DSP8k SL - Review Part 1

[JSCC]

OK, as promised, here's the thorough review on the Meridian White Color DSP8k SL (denotes: SpeakerLink). As I am typing this in my office spare time, I had to break this into 2 parts as I would like to be as detail as I can. Feeling proud? Indeed I am, as never before!

I hope this is an interesting write up (but I am no Dan nor Serge, Or Bro Howie who had a fantastic grasp of the English grammar and choice of words. So please bear with my humble and poor penmanship). Do forgive any typo or mis-spelled/choice of words.

System driving it per "signature". All connecting cables are of the Cat 7 type with the German made Ethernet plugs.

1. First of all, this is no longer the FIRST pair (although it is in a sense as its the first to arrive). A second pair is now in the local dealer showroom. If I am into a total HT setup, I'll coax him to sell them to me for REAR speakers (in a 5.1 setup) at 50% discount.

2. I'll run thru the speakers via 4 medium - the humble close to 10 year old 504 Tuner (bought from JS Audio @ 110v and converted locally by dealer for S$50 to 240v). Saved me a step down transformer (more for space) at about the same price. So, I am OK with that.

3. The next 3 mediums would be the Meridian 808.3 CD Player, followed by my current all-time favorite equipment, the Sooloos C15+Twinstore (currently 2TBx2, but very soon to be converted to 3TBx2) and finally, the Dr. Feickert Twin DFA/TriPlanar/Shilabe+Lehmann TT combo. This last move saved me some big monies from selling off the NEW Unused 2TBx2 Twinstore still in the box.

4. Volume set as "65", the default setting by Meridian. Of course, lower level, like "55 to 60" would be nice for certain kinds of music, including one's moods.

5. Music would be of the SAME piece, if possible in all 3 mediums, namely ripped files (for Sooloos), CD/SACD, Vinyl and FM Stereo Tuner.

So, lets start with the build. Simply well made, well build and the paint finish, up to the mark with everything I had before. If Wilson boasted about their Wilson Gloss, I can vouch Meridian is just as good. I supposed the technology and skills today are no longer a challenge for any top marque speaker manufacturer as long as the cost is well accepted by the consumer. At 231 lbs, its the heaviest speaker I have ever owned, not to mentioned the 750 watts per speaker (150 watts x 5). Thats more than enough DIRECT powered speakers I have owned. Frequency is rated at 20Hz to 20KHz. Not the lowest to the highest of frequencies, but to me, its all about the WAY music is being presented by them. More of that later. Its not a behemoth per se, but for sure, its tall and beautiful in any setting. Wife acceptance factor is very high. My wife NEVER for once complained about their presence.

While I owned the "Non SpeakerLink" Black version, this WHITE color is even better. Well, for sure I was VERY skeptical if I can accept them but now it turned out to be a boon cause dust is now almost NON visible as compared to the black gloss version. Even if its there, somehow, its not as apparent and thats good. I had to dust less ... now like every other day instead of everyday! The same cannot be said of the heat sinks cause they DO ATTRACT dust. I suppose the heat must have an effect on that plus they are black. So, that explains it. Still, a lovely pair of speakers from any angle. So much for aesthetics.

For those who may not know, this pair of speakers comes with 5 x 150 watts Power Amplifiers and DAC's (FOUR 24Bit D/A converters) PER speaker. All upsampling is done by a 150MHz DSP.

Meridian boast about their "Advanced Digital Processing", but to me, its all "mumbo jumbo", as in the end, being a layman, I know nothing except if I would like the music coming out of them. If its bad, whatever its made of or contain does not matter right? And talking about the body, its as "dead" as can be. Rap the head of the speaker as hard and all you get is your own noise "ouch"! The body containing the electronics and bass speakers (6 of them, 3 on each side) is also as dead.

