Meridian Digital Speakers with Normal Preamp

Think of the Meridian "digital" as simply having a DAC at the front end, and you'll see that it is a stretch to expect them to do decoding as well. You don't say which model you are considering, though. I have a pair of D6000's, and they accept both analogue and digital signals so, if you don't have separate digital outputs for 5.1, chances are you probably don't need to switch to a digital processor. This D6000 accepts both balanced and unbalanced analogue lines.

Meridian speakers allow for direct connection with 2.0 "stereo", but require a Meridian processor for true 5.1 "surround". It's not complicated, but Meridian has their own way of handling processing. ;)