[DanG]

You should have seen the look on my face when I saw my parents touching my Meridian and trying to pack it when we were moving out of my dorm room! I actually still have a picture of my old dorm set-up with my Meridian on one of the computers at home, I'll link it online tonight or tomorrow (especially if someone wants to give me some webspace

).

 

[Andrew Pielet]

Just some clarification for you folks. The 507 is the new low priced Meridian. It is a 24 bit player. It replaces the 508.24. The 588 is the super bomb-diggity schwing ga-ga goo-goo top of the line Meridian (CD only) player, using technology from their 800 series.

 

[DanG]

They stopped making the 508.24 when they started making the 588 and 596, though, right? Which would lead me to believe that the 588 was intended as the replacement. The 507 was a lower-cost option, but at over $2000 a pop new (and you won't find them used) and technology based on the 506 (not the 508, according to AudioAsylum folk), it's not much of a deal compared to purchasing a used 508.20 or 508.24.

 

[Wilson M.]

That is correct. The 588 is the successor for the 508.24 and the 507 is the successor for the 506.

508.24's show up in the used market on a regular basis and usually in good condition (people tend to take care of their Meridians).

I purchased the 507 because I wanted a decent CD player to replace my much older CAL Delta/Alpha but I didn't want to pour a lot of money in CD. CD will be around with us for quite some time but I'm waiting to see how the various universal players shake out. I had a chance to listen to the new Esoteric (Teac) and it was quite impressive (it better be for $5500). I am hoping to take a listen to the Linn soon as well ($12,000).

 

[DanG]

I've got a feeling a lot of us are going to be much better-informed thanks to you joining Head-Fi. Welcome, Wilson!

Did you by any chance get to compare with a 508 or 588? I've heard some say they preferred the 508. Do you just buy all of your equipment new?

 

[Wilson M.]

Thanks for the welcome. First person to do so and absolutely no reference to my wallet (which has taken a beating over the last 15 years).

Unfortunately, I've not had a chance to listen to the 588.

There is little technical information on the 588 available. I would assume that it is using similar DACs as the 508. They mention new state of the art surface mounted components and I'm sure they've diddled with the circuit topology because of that as well as the power supplies feeding the various pieces.

The 508 uses the Philips CDM12.5 mechanism with the entire mechanism being the tray. A cross between a top-loader and a drawer-loader so it is supposed to have the advantages of a top-loader but the convenience of a drawer-loader.

The 508 has an adaptive servo mechanism and it used analog RF jitter analysis to adjust the servo for better tracking. The servo recalibrates for each CD and adapts as it is reading through the CD. Other than that, it seems like it works like a regular CD player.

The 588 on the other hand is using a traditional CD-ROM drive. Meridian's new theory is that CD-ROMs rarely lose data. It's almost always accurate in information retrieval.

The 588 uses extensive memory buffers and precision reclocking before output to reduce jitter.

Does the more precise manner of retrieving data in the 588 have an effect on sound? Possibly. It may sound more mechanical from the added precision. The 508 with its more traditional approach will probably sound more akin to other CD players with a bit more precision from the adaptive servo. So I can see people liking the 508 over the 588.

Turntables are a good example. Speed accuracy and stability improve as you move up to more precise motors, better platter machining tolerances and other things like the VPI SDS (essentially a pure frequency generator). Some people find that the better tables sound more mechanical. I look at it more as the lesser tables as being less faithful and sounding "romantic" because of the inaccuracy.

And face it, people like romance in their music.

I rarely ever buy used. I have this "being the first owner" fetish. I really could save a lot and/or get better gear if I were willing to buy used. I guess that I don't like the hassle of getting a lemon from the used market.

 

[Geek]

Wow, what a ride it has been listening to the Meridian. I have to go back to my NS500V, and it's not easy

UPDATES:

The cardas cable basically finished burning in around sunday, as the sound expanded a tad more and was completely refined and textured.

Don't get the cardas if you own bad recordings. You can pinpoint flaws and you'll hear things that just weren't there at all before. It's really scary on some.