Akin to McIntosh, Meridian (same M initials, I wonder ...) also uses black glass. While McIntosh uses it on their gears, Meridian sparingly uses it on this pair of speakers. The entire bass cabinet front is a piece of (6mm or 0.5 inch) thick black glass, and thru it, one can see the light showing the various state of "work" the speakers are doing. For now, the best it can do for high resolution music is only 24Bit/96KHz. The 32Bit/192KHz or higher I hope Meridian is working on to enhance thru either a firmware/software change. I really hope it will be soon, as now the Sooloos can STORE 24Bit/192KHz Files.

The entire speaker sits on Meridian own footers (3 of them per side) BUT one can choose to have it on spikes with 2 read rubber footers too. I choose the first as I do like the look of the footers.

Moving them out from the box is a 2 men's job. Well, I have seen straps before BUT this is the first time I seen cloth-like fibre straps being used and they are recyclable. So, Meridian is in a way into this "Green" thing.

One last thing about Meridian, it saves a lot of money for the user on CABLES (power, interconnects, etc, ...) as all you need are the ETHERNET ones, and no matter how long they are, the entire string up would cost less than ONE exotic pair of interconnects. Mine was all hooked up with less than US$300. Being a "bitch of sorts", I still had this addiction of using branded power cables, so I went for the entry Shunyata Venoms. Not much, but could be saved if I would used the STANDARD black cables that comes with it. Oh well, vanity takes precedence than common wallet sense I suppose - in my case. Of course, I also used 2 pairs of Cardas Clear (exchanged/traded from "leftovers" Cardas Golden References) and 4 HDMI Wireworld Starlight 6 for my video source (Oppo BDP83se, TV setup box, Apple TV 2 & Meridian 800v4).

So, after few months of usage/run-in, how do they really sound like?

Everything you are going to read in the following are MY own perception, likes and views. You can choose to differ and I am not in anyway offended. Cause I believe HiFi is all about one's OWN appreciation. There are some who may agree, to an extent, and there are others who choose to differ. I totally respect that! BUT this is all about MY sharing of what I had experienced.

OK, here goes:

1. Tuner (FM Radio).

I have NEVER enjoyed a Tuner except for its physical beauty. Frankly, the McIntosh MR85 Tuner I had before (including the vintage MX113), Accuphase T109v, Magnum Dynalab MD109 and now the Meridian oldie 504, to me all sounded the same. Its the looks that differs and sincerely, each had its own beauty, inside - how the innards were put together and outwardly its appearance, meters and all.

However, thru the DSP8k SL, its all different. So very different! I briefly lived with the Accuphase T109v and Magnum Dynalab. While they are beauties in their own right, thru the DSP8k Non SL, they do sounded the same in EVERY way. Perhaps, the T109v did somehow sounded better, but it could all be attributed because of its cost and looks as the Magnum is really spartan in comparison. Still, they just sounded NICE, really nice and enjoyable. Its so smooth and analogue sounding. I could not believe I CAN enjoy FM Radio channels without for once wanting to switch medium! I simply can just let the music flow.

That made me sit down and think if I should get back some monies and buy the vintage BUT same brand Meridian 504. After all, a tuner is a tuner, while I can collect back some monies for other purcahses. So, in come the FM 504 and out goes the Magnum and Accuphase. And what a change it made. First, it works with the rest of the Meridian equipment, remotely, control, etc, ... even though they were build years apart, certainly in looks and in technology. By the way, Meridian no longer build tuners and this model is the last of it. If I may be corrected, then the tuners are now build in the G Series combo - with the DVD Transport/Pre OR their Sound processor. But no more stand alone tuners!

Every morning, I will listen to FM channels from 4.45 am thru 6 am, before hitting the road to send my children to school. Music is simply music, even though its from a Tuner! They just sounded so "RIGHT"! This is even more personified when I turn on the car tuner. In comparison, same channel yet, BIG difference. The car sounded harsh while at home, its musical.

