Overview
This was Meridian’s tour de force CD player a couple of years ago. Massively overbuilt with state of the art technology (back then) that pitches it against some of the World’s best CD player then. We remembered listening to this side by side with the dCS Verdi Encore/Elgar/Verona stack which cost almost twice as much as the Meridian without any noticeable difference between the two. The dCS was considered by many as the top dog in the CD playback scene then and for the Meridian to still sound up to snuff at half the price, was a reference bargain. The 808.3 wasn’t just a CD player only machine. It has six analog inputs, five digital inputs, two SpeakerLine out (for connection to their active range of speakers), SooLoos connector etc. So in terms of featurewise, this was supposed to be the be-all and end-all component. We have listened to it as a CD player, as a preamp and as DAC/preamp and the 808.3 was a blast. Whether you are getting this as a CD player or as a CD/preamp, the 808.3 is as good, if not better than anything out there for the same asking price of $5,500 or even up to $8,000. Unit will accept 100-240V so it can be used anywhere in the World.
Cosmetically, the unit looks good. Some scuff marks/nicks on the left side panel and light scratches on the top of the unit. Remote control has seen better days with come nicks along the edges and corner but works 100%. We strongly recommend reading its online manual prior to use. We don’t have the original box but will securely pack it for safe shipping.
