Retro Reviews #5 - The Meridian 206 CD Player

The Meridian 206 CD Player. Meridian were a major force in the late 80s ... this is a review of my own 206

[@myles7522]

Loving theses videos and more on CD players would be really interesting. I have to admit being a CD collector over the years, with over 1300 in my collection mainly covering the 60s decade….I purchased my first vinyl album in the last 30 years but have no deck to play it on…..

[@philpepp]

Thanks quite interesting, but you forgot to tell us how it sounded! A comparison to a modern day CD player would have been interesting too. However I do like your cobbled together and natural approach....

[@PerfDayToday]

I need to get my 207-14 bit serviced and play it! (And also have my 201, 204, 209, M20’s, pair of 205’s. All work except the 207)

[@barchetta06]

i had a mate that had M1's in rosewood with a Burgmeister pre amp and a LP12 with whatever the top arm and cartridge was at that time.... Wow, that was so good. I was for ever jealous. I still scan the adds for M1's

[@Si1983h]

I’m a vinyl guy but I’ve had a few CD players that I have really liked, the first was an Arcam Alpha 5+ followed by a Linn Karik (later accompanied with a Numerik DAC, now I have a Linn Ikemi which I love, and a Meridian 507 and a Naim CD5i which are also great… happy to pop in with them if I’m up your way!

[@drmoss_ca]

I still have a 206 bitstream version playing in the kitchen. It is indeed very engaging. My main player is an Ayre C-5xe so I can play SACD and DVD-A disks, but for plain old CDs the Meridian sounds just as nice. Neither gets as much play time as the SME turntable though!

[@DJWerkz]

Arcam DV series universal digital player would be on my shortlist of unreliable players with the well reported problem of loading and disc read problems. Maybe a worthy mention would be very high end players that have become expensive door stops due to very limited supply components designed in that are no longer available for future servicing needs

[@julianharlow3992]

In the late 80s I had a mate with an audiophile dad who had one of these. He also had a Nakamichi cassette deck. He wasn't too happy when I spent 3 or 4 hours using his gear to make a bunch of cassettes for a road trip, but despite the crappiness of my car's stereo system, they were the best sounding cassettes I ever heard.

[@robertgough508]

Hi have got a 206B works perfectly, DAC part superceded in sound quality but as a transport good.

[@stevenbusby9209]

I had a 206B and later added a full width Meridian DAC, I loved the smell of leather when the draw opened and closed! Really regret passing it on?

[@hybrid6692]

Again many thanks Philip for more memory lane items , i am at present without a cd player but i will be on the look out for one early next year, just a side note not meaning to offered or anything but you mentioned ADHD, well it's possibly Aspergers, i am an Aspie and only found out recent years when the term ADHD was mentioned to me for things i did ADHD like obsesive about my HiFi system and being very focused on interests . Have a look at Tony Attwood on youtube , it might give you an answer if your curious that is , it helped me knowing why i am as i am .

[@quentinvaughan7640]

Excellent video as ever and I'm glad the radiator got a cameo role. I'm the same - shelf full of CDs I hardly ever play (and then really only those which were never released on vinyl). I (well, my daughter actually) still have my old Arcam Alpha which was the first CD player I bought in 1991. Still works really well.

[@charleshardy3460]

still have and use my 200 transport. 25 years and still a great machine, presently running through a rega dac . although my rega tt is spinning more frequently again these days

[@barrybrennan2135]

Would love to see your own set-up

[@FoodMafia-kr1zy]

i have it and it palys Great!!! I have the meridian 508.24 also. Great British Sound. Ilias from Athens, Greece

[@DJWerkz]

Excellent, I have owned a 206, 206b and 206 Delta Sigma. Then I went 200/203 transport and DAC followed by the 500 series. Always loved the Meridian sound myself, back in the 90’s I was Quality Manager for one of the worlds biggest semiconductor distributor and Meridian were a customer. The thing that switched me off was the fact laser mechanisms were unobtainable in later years so unserviceable. Some of their newer players used a very cheap PC CD type drive which was also a turn off

[@sholtham1]

I remember hearing one of these at the Bristol HiFi show in1990. Amp was a Chord 1200 and speakers were Rogers LS3/5 the sound was amazing but well out of my price range at the time.

[@timleelim9930]

Nice walk down memory lane. Thanks. I used a Meridian 200 transport for many years, which is essentially a DAC-less 206. It sounded fine but noticeably better when a Ringmat cd film mat was put on the disc before the drawer swallows it. Didn't quite warm to the companion 203 DAC - they did sound good but for rock and more upbeat music, I felt a Micromega Duo BS DAC bested it when used with the 200.

[@redsky1433]

I have the 206 Delta Sigma model which I bought new and is still working well. It is very pleasant to listen to without any fatigue. The first one I owned had a problem with the drawer moulding which dragged on the cd, but the dealer replaced it with a new player and it's been fine. It had a laser replaced but apart from that it has given years of good service. I didn't use it for a while and then it didn't play properly but I cycled it and then it played OK. The drawer still bangs open and thumps back in, so I guess the belt is in good condition!

[@paulbatstone112]

LOL anything by Micromega was a bit dodge, but boy did they sound good

[@cheshireaudio]

Micro mega will definitely feature in the next video...

[@promethiousb1489]

Great cd transport,,love mine,,,classic British hi-fi...

[@christopherfox735]

Great video. Nearly bought one of those after the Cambridge CD2 debacle.

[@mikemcguinness1304]

Brill

[@mach7056]

I own an Ariston Maxim CD3 CD player which I purchased new in the mid 90's. Wonder if you have any knowledge of this player? Currently having a problem with the carrier draw opening and closing properly, so was wondering if it is something I could get fixed these days or if I would be better replacing it. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[@cheshireaudio]

Is the drawer slow or does it lose drive totally? I suspect (if it’s the latter) that it may be the same Philips mech internally as the Arcam Alpha, which had a drive cog which degrades and falls apart... I remember the player, but there’s not much info out there

[@mach7056]

@@cheshireaudio As far as I am aware it is a Phillips mechanism. The only way I can describe the problem is the drawer closes but then partially open again. When opening it will open but then partially close again if that makes any sense.

[@cheshireaudio]

@@mach7056 Sound a bit like it's out of sync, which can be fixed sometimes by removing the drawer setting the mech to 'open' and then refitting ... some are easier than others ... though it still could be a broken cog if it has one

[@mach7056]

@@cheshireaudio Many Thanks.