I found out that the Meridian is a bit more finicky than my NS500V when it comes to CD-Rs; certain burns took a while to get loaded up and one refused to play entirely. About 15% of my collection is composed of burned CD-R format.

I am going to follow up by making some broad conclusions about what I heard (I sampled over 40 cds during this time just to hear what the meridian would do with all of my music).

1. This player is GOOD for all-around listening; it's extremely detailed, offers excellent soundstage, depth, and balance, and unbelievable texture (something the NS500V falls short at, especially when reproducing piano). Techno sounds punchy and articulate; quite involving. Rock music sounds like you're at a live concert staying just outside the mosh-pit.

2. The 507 is UNBELIEVABLE with classical, vocal, and jazz music. Just outstanding. If I lost all my senses but my hearing, I would have a difficult time sorting out an audiophile classical recording on the meridian from an actual live performance! It's that good.

3. The Sennheiser HD600 is transformed into an entirely different monster when its cable is upgraded and the meridian is added as the source. It becomes a sparkling, crisp, clear headphone with incredible top-end detail, articulate bass, and a perfectly coherent midrange which all blends together seamlessly whilst at the same time preserving the ideal of natural sound, i.e. NOT sticking your ear three inches from every source of sound at the same time. . . which is the way lots of high end stuff sounds.

4. I would say that about 60% of the improvement I got was from switching to a better source; about 40% of the improvement was from the upgraded cable. To those of you considering a cardas or equinox cable (I can only vouch for the cardas), let me tell you that it's definitely worth it and I can hear a substantial improvement even with sub $200 equipment. However, you're never going to reach the true level of the HD600 without a great source player. I'm not kidding about this!

Finally,

I GREATLY appreciate Todd and HeadRoom Corporation for letting me listen for a whole weekend to one of their best sources!

Any idea how to pay for college and one of these things at the same time?

Cheers,
Geek

 

[Geek]

Wilson M.,

Welcome to Head-Fi. It's great to know there are other Meridian users around, I'm kind of new to the high end source world and am eagerly learning as I go.

I'm also a "buy new" guy. It's both a blessing and a curse

TimSchirmer,

The NS500V isn't all THAT BAD, I mean, I hear some soundstage, some air, some imaging, but the texture isn't as strong, separation is rough and blurry, and attack is slightly fuzzy, bass isn't as deep, slightly slower. . . but we're comparing it to a player almost fifteen times as expensive.

I agree that it falls well short of my amp/phones/cables. But, that's for CD. It's just about right with SACD and does a nice job with movies. Really involving experience watching that occasional DVD. . .

 

[Wilson M.]

The 507 is a reasonable CD player. I'm not sure if it's the best value. There seems to be a pretty large jump between the $1500 players and the $3000+ players with very little in-between. It isn't worth spending a lot on a CD player unless you have a vast collection or you have money to burn. I'm not sure how long it will take SACD to gain a decent market share and DVD-A is likely to be the loser.

At your age, you're doing pretty good for yourself with the MOHR and HD600/Cardas. All I have is an old HeadRoom Supreme from the days when you could actually put AA batteries into it and a 7 year old pair of HD600s with stock cables.

You can never win in this game because something newer and better will arrive. In the past 4 months, I've listened to the Linn CD12, Levinson No. 390S, Esoteric universal, Meridian 598 and 800, and the Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista SACD. It's disheartening but in isolation, my 507 sounds pretty nice through my Cary/Revel setup.

So don't sweat it or feel embarrassed. We all started somewhere.

 

[JohnR]

Does anyone know what opamps are used in the 507?

I've got a 506.20 that I'm thinking about doing some mods on.

 

[DanG]

John, you'll probably want to visit the digital section of AudioAsylum as well to get a broader Meridian-user audience.

