Wilson Sasha vs Meridian DSP 7200?

I use a pair of Meridian DS5500s w/ my 508.24 and Squeezebox as my living room system, and I think that they sound very good. What Theo describes as "sterile" I would describe as completely neutral and colorless. These speakers can be brutally revealing of any flaws in your source material, as well as wonderfully revalling of excellent recordings.

But there are a few considerations if you select a Meridian system:

First, you are buying into a system, not just a pair of speakers. Others may disagree, but I have not been happy with my attempts to integrate Meridian and non-Meridian gear. It works, but it seems to lose some of the effortless magic that makes the Meridian system so compelling to me.

Second, you are going to be limited to digital sources if you stay inside the Meridian system. But the tradeoff is that Meridian does some fantastic things with DSP - if you get a chance to audition their Trifield mode you may never go back to two speakers again.

Third, Meridian equipment is first-rate, but very expensive. I would recommend used - most Meridian owners treat their gear very well.

Good luck.

My friend has the Aurum Acoustics "all in one system". For anyone considering the Meridian system, the Aurum is a "must hear". Google it and try to listen. It is the best digital I have ever heard and it has the convenience of not having to mix and match components. Derik Moss, the designer is a pleasure to deal with and really knows how to design a musical system. There are some reviews on the net.

There is a very interesting review of the 7200 in the current HIFICRITIC. I would order it if I had any interest at all. Surprisingly, the 7200 sounded better driven from other CD players than it did from the 808.2i, which is possibly the best player on the market in certain respects. Used like this "we heard the unmistakable hallmarks of a truly great loudspeaker." It has "quite exceptional performance in all respects, deserving enthusiastic recommendation". They do not carry ads and do not recommend anything they do not really believe is good. That said, they have also reviewed several Wilson speakers and liked them all. It is hard to see how you could go wrong with either.

Kippyy,

I have had Ayre K-1xe, Ayre C-5xe & Wilson Sophias for 3 years and have listened extensively to Wilson WP7s & 8s and Maxx 2s. Also spent an evening listening to an all-Meridian setup with DSP8000s and Meridian surrounds at my dealer.

I agree with Theo. You can't go wrong with Ayre-Wilson - a very musical and revealing synergy with them. When you change cables or anything else in the system, you can immediately hear the difference. I, too, found the all Meridian system to be not terribly emotionally involving except on the best live rock concert recordings, it had a "you are there" presence.

Hope this helps.

Ed