advertisement


Meridian early pre/amp combos

Thanks DSJR, a good summary of its shortcomings, particularly the poor bass response. I have been looking at Cyrus and Naim but they mostly lack a phono stage. Perhaps I ought to think about an independent stage but I am a bit clueless! Advice welcomed. Francis
 
DSJR said:
Despite a good 'Choice review, the modular preamp never seemed to catch on. I heard one a few years ago and it was very poor to my ears, all mid with little bass or real definition. perhaps they age badly? A generation 1 Cyrus preamp (discrete components and now abandoned and all but forgotten for the latest WTF Cyrus rave) absolutely blew it away (I think the Cyrus pre mk1 makes a bargain these days, but others may disagree).
Click to expand...
I don't think it's 'age'. I remember we took one in p/x back when it was current. The customer wasn't very happy with it even though the mags thought it was good and we didn't think much of it. I just remember it sitting with all the s/hand, ex/dem gear for bl--dy years before someone bought it for 50 quid or something.
 
Interestingly (well for me anyway) there is a pre and the relevant power amp on eBay as we speak. No power supply and I'm actually grateful although not sure the domestic chief would agree.....
 
I recall the Meridian 'Component' amp. reviewed in Hi Fi Choice by Martin Colloms. Wasn't it nicknamed 'Zebra' ?Martin liked it, but thought it expensive for what it offered. I'm sure Bob Stuart & Co. did their market research. Markets change... Didn't Meridian 'go down the pan' at some point . ( It was sold?) Then bought back and made successful. Must be a difficult market in audio, especially if you're specialist. I have my own ( very small ) company -MGM AUDIO. Not in the Hi-Fi business & not my main income, by a long shot ! Martyn Miles .
 
Hi

Just replaced the NE5532 opamp for a LM4562 in the Meridian 101b pre output stage..... Outstanding results.... more detail and better bass.

Now I have a question...:)
This output module has three caps 10uF16v that I would like to replace.
Does anyone remenber if these are decoupling or output caps ?

My 101 has four wires running from the output module to the output socket... maybe it is balanced... I can not see any 100uF output caps as in the schematic !

Can anyone help me figure out if this setup has output caps ?

Regards

Ricardo
 
Hi

I am now prepared to recap my 101b but I am having difficulties removing the PCB.

I believe I must remove the front plastic cover and to do so I must remove the volume/balance knobs.

How can I do it ?

The knobs seem to be fixed by a small screw or is it a clamp ?

Please help before I do something very wrong.

Regards

Ricardo
 
i would like to know where i can get my 105`s recapped , a freind has had hes done but lost all contact details, im using hes amps for now and omg wow, driving a pair of proac response 1sc`s is so easy !

hes 105`s have black gate caps inside , and kimber silver wires have been used also ...

can anyone help me get mine done ?

i have even considered not using mine at all and trying an eca lectern pre power combo...deep down i know it would be a mistake but im struggling to find a place that will do a good job of repairing my leaky 105 caps :(
 
RCruz said:
...I am now prepared to recap my 101b but I am having difficulties removing the PCB...
Click to expand...

The 101B
  1. Dismantle by removing the vol/bal knob (loosen the knobs with a hex head/allen key) and then removing the nut behind it, then remove the switch levers by pulling them off with pliers covered in tape or some other protection.
  2. Remove the felt pads and the 3 screws that attach the switches to the chassis,
  3. Then by removing the circuit board screws you can ease the board out to access the power supply caps.
 
Voice coil, where are you - it's my understanding that Meridian will still service these - call and ask. I have done 2 pairs of my own, But I'm in California.

There's also a guy in Middlesborough (Gordon Welford) who services them. He can sometimes be found on eBay, but I can PM you his contact info.
 
thats the guy that worked on the amps im using !

and what a super job hes done, im based in the uk, essex to be precise , id love hes contact details please , what a star !
 
Meridian will still service the 105, they repaired mine at reasonable cost 5 years ago when they went bang. Tsk, only 24 years' use, and they break down!
 
neiljadman said:
Voice coil, where are you - it's my understanding that Meridian will still service these - call and ask. I have done 2 pairs of my own, But I'm in California.