Yes, of course, we are talking about standard car speakers versus a pair of audiophile speakers that costs way more! BUT I did not feel that way before when I had the Acapellas, Wilsons, JM Labs and the XRT30's! To me, FM is not listenable unless I wanted background music, SAME as in the car! Its like "FLAT" before. Now, its a source I do enjoy as it sounded good! Not excellent, but really good! For once, its listenable and enjoyable (think I must have repeated myself at least twice). Not a tinge of harshness or "incorrectness" that would want to make you sit up and turn off the thingy or switching to CD or the Sooloos (when I own it today). I can just let it played on and on and on. Remember, this Tuner is not the exotic stuff like the Accuphase T109v or the high end Magnum Dynalab MD108T or MD109. No, its just a $1k vintage Tuner. Yet, its good to listen to - as a RESPECTABLE medium! Either the Meridian 808.3 Preamp had some work to do with this, or the DSP8k/DSP8k SL is making it right sound! So, first score, I love the speakers!

Using food as an analogy, before, its like eating oats without anything. Flat flavor! Now, its sweet, smooth and palatable. Yummy! .

I apologise I had to stop here as I need to go for lunch break and a meeting later. The CD/SACD/Sooloos and TT experience I will share in Part 2. I will try to continue when I am back from work tonight. Thanks for the patience. I hope this stirs some interest in Meridian as I do find this segment, pretty reserved to a few lonely blokes like me.

Cheers!

[Masterlu]

Jerry... I enjoyed reading your speaker review very much. If you can take some nice pics of these fine white music makers!

I find the owners manual very interesting too!

http://www.meridian-audio.com/media/...0guide%205.pdf

[JSCC]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Jerry... I enjoyed reading your speaker review very much. If you can take some nice pics of these fine white music makers!

I find the owners manual very interesting too!

http://www.meridian-audio.com/media/...0guide%205.pdf

Hi Ivan,

I will, although I had posted the entire works before. BUT not the speakers ... by itself. I will try to shoot in all angles (sound like a Pro, but pretty much very amateurish). At this point, I will need to seek Dan's help again (Thanks Dan) .. to help post the blown up pictures when they are available.

Cheers!

[PHC1]

Jerry, I really enjoyed your impressions and the enthusiasm about your Meridian setup. The getting up at 4:45am made me shudder though and brought back memories... Been there myself for many years, never enjoyed it.

[JSCC]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Jerry, I really enjoyed your impressions and the enthusiasm about your Meridian setup. The getting up at 4:45am made me shudder though and brought back memories... Been there myself for many years, never enjoyed it.

Serge/Ivan.,

I am happy to note you read this thread cause I had a feeling I may be "re-hashing", although in detail, the Meridian gears, especially the speakers. I was thinking if I should carry on writing my experience as really, there is not much interest in this brand, unlike the rest, like McIntosh, Sonus Faber, Krell and the like ...

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Cheers!

[jwhite613]

Jerry... Thanks for posting your impressions on your Meridian system. Sounds like you need a Meridian system for your car.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by JSCC

OK, as promised, here's the thorough review on the Meridian White Color DSP8k SL (denotes: SpeakerLink). As I am typing this in my office spare time, I had to break this into 2 parts as I would like to be as detail as I can. Feeling proud? Indeed I am, as never before!

I hope this is an interesting write up (but I am no Dan nor Serge, Or Bro Howie who had a fantastic grasp of the English grammar and choice of words. So please bear with my humble and poor penmanship). Do forgive any typo or mis-spelled/choice of words.

System driving it per "signature". All connecting cables are of the Cat 7 type with the German made Ethernet plugs.

1. First of all, this is no longer the FIRST pair (although it is in a sense as its the first to arrive). A second pair is now in the local dealer showroom. If I am into a total HT setup, I'll coax him to sell them to me for REAR speakers (in a 5.1 setup) at 50% discount.

2. I'll run thru the speakers via 4 medium - the humble close to 10 year old 504 Tuner (bought from JS Audio @ 110v and converted locally by dealer for S$50 to 240v). Saved me a step down transformer (more for space) at about the same price. So, I am OK with that.

3. The next 3 mediums would be the Meridian 808.3 CD Player, followed by my current all-time favorite equipment, the Sooloos C15+Twinstore (currently 2TBx2, but very soon to be converted to 3TBx2) and finally, the Dr. Feickert Twin DFA/TriPlanar/Shilabe+Lehmann TT combo. This last move saved me some big monies from selling off the NEW Unused 2TBx2 Twinstore still in the box.

