price), and sounded very natural, if a tad dark or mate. I'd say that my YBA 1 Delta is certainly not less good than the G08.2, though I did not compare them face to face.

Because CD transport reliability always makes me a bit anxious, I am vaguely considering a Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T CD transport, and a DAC. This way, It would be a new start, for years to come.
The Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T CD transport is said to be very good, and it had his youthful illnesses, mainly due to the software (it seems to be a thing of the past).
Then, which DAC? R2R are said to sound "natural".
I attend classical concerts very often, in various concert halls. So I am demanding regarding timbres and naturalness, but also transparency and "air". I don't want an over-bright, super-detailed and "un-natural" sounding DAC (but the details must be there !)
Requirements: Low budget for the DAC (max €5K). Used gear is OK. Max depth = 39cm. If you have some ideas...

Hi orfeo_monteverdi,
I would suggest you to look at the new Norma A-DAC, it could be also a cd player or DAC or both.
You can find an english review in highfidelity Poland. It's a new self made DAC. No external chips.
They use TEAC transport for cd players.

I'm interested also in Schiit Yggdrasil DAC.

P.S. I'm using an YBA CD1 double power supply sigma with Sony transport.

 

[Jeff4598]

[please forgive my poor English]

@jtein, did you find a solution for the transport of your Meridian 808.3 ?

To other members: do you consider the CD drive/transport section of the Meridian 808.3 as unreliable?
(a used Meridian 808.3 Signature is for sale in my country)

Today, in 2024, can Meridian still repair a 808.3, and replace the (Teac I think) transport section of the 808.3?

Thanks!

---

CONTEXT -
I only spin classical music CDs (and original jazz vinyls). No demat, no streaming.

I have an excellent YBA 1 Delta CD player which dates out of 1996 (!!). Old embedded DAC, but top-notch implementation (double power supply, etc). YBA's French office replaced the drive recently without any problem, and mechanically fine-tuned the player too; the player came back from their French office (I live 300Km away), and sings now like never before.
I also owned a Meridian G08.2, with apodizing filters: it was stunning, but the loading mechanism made slight abrasions on the CD's surface and had erratic behaviour (cheap Chinese crap, CD/DVD drive). So I sold the G08.2. A pity because it was a very good player (for the price), and sounded very natural, if a tad dark or mate. I'd say that my YBA 1 Delta is certainly not less good than the G08.2, though I did not compare them face to face.

Because CD transport reliability always makes me a bit anxious, I am vaguely considering a Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T CD transport, and a DAC. This way, It would be a new start, for years to come.
The Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T CD transport is said to be very good, and it had his youthful illnesses, mainly due to the software (it seems to be a thing of the past).
Then, which DAC? R2R are said to sound "natural".
I attend classical concerts very often, in various concert halls. So I am demanding regarding timbres and naturalness, but also transparency and "air". I don't want an over-bright, super-detailed and "un-natural" sounding DAC (but the details must be there !)
Requirements: Low budget for the DAC (max €5K). Used gear is OK. Max depth = 39cm. If you have some ideas...

Pro-ject is wonderful but leaving a LOT on the table without $700 Linear Tube Audio power supply, Circa $500 Tubulus DC cable and $300 Stein carbon CD mat. Combo is world class.