OK, I think you are right, Wadia and dCS belong, it's just that the 3 seem (to me) to get the most publicity (for whatever reason). Silly thread? Well maybe; I probably should have left it as the perennial "a vs. b vs. c" and it was presumptuous of me to call them kings (except maybe in the marketing sense).
It is interesting that both TAS and Stereophile are over-the-top in praise for the top Meridian, although Tony Cordesman leans toward the EMM, noting the more detailed & controlled bass. I have the EMM CDSA w/X-upgrade, and I really appreciate the controlled bass (and mids/vocals for that manner). I love the EMM deep reach into the sound but without piercing glare most of the time. It drills down into the details but doesn't drill my eardrums (with most discs, but a few, like 10%, still have problems). These same discs (& more) are problems on my Sony player and have always been problems on several other players I have owned.