4. Volume set as "65", the default setting by Meridian. Of course, lower level, like "55 to 60" would be nice for certain kinds of music, including one's moods.

5. Music would be of the SAME piece, if possible in all 3 mediums, namely ripped files (for Sooloos), CD/SACD, Vinyl and FM Stereo Tuner.

So, lets start with the build. Simply well made, well build and the paint finish, up to the mark with everything I had before. If Wilson boasted about their Wilson Gloss, I can vouch Meridian is just as good. I supposed the technology and skills today are no longer a challenge for any top marque speaker manufacturer as long as the cost is well accepted by the consumer. At 231 lbs, its the heaviest speaker I have ever owned, not to mentioned the 750 watts per speaker (150 watts x 5). Thats more than enough DIRECT powered speakers I have owned. Frequency is rated at 20Hz to 20KHz. Not the lowest to the highest of frequencies, but to me, its all about the WAY music is being presented by them. More of that later. Its not a behemoth per se, but for sure, its tall and beautiful in any setting. Wife acceptance factor is very high. My wife NEVER for once complained about their presence.

While I owned the "Non SpeakerLink" Black version, this WHITE color is even better. Well, for sure I was VERY skeptical if I can accept them but now it turned out to be a boon cause dust is now almost NON visible as compared to the black gloss version. Even if its there, somehow, its not as apparent and thats good. I had to dust less ... now like every other day instead of everyday! The same cannot be said of the heat sinks cause they DO ATTRACT dust. I suppose the heat must have an effect on that plus they are black. So, that explains it. Still, a lovely pair of speakers from any angle. So much for aesthetics.

For those who may not know, this pair of speakers comes with 5 x 150 watts Power Amplifiers and DAC's (FOUR 24Bit D/A converters) PER speaker. All upsampling is done by a 150MHz DSP.

Meridian boast about their "Advanced Digital Processing", but to me, its all "mumbo jumbo", as in the end, being a layman, I know nothing except if I would like the music coming out of them. If its bad, whatever its made of or contain does not matter right? And talking about the body, its as "dead" as can be. Rap the head of the speaker as hard and all you get is your own noise "ouch"! The body containing the electronics and bass speakers (6 of them, 3 on each side) is also as dead.

Akin to McIntosh, Meridian (same M initials, I wonder ...) also uses black glass. While McIntosh uses it on their gears, Meridian sparingly uses it on this pair of speakers. The entire bass cabinet front is a piece of (6mm or 0.5 inch) thick black glass, and thru it, one can see the light showing the various state of "work" the speakers are doing. For now, the best it can do for high resolution music is only 24Bit/96KHz. The 32Bit/192KHz or higher I hope Meridian is working on to enhance thru either a firmware/software change. I really hope it will be soon, as now the Sooloos can STORE 24Bit/192KHz Files.

The entire speaker sits on Meridian own footers (3 of them per side) BUT one can choose to have it on spikes with 2 read rubber footers too. I choose the first as I do like the look of the footers.

Moving them out from the box is a 2 men's job. Well, I have seen straps before BUT this is the first time I seen cloth-like fibre straps being used and they are recyclable. So, Meridian is in a way into this "Green" thing.

One last thing about Meridian, it saves a lot of money for the user on CABLES (power, interconnects, etc, ...) as all you need are the ETHERNET ones, and no matter how long they are, the entire string up would cost less than ONE exotic pair of interconnects. Mine was all hooked up with less than US$300. Being a "bitch of sorts", I still had this addiction of using branded power cables, so I went for the entry Shunyata Venoms. Not much, but could be saved if I would used the STANDARD black cables that comes with it. Oh well, vanity takes precedence than common wallet sense I suppose - in my case. Of course, I also used 2 pairs of Cardas Clear (exchanged/traded from "leftovers" Cardas Golden References) and 4 HDMI Wireworld Starlight 6 for my video source (Oppo BDP83se, TV setup box, Apple TV 2 & Meridian 800v4).

