Meridian G08 or Linn Ikemi

I've had a Meridian 602 Transport since 1993, coupled with a Meridian 203 DAC until this summer when I sold it and bought a Meridian 606 DAC.
I have had the opportunity to listen to a ton of other gear (from cheap-ass Teac to high end Mark Levinson and the like having worked in an audio store). I absolutely love the Meridian equipment. I thought that the 203 DAC sounded great until I got the 606.... AMAZING! Much more detailed and refined, leaps and bounds!

This is coupled to;
Meridian 203 pre-amp (1991!!)
Meridian 105 monoblocks (1979!!! for mid and tweeters)
PS Audio 250 monoblocks (bass)
Marchand XM9 crossover
Mirage M3si speakers (look great sound amazing)
Cardas interconnects
.......monster cable M1 speaker cables.....

Umm.... in case anyone cares, the above should read Meridian 201 Pre-Amp.....

Homer,
I've recently been given the chance to buy a 602/606, that has been tweaked by a dealer/repairer to use as their reference player, for $1,200 - this player being more than 10 years old, I'm having difficulty in justifying whether i should buy this combo or spend the $1,200 on something more current. Can you give me some advice? I'll be running B&W 802 (matrix, not nautilus), Audio Research LS-15 and VT-100 and various good cables. thanks for your help. Jeff

Jeff,

I would really recommend getting a newer player. Because if that one breaks (Transport or a laser) you might not be able to repair it because of lack of parts availablity. Then your $$$ went down the drain..

Chris

JM,
Unfortunately the 602's parts are unavailable, fortunately (knock on wood) I've yet to have a problem with it.
As for musicality, it's hard to beat. They're beatifully made and finished as well. It's up to you to justify the expense, the D/A converter (606) alone is in my opinion worth a good 600$.