By the way, I just spotted your little bit about the Meridian M1s .. I have seen some M100s for sale and fairly interested – do they hold up to the M10s or were the revised M100s a disappointment like the M20s were? The seller is asking £1000 which seems a little steep – but then I missed some mint M10s that sold quickly for £950 from a dealer. What do you think?
A very difficult question to answer as my memory re my impressions of these units is somewhat hazy. To the best of my recollection, the change from M10 to M100 might have been purely driven by the non-availability of some drivers rather than a serious attempt at a sonic upgrade. I believe this was the case with the transition from M2 to M20. as I’ve mentioned previously from time to time, the issue of a Mk2 version of anything audiophile cannot be automatically considered as an upgrade.
Sometimes it’s forced on makers because of parts discontinuation, parts unreliability, to boost flagging sales, because the cost-accountants can boost the profit by cutting back on the quality of component - and so on. Occasionally, it’s for the best of reasons i.e. a true sonic improvement. But that’s rare in my 32 years of experience. Re the price, yes, very steep.
Before considering it, phone Dave Hall at BS Meridian and ask him about driver availability for the M100/M10. I suspect the rear-facing ABR (KEF) is no longer available. It should however be easily re-foamed by Wembley Acoustics.
NM
