I have no experience with MBL, but had owned the 808.2 for about a year then sold it like an idiot. There's no filling those shoes!! The strength of the Meridian is in its apodizing filter and advanced upsampling. Music never sounds harsh, glassy, or bright, irregardless of genre or mastering. With great source material the MBL maybe fantastic but with lesser recordings might even offend. The 808.2 will never offend, and is the most emotionally engaging CDP I've heard.