So, after few months of usage/run-in, how do they really sound like?

Everything you are going to read in the following are MY own perception, likes and views. You can choose to differ and I am not in anyway offended. Cause I believe HiFi is all about one's OWN appreciation. There are some who may agree, to an extent, and there are others who choose to differ. I totally respect that! BUT this is all about MY sharing of what I had experienced.

OK, here goes:

1. Tuner (FM Radio).

I have NEVER enjoyed a Tuner except for its physical beauty. Frankly, the McIntosh MR85 Tuner I had before (including the vintage MX113), Accuphase T109v, Magnum Dynalab MD109 and now the Meridian oldie 504, to me all sounded the same. Its the looks that differs and sincerely, each had its own beauty, inside - how the innards were put together and outwardly its appearance, meters and all.

However, thru the DSP8k SL, its all different. So very different! I briefly lived with the Accuphase T109v and Magnum Dynalab. While they are beauties in their own right, thru the DSP8k Non SL, they do sounded the same in EVERY way. Perhaps, the T109v did somehow sounded better, but it could all be attributed because of its cost and looks as the Magnum is really spartan in comparison. Still, they just sounded NICE, really nice and enjoyable. Its so smooth and analogue sounding. I could not believe I CAN enjoy FM Radio channels without for once wanting to switch medium! I simply can just let the music flow.

That made me sit down and think if I should get back some monies and buy the vintage BUT same brand Meridian 504. After all, a tuner is a tuner, while I can collect back some monies for other purcahses. So, in come the FM 504 and out goes the Magnum and Accuphase. And what a change it made. First, it works with the rest of the Meridian equipment, remotely, control, etc, ... even though they were build years apart, certainly in looks and in technology. By the way, Meridian no longer build tuners and this model is the last of it. If I may be corrected, then the tuners are now build in the G Series combo - with the DVD Transport/Pre OR their Sound processor. But no more stand alone tuners!

Every morning, I will listen to FM channels from 4.45 am thru 6 am, before hitting the road to send my children to school. Music is simply music, even though its from a Tuner! They just sounded so "RIGHT"! This is even more personified when I turn on the car tuner. In comparison, same channel yet, BIG difference. The car sounded harsh while at home, its musical.

Yes, of course, we are talking about standard car speakers versus a pair of audiophile speakers that costs way more! BUT I did not feel that way before when I had the Acapellas, Wilsons, JM Labs and the XRT30's! To me, FM is not listenable unless I wanted background music, SAME as in the car! Its like "FLAT" before. Now, its a source I do enjoy as it sounded good! Not excellent, but really good! For once, its listenable and enjoyable (think I must have repeated myself at least twice). Not a tinge of harshness or "incorrectness" that would want to make you sit up and turn off the thingy or switching to CD or the Sooloos (when I own it today). I can just let it played on and on and on. Remember, this Tuner is not the exotic stuff like the Accuphase T109v or the high end Magnum Dynalab MD108T or MD109. No, its just a $1k vintage Tuner. Yet, its good to listen to - as a RESPECTABLE medium! Either the Meridian 808.3 Preamp had some work to do with this, or the DSP8k/DSP8k SL is making it right sound! So, first score, I love the speakers!

Using food as an analogy, before, its like eating oats without anything. Flat flavor! Now, its sweet, smooth and palatable. Yummy! .

I apologise I had to stop here as I need to go for lunch break and a meeting later. The CD/SACD/Sooloos and TT experience I will share in Part 2. I will try to continue when I am back from work tonight. Thanks for the patience. I hope this stirs some interest in Meridian as I do find this segment, pretty reserved to a few lonely blokes like me.

Cheers!

Jerry.......Great review. You have done a fine job of describing the features, and the advantages of the Meridian DSP8K SL speakers. Looking forward to Part B.

