Meridian 218 - MQA - Roon

Audio Gear Talk Meridian Audio
41

I stream to my 218 with Roon.

42

But itā€™s like Squeezebox and Airplay right, where you canā€™t group zones with RAAT endpoints?

43

Thatā€™s correct.

44

Cool thanks

45

do you use the analog outs, or digital? iā€™m quite interested in the 218 as a single-zone roon endpoint with MQA in a non-meridian system.

iā€™m a big fan of the ā€œethernet dacā€ model, with a single box managing streaming from roon. i currently use a Logitech Transporter, analog out, and it sounds quite good, and wonder whether thereā€™s something in the same mode that would sound a bit better, and provide MQA.

46

I am planning to use the digital out from my processor to the digital in on my 218. Will then use analogue out of the 218 to go to my amplifiers

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47

let us know how it sounds.

48

Will do, should know in a couple of weeks.

49

The Meridian 251 includes a built in amp but it is a little pricier (and not yet released into the wild as far as I know).

50

Just bought and installed a Meridian 218 - connected to DSP7200SEs via speakerlink. The Roon/218 combination plays very nicely, except that the communication between Roon and the 218 gets lost as soon as I engage the DSP engine. Disengaging DSP brings everything back again, but I had planned on integrating my Acourate room correction files into Roon, so I need the DSP settings. Any suggestions?
Peter

51

Hi,

Are you saying it stops playing music completely or that MQA is no longer decoded by the 218?

The latter is to be expected, with the DSP engine engaged the output from Roon is no longer bit perfect.

52

Thanks for responding - MQA is clear to me, but that is not what we have here. Music stops completely and the Roon remote app is stuck at that point. I need to go back to the Roon core and disengage DSP again to make things move again.

Peter

53

Solved it in the meantime. At first I used a zip file containing cor files left and right separately in .dbl format. That didnā€™t work. Now I used a zip with combined left/right .wav files (Cor1S44.wav etc). That works.
Peter

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54

Hi

I use a MS600 as my Roon end-point and am generally pleased. However, I have had it for 5 years and am looking for something better without paying the earth. Is the 218 the device I need? I listen to my on library but also use Tidal HiFi so could use MQA, although I donā€™t really know what MQA gives me in terms of SQ. I thought it was just a means to package higher quality music using less storage. I would use the analogue output. Can someone please advise?

55

218 is very very close to the MS600 for non MQA files, obviously the MS600 canā€™t do MQA so the 218 is better there, I have just replaced my MS600 with a Holo Spring Level 3 and I am very pleased with the improvement, I donā€™t bother with MQA at this time.

Russ

56

I donā€™t think you will get any better analogue sound from a 218 compared to the MS600. I made the change, but I use Meridian DSP speakers, so the theoretical superior analogue performance of the MS600 was less relevant. It was more about the added functionality offered by the 218 (preamp functionality/connectivity, albeit limited, iPad MSR type control and the option to explore MQA.

57

Thankyou Russ and Paul of your replies.

So to summarise. MS600 on analogue is the way to go compared to the 218. Only benefit is MQA. Does MQA offer better sound though. Say for example, if i buy a hi-res album that isnā€™t MQA against the same one in MQA will the MQA sound any better. I donā€™t care about the amount of storage my MQA requires. I dont really know what MQA would give me

58

@Martin_Morgan Have a read of this post on the Meridianunplugged forum discussing 218 and MS600

Russ

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59

I hope it is OK to try to reopen this thread. If I should start a new one please advise.

I brought home a Meridian 218 yesterday and installed it in a second room where I would like to use Roon AND be able to play MQA files with full MQA sound.

Long story short: It worked well, when it worked.

Connected 218 via an Apple Express (to allow for a hard wired ethernet connection as I can NOT run an ethernet wire from my Wi-Fi system hardware to the room with my main stereo). The sound was lovely. But it frequently cut out and either the Meridian or the Roon Core (my iMac in another room) had to be rebooted. Over a four hour listening period this happened 8-10 times. Sometimes I got uninterrupted play for a full album or so. Other times the music stopped after a much shorter period of time.

I do NOT believe the problem is with my home network for the following reasons:

For months I have streamed Tidal via an iPad connected to my Bel Canto DAC in my second room. No hardwired connection of any kind to the Wi-Fi. An Apple camera/USB connection between the iPad and the DAC. No problems.

Whenever the music cut out yesterday using the Meridian 218, the green light on the Apple Express remained lit. Other Wi-Fi devices were NOT affected.

Thoughts?

60

Try testing it without the Apple Express.

Take a look at this link (2nd to last paragraph).