Meridian America 808 User Manual

808/808i  
Signature Reference Compact Disc Player  
Meridian is the acknowledged  
There is nothing quite like sinking into your  
favourite chair in your listening room, press-  
ing ‘play’ on the remote control, and listen-  
ing, as the air becomes filled with a faithful  
rendering of your favourite recording.  
Highest quality CD player  
ever offered by Meridian  
leader in high-performance Com-  
pact Disc playback, and has held  
that pre-eminent position since  
the release of the world’s first  
audiophile CD player, the MCD, in  
1984. Over the last two decades,  
Meridian has introduced no less  
than two dozen CD player mod-  
els, each one better than the last;  
each one redefining the state of  
the Compact Disc art.  
808 Player-only version  
This is true whatever the format, but the fact  
is that there is still one medium that is today  
as popular as ever: the Compact Disc.  
808i Player/Preamplifier  
version includes built-in  
stereo preamp functional-  
ity: six stereo analogue  
inputs, three coax and two  
optical digital inputs  
A well-recorded, well-mastered Compact  
Disc is capable of extraordinarily high quality  
results. But to realise the full potential of this  
medium, one that today we perhaps take for  
granted, you need the highest level of repro-  
duction: a truly extraordinary high-fidelity  
system, unmatched in sound quality.  
A Meridian system.  
This steady process of improving  
CD performance has been recog-  
nized by more than 50 awards  
and has made Meridian absolutely  
synonymous with the very best in  
Compact Disc.  
Main and auxiliary S/PDIF  
coaxial digital outputs for  
connection to Meridian  
DSP Loudspeakers or  
Meridian: CD Innovator  
Meridian’s 508 alone received  
more than 20 awards, including a  
Class ‘A’ rating from Stereophile,  
who, when faced with the superb  
performance of 800, had to add  
the Class A+ rating!  
Of all manufacturers, Meridian has the lon-  
gest history of high-performance CD players.  
Meridian’s first CD player, MCD, was intro-  
duced exactly 20 years ago. MCD sounded  
radically better than anything else available,  
and still stands comparison with many so-  
called audiophile designs of today.  
In the intervening 20 years, Meridian has  
relentlessly pursued the path of making bet-  
ter and better CD players, introducing more  
than 24 models – each one better than the  
one before. Every model has received critical  
acclaim, and we have gathered more than  
digital preamps/controllers  
Balanced and unbalanced  
analogue outputs, fixed or  
variable for connection to  
preamp or power amp  
Now, Meridian introduces the  
808: a new member of the 800  
Reference Series and one specifi-  
cally developed to render the ulti-  
mate performance possible today  
from the CD medium.  
Special Limited Edition  
with extended 5-year  
warranty  
Meridian Audio Limited Latham Road, Huntingdon PE29 6YE, United Kingdom • T +44 (0)1480 445678 F +44 (0)1480 445686 • www.meridian-audio.com  
Meridian America Inc 8055 Troon Circle Suite C, Austell, Atlanta GA 30168-7849, USA • T +1 404 344 7111 F +1 404 346 7111  
808/808i  
Signature Reference Compact Disc Player  
The press on Meridian’s CD players…  
Meridian decided to introduce the 808  
Signature Reference Compact Disc Player  
for several reasons. We have been both  
surprised and pleased by increasing levels  
of interest in our CD player models 588  
and G08: this tells us that there is a strong  
element of enthusiasts that does not want  
pictures or complications attached to their  
music enjoyment. Some believe that modern  
DVD or ‘Universal’ players cannot get the  
best from CD because of the additional  
circuitry and compromises involved and, to  
some extent, this is true.  
to a Meridian DSP loudspeaker or Surround  
Processor).  
Meridian CD Player  
“…a breakthrough for CD players. …[Soundstage] is  
where the Meridian renders the competition irrelevant  
and worthless.”  
808i adds analogue and digital inputs. This  
means that 808i can also be the system  
preamplifier. When connected to a power  
amplifier or DSP loudspeakers, all the user’s  
sources can be routed through the player.  
—The Absolute Sound, Winter 1985  
“One of the most significant developments in CD player  
technology.”  
—Audio Magazine (USA)  
808 Technology  
Meridian’s 808 is the latest in a series of op-  
tical disc players that use a specially-selected  
ROM drive for reading. The ROM drive allows  
multiple passes to be made, ensuring that  
the correct data are recovered from the disc  
and improving Compact Disc’s error-correc-  
tion a hundredfold. It also allows complete  
buffering of the recovered data.  
Meridian Pro-MCD  
“I suspect that [the Meridian Pro-MCD] will be the first  
CD player to be regarded as a ‘classic’!”  