PS: I added your system photo to the quote of your review.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by JSCC

Serge/Ivan.,

I am happy to note you read this thread cause I had a feeling I may be "re-hashing", although in detail, the Meridian gears, especially the speakers. I was thinking if I should carry on writing my experience as really, there is not much interest in this brand, unlike the rest, like McIntosh, Sonus Faber, Krell and the like ...

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Cheers!

Jerry... the Meridian Gear intrigues me, and I happen to also like it in white.

Just saw the new photo, really stunning!

[howiebrou]

Jerry,

Great write up. I always enjoy feeling the enthusiasm through your words. Looking forward to the next installment. My wife misses the Meridians!

howie

[JSCC]

You guys (Ivan, Dan, Serge and Howie) really made me want to cry ... so, even if I am reluctant to continue as knowing these's not that much interest in the brand Meridian, I will just do the "Singer Sings His Own Song" thingy.

OK, here goes. Part II:

2. - CD Player 808.3

Read somewhere, think its some months's past copy of the HiFi news raving about the 808.3 as BETTER than the predecessor (the 808.2 which I inherited from Howie). It is!

In reality, I have heard this wonderful player cum DAC cum Pre going against the Giant well-known dCS 4 piece Scarletti in a really humongous setup ... speakers? Well, the once upon a time 4 piece Genesis number one model with 4 Cello Performance Power Amps to match. The 808.3, simply matches the dCS in every sense. I could not detect any difference whatsoever. if the dCS is smooth and nice, so is the 808.3. if there is a difference, its the cost!

Why the intro? Because this is the HEART of my Meridian system. It routes every piece of gear I have. And in doing so, the CD and Sooloos benefitted from the "apodising filter" that supposedly made digital sound right! And indeed it does, TOGETHER with the Meridian DSP8000SL speakers.

To start, I have 4 "different" pieces of Deep Purple's Stormbringer, the Original piece, the re-mastered piece, the 35th Anniversary re-mastered as well as the SHMCD release.

Lets put it this way. The music content is all the same. BUT when the music is being played, every CD do displayed its peculiar recording qualities. This is where the 808.3 is able to differentiate them thru the DSP8000 SL.

The Original CD sounded soft, low volume even though setting is at "65", which is suppose to be quite loud for certain pieces of music CD's. The guitar riffs, drums are so 2 dimensionally flat! One got to really sit up, liked the CD for nostalgia sake and then can enjoy the music. In a rating from one to ten, this never made beyond "4" to me, even though the Meridian DSP8000SL made it sounded barely listenable.

The re-mastered piece sounded better, but still, the guitar sounded harsh and the drum beat never did hit the expected impact and depth. Its there, improved but still barely listenable. The combination of both the 808.3 and the DSP8k SL brings out the best, in this case, the worse of the recording. If it sounded crappy, it showed its crappy. No "coloring", no "adding", just what its there.

This is further personified when the third CD, the 35th Anniversary version being played. NOW, the volume takes on another level. Clarity accompanies the volume. Guitar riffs had the bite and the drums impact brought forth. The DSP8k SL rocks! And the inherent distortion of the recording also showed up. Its all there. I remembered in the late 70's, early 80's, reviewers would term this a "true monitor" speakers, taking away nothing and add nothing too. Well, thats what a good pair of speakers should do right?

The SHMCD CD revealed the wonders of the Japanese re-mastering techniques, They not only clean up the sound, they lifted the "veil" masking the musicality of the CD. The speakers are able to show and revealed every note. Its sounded vinyl like ... and if I do not tell you thats its a CD, you would swear you are listening to a new pressed 180gm vinyl! The combination is simply incredible and for sure.

Is this attributed by the 808.3 or the magic comes from the DSP8k SL? I would say both. Since this is a DSP8k SL review, I would say, its the DSP8k SL! The speakers showed me what I had been missing all these years. Clarity, Dynamics, Imaging and Realism without any tinge of fatigue.

