Yes and yes, but as usual gear preferences are very subjective.
If you believe a lot of what has been said in the past, the earlier Meek gear was "better". The supposed reasons for the deterioration in later products are best left alone.
That said, since PMI took control of the company, there has been considerable re-designing with, as I understand it, a view to getting the products back to the level they once were, etc., etc.
It may be safer to go to PMI's forums (
http://www.pmiaudio.com/forums/index.php ) if you need specific information.