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Any one heard the Meridian mcd?

post #1 of 20
5/27/04 at 11:14pm
Thread Starter 
I found one of thse for a good price, wanted to know if any one has heard one. I believe it was one of the first real audiophile cdp's so i'm wondering how it sounds vs new hi-end cdps.



pic-
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post #2 of 20
5/27/04 at 11:43pm
I wouldn't if I were you. Some things get better with time and some don't. While anlogue gear hit their peak somewhere in the seventies and TT/carts in the 70s are as good as those you get today, significant improvements in the transport mechanism, power supply and isolation have occurred since this cd player enterd the scene. If you want the best bang for your buck, rather than going for a big name like meridian, I would suggest getting the Pioneer DV-563 and modding it out. The total damage with an out of this world mod should not be more than 6-700 bucks, and that player will really jive with some serious competition. This Meridian, is just an ugly cd player with the electronics and mechanism of a new entry-level sony... ... and the only saving grace being the meridian label. If the real purpose of buying this would be to own a "Meridian" this might be a good thing. If you're trying to listen to great music from a digital source, look elsewhere.
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post #3 of 20
5/28/04 at 12:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kartik
anlogue gear hit their peak somewhere in the seventies and TT/carts in the 70s are as good as those you get today
This too is a fallacy.
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post #4 of 20
5/28/04 at 1:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by qwerty870
This too is a fallacy.
Whatever makes you happy!
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post #5 of 20
5/28/04 at 1:29am
That looks like something made by Realistic! I have never heard it, but I can not believe it would sound better or even as good as anything built today. With the technology of DACs over the last 20 years, I could only hope that they sound better today.
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post #6 of 20
5/28/04 at 1:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kartik
This Meridian, is just an ugly cd player with the electronics and mechanism of a new entry-level sony... ... and the only saving grace being the meridian label.
The Meridian MCD uses a Philips transport mechanism, circa 1983. So, it would have been more correct to say "This Meridian is just an ugly CD player with the electronics and mechanism of an old first-generation Philips... and the only saving grace being the Meridian label."

Just nitpicking. I know that you weren't actually saying that the Meridian MCD used a Sony mechanism...

...or were you?

D.
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post #7 of 20
5/28/04 at 1:52am
I heard one of these many years ago. Sonically, you can do better with a Toshiba 3960 for about $60. The times have changed.
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post #8 of 20
5/28/04 at 2:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Demolition
The Meridian MCD uses a Philips transport mechanism, circa 1983. So, it would have been more correct to say "This Meridian is just an ugly CD player with the electronics and mechanism of an old first-generation Philips... and the only saving grace being the Meridian label."

Just nitpicking. I know that you weren't actually saying that the Meridian MCD used a Sony mechanism...

...or were you?

D.
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post #9 of 20
5/28/04 at 2:09am
I want it! So I proudly proclaim myself a Meridian owner!
Lists myself as a member of Team Meridian. Then secretly listens to my $60 Sony DVD player in pure bliss.
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post #10 of 20
5/28/04 at 2:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kartik
I wouldn't if I were you. Some things get better with time and some don't. While anlogue gear hit their peak somewhere in the seventies and TT/carts in the 70s are as good as those you get today, significant improvements in the transport mechanism, power supply and isolation have occurred since this cd player enterd the scene. If you want the best bang for your buck, rather than going for a big name like meridian, I would suggest getting the Pioneer DV-563 and modding it out. The total damage with an out of this world mod should not be more than 6-700 bucks, and that player will really jive with some serious competition. This Meridian, is just an ugly cd player with the electronics and mechanism of a new entry-level sony... ... and the only saving grace being the meridian label. If the real purpose of buying this would be to own a "Meridian" this might be a good thing. If you're trying to listen to great music from a digital source, look elsewhere.
I gotta strongly disagree with this one. While I would'nt spend my own money on that Meridian the best analog gear is clearly being built today. Almost nothing built in the 70s or 80s is comparable in terms of sound quality to the mid-fi tables,arms,cartridges and especially phono stages being produced today. Vintage gear almost always sounds vintage
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post #11 of 20
5/28/04 at 3:28am
I gotta disagree with everyone

I find TT's of today are trying to sound more and more "digital". Blame it on the cartridge or tonearm or whatever...Sounds beautiful without the glare of digital players...but still too close to digital.


What I really like is old sound. Music with sonic defects. pops and rips

REAL sound
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post #12 of 20
5/28/04 at 4:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gsferrari
I gotta disagree with everyone

I find TT's of today are trying to sound more and more "digital". Blame it on the cartridge or tonearm or whatever...Sounds beautiful without the glare of digital players...but still too close to digital.


What I really like is old sound. Music with sonic defects. pops and rips

REAL sound
I never heard REAL sound (Live music) sound like that.
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post #13 of 20
5/28/04 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 
Ok thanks.
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post #14 of 20
5/28/04 at 2:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuberoller
I gotta strongly disagree with this one. While I would'nt spend my own money on that Meridian the best analog gear is clearly being built today. Almost nothing built in the 70s or 80s is comparable in terms of sound quality to the mid-fi tables,arms,cartridges and especially phono stages being produced today. Vintage gear almost always sounds vintage
I bow to superior knowledge. My impressions are based on relatively limited experience. However, I still believe that the quantum of improvement in CD players over the same time frame far outweighs the change in turntables. I defy someone to show me that a VPI or Goldmund from the 70s and 80s performs worse than an MMF entry level TT.
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post #15 of 20
5/28/04 at 4:06pm
There is some truth to what kartik says. The amount of change in technology between cd players from 1980 to the present is larger than the change in turntables from 1970s to the present. Yet analog technology has continued to evolve and the high end turntables of today are superior to the highend turntables of the past.
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