I have a Meridian 200/203 into a recently serviced olive Naim 72/hicap and Naim 250 into Proac Response 1scs loudspeakers in an 18 feet by 13 feet lounge. Turntable is Pink Triangle Anniversary SMEV tonearm and Audio Technica MC cartridge. I am considering the Atoll cd400 dr transport and Hegel DAC as an upgrade. I want to add a streamer later then will upgrade amps to higher spec Naim later on. Any thoughts on this cheers Roger
While the Meridian 203 DAC (of whichever version) has definitely been bettered, the 200 transport is still a superb bit of kit (I still use one myself), so I would think carefully here.
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Agree re the transport. I would not be looking to change the 200. It works superbly on High end kit. Ndac 555. Chord dacs etc. Worth having it serviced also
Ya. Dac upgrade makes sense. Transport. why? I don’t own one but the meridian has a great rep. In the FWAW dept I have a marantz SACD (30?) unit. It provides a good transport and DAC together and add the ability to play SACD. If you can ever find them !
I also have a Meridian 200 series CD player which gave me many years of trouble-free enjoyment. Eventually it had trouble reading modern CDs and would get stuck or skip. I was astonished how long it lasted though. I now use one of those Audiolab transports into my NC preamp. As others have mentioned, the DAC in the Meridian is quite outdated and you will probably get better results with a better DAC. Honestly, I don’t hear much of a difference between decent CD transports so I feel that using the Meridian as a transport would be a good option.
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My Meridian 200/203 feels dated now and is no match sonically for my Pink Triangle Anniversary SMEV tonearm and Audio Technica MC cartridge. I have upgraded interconnects that are revealing Meridians limitations. Also CD mechanism is getting tired. I assume it needs a new belt. The upgrade bug is biting anyway. Cheers for the feedback Roger
As I say, the DAC half is by far the weakest part of the duo. Update to a more modern high quality DAC and you’ll be amazed at the jump in performance. FWIW I use a 206B as a transport into the Naim DAC with an XPS and the meridian transport was selected after testing many different CD players (and even some DVD players) as transports into the Naim DAC. The Meridian was an appreciable step above the others. Obviously, if the laser mechanism is failing then that’s a big issue as they are long gone, bar secondhand, but of it’s just the drawer then that should be easily fixable.
Oh yes, and there’s little bonus with the Meridian when used in a Naim system - they both use the same remote control protocol, so a Naim Narcom, Flash, or R-Com system remote will work with the Meridian and (mostly) vice versa.
I’d also support hanging on to the 200. I had one for many years and eventually passed it on to my son who’s still using it. Not heard it with an nDAC but could be a winner, especially with a 555PS!
Roger
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Thanks for the suggestion. I had not considered Cyrus. It is one CD transport I have not heard
Cheers
Have a look at the Mission 778CDT as well. I think it’s an excellent piece of kit.
Although labelled “Gold”, more hifi should be available in brassy and bronzy finishes. Shame it’s a slot loader though. I’ve never had good luck with flecks of grit on the apron that scrape over a disc as inserted.
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Well hifi looking like that Cyrus thing would at least remove any temptation for me to buy it. But I believe it is also available in a workmanlike and sensible black, thank goodness.
Roger
Have you considered buying a CD player instead of transport/dac.
There are some top quality modern CD players at a range of budgets. You get a lot of bang for your buck these days.
Off the top of my head, Naim owners are using Denon, Primare, Marantz, Luxman…
Some have a digital in. So the dac can be used with a streamer, if required.
With a CD player the SQ is consistant and guaranteed to be as the designer decided.
That’s not the case when mixing and matching transport, dac and spdif cable.
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The Mk 1 of these remains one of the nicest sounding CDP’s I’ve heard. If I hadn’t bought the SA-12 with it’s SACD functionality a while back, I’d have one of these in a heartbeat. Still tempted in fact…
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Yes I have considered a one box player. Atoll cd400se is one I am looking at as one box solution.I am going to add a streamer subsequently that is why I am considering the Atoll cd400 transport with a hegel dac50 raven as I can add a steaming transport such as the lumin2 to the bnc input on the dac and connect the transport to the dac via aes/ebu for CD replay. Alternatively I may go for a Naim streamer and use the tuner input on my 72 preamp and add the power supply to the Naim streamer as funds permit. It is a shame Aurilac have gone as I never heard one. Cheers Roger
How do you digital in on the atoll CD400se from a streamer. Is it through the Atoll remote or through the player itself? Also is the Atoll a good match with a serviced olive 72/hicap and 250 into proac response 1scs?
You would buy a Lumin streaming bridge or another equally as good streaming bridge. @frenchrooster uses one. But other makes are available, I use a Primare NP5.
They don’t have a DAC, just a digital output.
So. A spdif cable from the streaming bridge to the Atoll cd player.
Looks like usb is also an option.
I suppose that question could be asked about any DAC or CD player.
There are plenty of CD players with digital inputs to choose from.