3. Sooloos.

This wonderful music server is so convenient, 95% of my listening is now done thru it. I wonder if I would ever pull out that piece of CD to play again. Again, the DSP8k SL consistently showed that it can reveal the slightest difference if its there. If one had never listen to the CD, same piece of ripped music will be so clear, so musical, you will never know that the "original" CD is still that bit much better. Only the DSP8k SL had been able to show and prove this difference. Why did I say it? Well, I have played my iTunes ripped music thru it and immediately, the DSP8k SL revealed the differences. of course, the 808.3 do play a part. One can keep on listening to the server, on and on without stopping. Now I understand why Victor tried to stop me from purchasing the TT ...

4. Vinyl ... record ...whatever, the shellac do make good music. Music that is at once sounded so right! To me, its the best sounding medium of sall the sources albeit one had to bear with the inconvenience of having to change sides in a short span of time and the need to have expensive playback gears to squeeze out the musicality from the vinyl. For TT lovers, I believe this is worth it! The sound is so different from digital, not about clarity, imaging or whatever, its simply because its so listenable. Every note sounded "just right" and the DSP8k SL made it even more apparent.

So, how do the DSP8k SL sound? Simply MUSICAL! Unbelievable! Throw anything at it, it will show you what they are!

Bass goes go deep and solid. The depth is all there. Soft but not lumpy. Impact so real, it hits you if it needs to be as the recording engineer intended it to. Vocal presentation is so real and clear and of the proper size, not "blown up". You are like listening to the singer singing for you, right in front of you. "Cai Qin's" vocal prowess will make you sit up, pay attention and enjoy every note that comes out of the speakers. No wonder her recordings are always one of the must have demos in the local shops here.

After nearly 3 hours, I just wanted to keep listening. I am not tired at all. No listening fatigue! Because I am lazy, I am willing to forgo the last bit of hifi-ness in exchange for ease of use and thats where the Sooloos comes back into play. The iPhone/iPad simply does the job. A touch is all it takes and your command selected performance will start!

As compared, the Wilson 7 is more clinical, very clean sounding an clear. But after a while, an hour or so, your head will tell you - its enough.

The Acapellas are great BUT the bass is simply not there, removing the "completeness" of a great speaker. To me, overall presentation is anytime better than just having better mids and highs. Yes its crystal clear and sweet but somehow, the something is still "missing" Ahhhh ... the "body" of the music. When it new, its attractive but once the novelty's gone, the interest also goes with it.

The DSP8k SL is so different. you just play the music and forget it all. Simply enjoying the musical presentation. If there's any speaker that is close, the McIntosh XRT30 would be the one. However, the difference is that it is more sleek, blending better into the living environment and most important of all, performance in the right proper proportion. At times, the XRT30's did blow up the image of the performance making it seem larger than normal. Unreal although musical.

Like I have written before, the DSP8k SL is NOT the best speaker there is. To me, it is the BEST I have owned. For once, I do not eagerly looked for its deficiency whenever its being played. I listen to the performance, enjoy whats being played and keep on enjoying and listening. This is one personal attribute that I never do for the rest of the speakers I owned all these years. Till today, I am still listening and enjoying and NEVER for once, the thought of getting rid of it for something else ever comes across my mind. Yes, I am a kid at heart, always wanting that new piece of gear and dreaming and scheming on how to get it thru the door. BUT never for once, the thought of replacing it comes thru. That to me, speaks volume of this model.

Is this the best? No. I dont think there is ever this thing called "The Best Speakers". But to me, it does comes close as being the one I can live with happily ever after. Put aside the personal weakness of wanting NEW TOYS, this is one system I had and can live with ... so far, with nary a thought about anything else at all.

To me, each night, I just come home, turn on the Sooloos, and presto, sit back, relax and just enjoy! Speakers? What speakers? Just music!

For once, my wife DO sit down with me, watch movies and does enjoy the music thru these speakers. To me, this is the highest mark of approval. Never before she had done that for any of my speakers. Yes, when its new, the first day it came in, but never after that. For the DSP8k SL, its a repeated performance from her!

Hope you guys enjoy my raving of my system. Well, I am happy and proud. I have to thank Howie for letting me have the precedent system and I must thank my wife, on record, to allow me to bringing the system to the latest Reference level.

Cheers!