—Hi-Fi News & Record Review, Feb 1986  
Meridian also wanted to mark the 20th  
“[The] MCD-Pro… has found itself used as a quality  
reference by several CD manufacturers as well as equip-  
ment and record reviewers.”  
anniversary of the category ‘Audiophile CD  
Player’ – a category we can legitimately claim  
to have invented. Thus the 808 is offered as  
an exquisite music-only player, embodying  
the very best of our art and technology. For  
the first time we are creating a ‘signature’  
model – each one hand-signed by Meridian’s  
founders, Robert Stuart and Allen Boothroyd.  
—Which Compact Disc, Jan 1988  
To ensure the lowest possible jitter, 808  
incorporates three buffers, two of which are  
used as FIFOs. By the time the data is passed  
to the DACs or the digital output, the jitter  
is incredibly low – in fact 808 has the lowest  
jitter we have ever measured on a CD player:  
around 90 picoseconds, with the jitter spec-  
trum held below 0.1Hz.  
Meridian 207  
“The original Pro-MCD set the benchmark in its day, but  
the 207-Pro was the radical step, placing Meridian for all  
time in the CD player hall of fame.”  
—Hi-Fi Choice, June 1990  
Player or Player/Preamplifier  
808 is available in two forms.  
“There is nothing else on the market remotely like the  
Meridian 207It is…one of the finest-sounding CD  
players on the market.”  
Both versions offer analogue balanced and  
unbalanced outputs which can be fixed in  
level (to suit a preamplifier), or variable (for  
direct connection to a power amplifier).  
—Sydney Morning Herald, Aug 1988  
The signal path includes proprietary error  
correction and concealment, and Meridian’s  
acclaimed ‘Resolution Enhancement’ DSP,  
in which the original 44.1kHz, 16-bit audio  
is upsampled to 176.4kHz, 24-bit in one of  
three 150MIPs processors operating with  
48-bit internal precision. This is ‘true’ DSP  
upsampling, unlike anything else available in  
the marketplace.  
Meridian 602/606  
“In Meridian we might be looking at a company that  
has a real contribution to make towards raising CD  
performance.”  
Both versions also have two digital outputs:  
Aux (which runs at 44.1kHz) and Main  
(which can run at either 44.1kHz or, via  
upsampling, at 88.2kHz, and can use MHR  
to enhance performance when connected  
—Audiophile, June 1991  
“…the 602 [via the 606] was damn near impossible to  
fault… Its resolution of the subtlest treble details was  
intricate to the point of being exquisite… the 602/606  
turned out to be a very ‘special’ combination.”  
—Hi-Fi Choice, July 1991  
Building a System  
Meridian 508  
The 808 is a single component, but it is designed to interface seamlessly with other Meridian  
products, and with a wide range of third-party audio equipment, to build a system that is uniquely  
your own.  
“…the Meridian 508.24…the world’s best single-box  
player and used as a reference machine by renowned  
US publication Stereophile… brings out aspects of music  
that most players can merely hint at…”  
—Audio & Video Lifestyle, 1999  
You can begin by considering which model of the 808 is most appropriate  
for your needs: the 808 player or the 808i player/preamplifier.  
“…the 508.24’s measured performance reveals that Bob  
Stuart and his talented digital design team have done a  
fabulous job.”  
808 Player  
—Stereophile, May 1998  
• Digital and fixed or variable analogue outputs, ideal for connection  
to an existing preamplifier or surround controller (eg 861).  
• Drives a pair of Meridian DSP Loudspeakers directly (eg DSP8000  
shown here) or a conventional amplifier and speakers  
Meridian 800  
“…a true reference-quality product…”  
—The Absolute Sound, January 2004  
• Can be used to create a simple, stereo CD replay system with the  
highest quality CD playback available.  
“…the 800 is perhaps the finest overall CD player I’ve  
ever laid ears on. When you consider that there are  
some CD-only players round that demand this outlay,  
the price tag doesn’t seem all that eye-watering… Takes  
audio to another level, if you can afford it. Without  
doubt the finest optical disc playing system we’ve  
encountered. ”  
808i Player/Preamplifier  
• Additional analogue and digital inputs to connect radio, tape,  
turntable/phono preamp etc  
• Digital and fixed/variable analogue outs: drives a pair of Meridian  
DSP Loudspeakers directly, or conventional stereo amp/speakers.  
• Powerful and versatile stereo replay system with the highest-  
—HiFi World, December 2002  
“…I found that the Meridian… was clearly superior…  
not just to my reference components, but to any other  
CD front ends that I’ve auditioned or reviewed.… The  
performance of Meridian’s 800/861 with CDs is superior  
to the performance you get with the great majority of  
SACDs and DVD-As through any player.”  
quality CD playback available anywhere, at any price.  
