Ayre CX-7 vs. Meridian G08 ?

Since I am in the market to upgrade I recently listened extensively to the CX-7 at my local dealer (he thought it would give me a sense of the Ayre sound since I'm interested in the new Ayre universal - which he didn't have at the time). The CX-7 was run through a VTL 7.5/Ayre VX-1(?), Goertz cabling and Vandy 5A speakers. To be frank, the sound was thin by comparison to my 588 (BAT/Nirvana/Parsifals). I listened to Hank Mobley, Vasser Clements, Bill Frisell, Oscar Peterson and Dire Straits. I don't mean to say that the sound was bad, it just wasn't nearly as well-defined as my Meridian: bass wasn't as deep or articulate, midrange wasn't as clean - but these characteristics might be the byproduct of system matching, quien sabe? I still intend to give a thorough listen to the new C5XE universal at the end of this month. As always, YMMV.

Good hunting, CJ. BTW, as Nighthawk points out, Meridian is sensitive to IC/PC/isolation tweaks. Mine is on a Symposium Ultra and Rollerblocks, power running through a Shunyata KCv2, all of which further accentuate its soundstage depth/width. Also, keep in mind the 588/G08 runs $4K retail as opposed to $3K for the CX-7...sometimes you do get what you pay for. FWIW, any change I make in my system will have to produce substantial improvement for me to give up the 588.

I've owned Meridians (506, 508, 588) for over seven years and have never experienced what Chinanico or what CJ relate above. On occasion I have experienced long read times when I load a hybrid disc but the platform ultimately accepts and plays these discs without a hitch. Just out of curiosity, Chinanico, what was the CD(s) that your G08 was having problems with?

Pardales, that's an interesting observation. I've been auditioning cdp's for more than the past month with the intention of upgrading my 588. In some cases (and I won't be too specific here) the universal platform handled hi-rez material very well at the expense of redbook playback. I have loved my Meridian and am not prone to replace it unless another product is really compelling. So far, my search has narrowed to three players: Classe's Omega SACD2, Ayre's new C5xe and Meridian's 808. The first two are dedicated 2-channel CD/SACD or CD/SACD/DVD-A platforms. (The Ayre, still not broken in, was outstanding in my system, and because of its relatively affordable price is a distinct possibility.) The Meridian is a redbook player only..."only" being an inadequate qualifier here since its redbook performance is absolutely top drawer. I have about a thousand CDs, and about 5% are SACD hybrids so the question remains, is the redbook-only performance worth an extra $4-5K? Or do I sacrifice getting optimal redbook performance to support my 50+ SACDs?

Chinanico, it's too bad the G08 didn't work out for you. Hopefully, Meridian will get its act together re this issue (and since others have mentioned similar or dissimilar problems we have to hope that Stuart and Boothroyd are aware of these complaints). Let us know how you're enjoying the Eera. Happy listening.

Denf, I have just replaced my 588 with a new Capitole after a series of auditions which included the G08. Based on Sue Kraft's review of the G series in TAS I expected the G08 to be substantially better than my 588. It wasn't. It was, like my 588, an outstanding cdp that captured the essence of the music I played, with very good staging, and very good low frequency reproduction. That said, after hearing the AA in my system I bought it. The soundstage is wider, but the real improvement is how well the stage is defined. Rounder, fuller if you like. The bass is, surprisingly, even more articulate than my 588. Prior to this upgrade I maintained that I wouldn't replace my 588 unless another product compelled me to purchase it. Yes, it is more than twice the srp of the G08 but, for me, the difference was worth it.