Geek: I'm of the (snobby) opinion that it isn't worth upgrading much for the sake of techno as it's a simple bass-driven style of sound. For rock, the Meridian does a great job with giving weight to all the instruments (esp. the bass drum, the lower registers of the voice, the guitar) as well as providing wonderful decay. There's a great sense of air around instruments -- for rock. Rock uses electronic sound projection which is a great drawback in my opinion.

With classical and jazz, as you note, the Meridian just shines. I listened last night on my system first to some of Visotskiy's music -- he's a Russian "bard" (singer/songwriter) and kind of folk hero. The CD to which I listened mainly had acoustic guitar with his voice, sometimes with a bass in the background. The huskiness of Visotskiy's bass voice was reproduced powerfully and really drew me in.

Then I changed the CD to play some Chopin mazurkas, recorded by the legendary Artur Rubinstein (on RCA). The recording quality of these CDs is sometimes questionable, as many are old and some of the performances are even recorded in mono. These mazurkas, though, have at the very least decent quality which goes well with high-end audio systems.

I was just amazed. I hadn't listened to any of the Rubinstein recordings on my main headphone rig for a while as I didn't have them at college since 2002 and I just didn't get a chance since coming home. But it was just wonderful. The natural sense of air that the Meridian imparts to the sonic image of the CDs it plays really worked well with the great decay, while the musically powerful bass reproduction really seemed to stir me inside, especially when combined with the sweet yet detailed treble. I was so moved I couldn't believe it, and I recognized that a big part of it was really the sound quality. It was as if the soul of the music was being brought out. Basically, that's what I would call "musicality."

I haven't had a chance to get a long listen with many high-end CD players, but the Meridian that I have just seems to have a near-perfect balance about it. It resolves well, but balances with a natural and smooth sound. Its bass reproduction can be deep, tight, and powerful, but not over-powering. It can move fast and reproduce a wide dynamic range faithfully without losing its delicate ability to let notes decay naturally.

Really, my impressions of the Meridian haven't changed much at all since I first got it, and that's something that just stuns me. It never ceases to prove itself to me. The addition of an after-market powercord a while ago did help to a noticeable degree in clearing up the areas that are tilted a little too much to the euphonic (tightened and deepened bass, cleared up highs a little, brought out some more dynamics) but it kept the same general character.

Sorry, I guess this is turning into a Meri love thread, huh.

 

[braillediver]

What would be a reasonable price range for the Meridian 508.20 or 508.24? New or used.

Has anyone compared the Meridian to a NAIM CD3.5 or CD5? Or the comparative merits of a Meridian vs. NAIM CD Player in general?

This is what I get for stumbling into this Forum. I should have just stayed in the Amp Forum.


Mitch

 

[DanG]

Meridian 508.20 can usually be had for around $1000 used in perfect condition on Audiogon. 508.24 can be found there (upgraded from 508.20) as low as around $1400-1500 if you're lucky, but more generally between $1700 and $2000. The Naim CD3.5 can go for lower than $1000 sometimes.

If you want comparisons between the two, your best bet would be to check out the Digital Asylum at AudioAsylum. Lots more users there... there may be some Naim owners here, but I doubt it's more than a handful.

 

[Geek]

DanG,

It started as a meridian love thread and it's ending like one, that's good

I do see where you are coming from with your opinion regarding techno. It is definitely bass driven, but the stuff that I have (most of it) is well-recorded and pretty balanced stuff, with TONS of airy instrumentation that really gets a boost from the 507.

The 507 has excellent attack, decay, and pace, which are the three biggest things for me and techno/electronic music. They are also of course bigger factors for other styles, but I think texture is most important for rock and classical (I like hearing the exact tone of each instrument, and if there are heavy riffs with lots of distortion I want it to sound gritty and dirty just like in real life).

I do think that the biggest improvement was with my classical collection though, and that seems to coincide with your findings. I just love Zucherman's performance of the Bruch and Lalo violin concertos, the recording is not top notch but still very good and I'm hearing an orchestra finally instead of headphones projecting sound.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[Wilson M.]

You should listen to my VPI. It will make you want to buy a Levinson No. 390S just to stay competitive.