There's also a guy in Middlesborough (Gordon Welford) who services them. He can sometimes be found on eBay, but I can PM you his contact info.
Click to expand...

thanks for that guy !

i have sent Gordon an email , ill let you know if i get a response .
 
I bought an Arcam A85 with the idea of using the pre amp stage to drive my M10s after the component pre failed. A huge disappointment compared to a Meridian 208 CD/pre amp combo I borrowed from a friend. The A85 gets rave reviews so perhaps the combination really doesn't work. Shall look for a 201 or perhaps a 502 or even a 101. Any suggestions for which might work best? The 208 produces absolutely glorious 3-D sound but perhaps I can do better???
 
The 502 is fully balanced and if the M10 has balanced inputs then this is the one to go for if you like the Meridian sound. The 502 was the ultimate Meridian Analogue Pre-Amp.

Other options are a 201, 501, 541 or 101. I've owned a 541 used it with D600's in analogue mode and also owned a 201. They are pretty similar but the 541 has a better user interface and more friendly remote. The 541 is a bit of a bargain as it is effectively a 501 with some basic surround sound stuff as well, but it usually sells s/h for less than a 501.

If you are using a turntable, you need to make sure that whatever you buy has a suitable phono stage inside (unless you are using an external one)
 
Sorry, got sidetracked over Christmas. Many thanks for your informed advice. There is a switch on back of A85 for converting to bi-wire/pre amp and I put it in the wrong place - Arcam were not very clear about which position it should be in when I called them. Has made a vast difference. I have now back-to-backed the 208 with the A85 and a wonderful amp called a Cymbol. The Meridian is still my favorite but the Cymbol is lovely too. Of course the only one I own is the A85 and that now sounds pretty fine too...... but I want to try the 502 or perhaps the 541. Testing the various combinations with Billy Cobham's Spectrum and a couple of Weather Report tracks has been a real joy - at last the bass performs right through the volume range. Now to replace the van den Hul leads I have also borrowed.... anyone want to give me pointers to shielded twisted pair cables that don't cost more than my house? Thanks again Mr P.
 
If you're interested, the hifi news reviewer of the M10 back in '83 tried a few pre amps, namely the 101, the Zebra, DNM Primus and Burmester 838. He liked them in that order with the DNM and Burmester a well ahead of the Meridian ones and with the Burmester really showing what they could do..

I've just recently picked up a pair of M10s (need the leads soldering back on to the boards and they've mis-matched tweeters, different versions of the T33) so after some light restoration I'll be experimenting with pre-amps soon too.

The M10 amps are full, double paired transistor 105s but with bigger transformers and caps than I think could fit in a 105 case, two amps per speaker - two channels of one amp feeding the four bass units and the other split between mid and treble.

Shielded, twisted pair... sounds like CAT5 cable to me, pence per metre. CAT6 (properly designed for gigabit ethernet) might be higher purity copper. A suggestion anyway, if not against the ethos of most audiophiles.
 
Martyn Miles said:
Now to add my two pence worth to this discussion... I had a 101/103, bought in '78. Worked superbly with Spendor BC1s. I added another power supply a little later, thus converting the amp. to a 101/103D. It sounded little different, but somehow less 'strained' at higher volumes.... Martyn Miles .
Click to expand...

Hope to keep this old thread alive...I've got 2 sets of 101/104/105 combos driving some Celef & DCM speakers of the era and absolutely still love them. Recently got the chance to buy a 101/103 pre/amp combo (single power supply version driving both channels) and jumped at the opportunity. Would have to pick up a further 103 power supply to turn the outfit into a 103D to separately drive each channel but don't know if these ever become available on their own. Any thoughts by others as to availability and/or if necessary?

dea040758
 
I've owned,
201, 502 preamps
205 and 557 power amps.

Favourites were the 205 power amps and as others have mentioned- a match made in heaven for Spendors (SP1s in my case).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top