A pair of Meridian’s  
DSP8000s makes an ideal  
companion for the 808.  
Either way, the 808 delivers the same, superb performance.  
—Absolute Sound, December 2003  
808/808i Signature Reference Compact Disc Player  
808i (Player/Preamplifier model) Rear Panel. The 808 Player model does not include the analogue and digital input panel areas.  
This upsampling allows conversion-related  
and that the high and low ranges should  
never intrude – but should remain precise.  
We believe that the tonality of our players is  
best judged with the finest recordings of hu-  
man voice, piano and violin. We audition our  
new designs using recordings like these, and  
if they sound ‘wrong’ in any way, the design  
is not accepted.  
filtering to take place far above the limits of  
human hearing, so there are no artefacts  
added to the sound – simply the pure music.  
The 808 employs exquisite multibit over-  
sampled delta-sigma D/A converters, com-  
bined with a matching proprietary analogue  
output stage of the highest quality.  
Additional controls are fitted under a front  
panel cover. Full remote control is also pro-  
vided by the included MSR+ infra-red learn-  
ing/programmable remote and via RS232.  
Another important target for us is that the  
player must reveal the ‘space’ in the original  
recording. Meridian CD players, and 808 in  
particular, are unique in their ability to allow  
the listener to hear depth in the recording  
and to interpret the side and back walls of  
the recording location.  
To ensure the finest sound, the 808’s  
construction employs a motherboard and  
multiple cards. Each card has its own power  
supplies and buffering so that each section  
– computer, decoder, FIFO buffers, DSP  
upsampling, D/A conversion, digital output,  
analogue input and digital input – is on a  
separate and isolated card. As is traditional  
with Meridian products, the construction  
uses audiophile-grade capacitors throughout  
and each component – even each resistor  
– has been selected for its sonic contribu-  
tion. The PCBs are all multilayer, many of  
them using 6-layer technology for the lowest  
noise and jitter and for optimum grounding.  
The 808 features a solidly-constructed case  
built of metal and glass, finished in black  
lacquer or satin silver. The casework itself  
is non-magnetic to maintain the sweetest  
sound.  
Most of all, the words we would use to  
describe the sound of 808 are ‘exquisitely  
musical’. Those who are lucky enough to  
own this Signature Reference CD Player will  
find immense enjoyment, and new depth  
and subtlety in well-loved recordings, gaining  
a lifetime of musical insight that is simply not  
possible with lesser designs.  
Our objective  
Meridian CD players have been optimised for  
the same, accurate sound to which we aspire  
in all our products. The chief designer, Rob-  
ert Stuart, has a definite view that the sound  
should be totally natural in the midrange,  
Comms:  
Two 5-pin 240° DIN sockets for Meridian Comms, and  
RS232 full remote/configuration interface. Three program-  
mable 12v trigger outputs  
Outline Specifications  
THD & Noise:  
Mechanism:  
Converters:  
Better than –96dBFS  
Triple-beam laser, multi-speed CD/DVD-ROM transport  
Construction:  
Dimensions:  
Controls:  
Black lacquer or satin silver finish in metal & glass  
192kHz-capable, 24-bit, Delta Sigma converters operating  
at 4 x CD sample rate (176.4kHz)  
480mm (18.9in) x 175mm (6.9in) x 411mm (16.2in) (whd)  
Front-panel keys for Open/Close, Play, Stop, Pause, Previ-  
ous, Next, On/Off. Additional controls behind hinged  
front access cover include Repeat, Fast Forward/Reverse,  
Display, Mute, Volume Up/Down, Store/Clear; Source.  
Full remote control via MSR+, RS232  
Stereo Outputs:  
Analogue: 1 unbalanced on phono, 1 balanced on XLR-  
3M: 2.3V rms fixed/variable, Class A, 47Ω impedance  
Digital S/PDIF (IEC60958): main coax with MHR plus  
auxiliary coax, operating at up to 2 x CD sample rate  
(88.2kHz), 24-bit  
Display:  
20-character dot matrix display with adjustable brightness  
and contrast. Indicators for Phase, Repeat and EQ (empha-  
sis).  
Stereo Inputs:  
(808i only) Analogue: 6 unbalanced on phono.  
Digital S/PDIF: 3 coax and 2 Toslink optical  
Formats:  
CD Audio (CD-DA), CD-R, CD-R/W, MP3  
Power:  
Universal power supply for 100–240Vac, 50/60Hz, 25W  
Information contained in this data sheet is correct as far as possible, but Meridian Audio accepts no liability for errors or omissions. Meridian Audio reserves the right to amend  
product specifications at any time. Third-party trademarks are recognized as the property of their respective owners. Further technical details, images, product reviews and  
808DS v3.2 • 20.08.04 RE  

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