Tony,
I don't work for Meridian. I do custom installs for a high-end audio/video retailer. I DO NOT do sales so please don't take my posts as a sales pitch for Meridian. The other systems in the same price range (60K+) that I can compare the Meridian 8000 and 800 combo to are two other systems in our store. They consist of Levinson processors, amplifiers and CD transports and Sonus Faber Amati (in one room) and Revel Studio (in the other room) speakers. IMHO, the Meridian system is superior in terms of accuracy, clarity and dynamics to the other two systems and has a lack of coloration that the other combinations cannot match. As you probably know, the Meridian system is also software upgradeable. The other two systems are not. Hope this helped. Good luck in your search.
