Best Surround Processor Currently Available?

I have heard none of these (except an earlier iteration of the Theta). I would eliminate all that did not have time based room correction.

The ones i like are out of my budget but the Datsat piece and the Trinnov piece would be my first two choices. i have ZERO confidence in the long term Theta. Their demonstrated inability to get a product to market on a timely basis is incredible.

Datasat and ADA/Trinnov get my votes, but you probably guessed that.

Dan

ADA / Trinnov.

I believe $25K would buy you a spanking new Meridian 861v8, which is probably a stong contender missing from the lineup.

The Datsat piece would probably be first since I have now fallen in love with DiracLive on my server. Incredible. Now if it we're $12,000 vs $20,000, I might be able to get there someday!!.

Best is subjective isn't it; and a function of what we each have direct experience with. I auditioned a few top units three years ago and ended up with the Meridian 861v6 as my favorite. If the poll is a 'short list' of state of the art contenders, the 861 should certainly be there. 861 is now at v8, which I've yet to hear, and requires a companion HD621 for HDMI switching, and it is VERY expensive, but I've heard nothing better.

I've had this beauty since 1984 and I think the sound is amazing !

Are you a horder or a antiquities collector? Pretty nostalgic piece!

Since your list seems to go from sub10k to 30k, you might want to add the Krell S1200 (10k-13k) if you want opinions on this wide of a range of products.

No offense to Meridian Folks as I have no experience or have heard any of their gear but I did just visit their website.

Wow, maybe it's me but I have never seen high-end products that has so much non-information on a website. I learned more about the Land Rover that sports Meridian products than I did HT.

So is this V8 fully current with the rest of the market in terms of decoding etc? I see an HDMI switcher so it must be? What version of HDMI is supported? I am sure it is is awesome and sounds great but at a glance from the site it is hard to tell and appears dated.

I own the SSP-800. Love it and it was one of only a couple of choices at that time in my range. I do wish it had a top notch room correction alternative but sound has been great for a stereo/HT rig. I would like to audition the Bryston someday. I would really like to hear touch feel Meridian but require a clear understanding of current available products. Is there a secret place I need to go for better specs or am I just a dumb-ass and missed it on the site I found? I accept that this could be the issue

I know you moved from Classe Adidino. Have you looked into the Bryston piece?

I have to pick Classe as I have no experience with the others. I was sold at first listen with the analog section for stereo and Blu-ray is a dream. Room Correction? Mmm not this round. Maybe SSP-900?

Rick
Edited by Mr.SoftDome - 2/24/13 at 2:30pm

In a way, the ADA/TEQ does certain things better, the Datasat does other things better. It really depends on what your priorities are, and your philosophy regarding true accuracy.


I'm sorry to hear about your not so great Datasat auditions; perhaps I can help out with that sometime.

Dan

I don't think there is one single answer to what the "best" processor is. It very much depends on your situation. Where are you installing it. What is the intended use, etc. Most of the processors have their quirks. (BTW, the SDEC-4500 is not a surround processor. It only handles EQ / room correction and is usually used with the SDP-40 [Lexicon 12B] and soon with the new SDP-45 [Bryston SP-3]).

Those sensitive to fan noise need to consider that the processor may need special arrangements for installation (e.g. installed in another room).

The JBL SDEC-4500 is designed to be powered on all the time. It does not have a power switch nor trigger inputs. It has loud fans. The unit can be made quiet by disconnecting the internal fans, but then you will need to power it up/down with every use which poses a new problem: The unit was not designed to be used like this, and thus does not have mute relays. Consequently there are loud pops/clicks when powering up/down. This can be solved by providing a 60-second power on delay for your amplifiers and you need to provide a short power-off delay for the SDEC.

Reading the Datasat thread, it seems the RS-20i has fan noise issues too (fan running even when unit is in standby mode).
Edited by Peter Nielsen - 2/25/13 at 9:00am

Not sure what the norm is for fan noise, but I had an ADA Mach IV in my room for a short while and its fan noise (to me) made is unsuitable for usage in my listening room. The Trinnov MC unit I currently own has a very quiet fan, and it is installed behind my main audio rack, which makes if just about acceptable for in room usage.

An Ada Mach 4 with fan mod is no louder than the trinnov. Well mine wasnt anyway. There is no doubt the rs20i fan is louder but is it annoying. To me, no. I sit only 4-5 ft away from mine and with the fader set to -55 and classical music playing, my jvc x30 is louder.

I guess I did not have the fan mod for the ADA IV then. But my Pioneer PJ is also a lot louder than the any fan of equipment in my audio rack (I am at 10ft). The reason loud fans are a dealbreaker for me is also based on low volume music only listening sessions (I listen to MCH SACD quite a bit).

Well, I think it's comparing apples to oranges but if that's what you wanted, who am I to complain. (You could just as well have listed "Bryston with Trinnov" or "Bryston with London Architect" as other alternatives).


I'm not saying it's loud. I just wanted to point out that some people have voiced their concern about fan noise. The fact that the fans run when the unit is turned off is rather unexpected and certainly something that you are very unlikely to discover during an audition. As always YMMV.

I haven't checked recently, but last I heard was end of March. I'm eager to hear how you like your Bryston SP-3...

Meridian website doesn't really tell you a whole lot. Either need to chat with a dealer or check out www.meridian-audio.info

861v8 is certainly 'current' although Meridian have made some design choices that may not be everybody's cup-of-tea. Notably there is NO video switching in the main 861 chassis, you have to get the outboard HD621 for that. Adds to cost, but is something I happen to like. Also, 861 must get a PCM signal, so all decoding to PCM must be done in the player - again, OK with me, but not everyone will necessarily agree.

I like the Classe SSP-800 a lot. When I did my head-to-head 3 years ago it came down to the Classe or the Meridian. To my ears the latter sounded better, although it is also considerably more expensive.

The Simaudio CP-8 should on the list.

FWIW, Kal R. rated the 861v6 as the best processor he has heard (in a controlled environment), which include the Classe, Krell, Bryston (and I believe McIntosh - but not Datasat and ADA / Trinnov).

What about no processor? HTPC running JRiver and Dirac Live with an external multichannel DAC.