Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Strange DSP5000 problem suggestions

Hi,

I recently bought a pair of DSP5k.1 24/96 speakers.

When running with a CD player directly into the DSP5k pair in standard master/slave configuration, both work well.

However, I have now attached these (using the appropriate type - 6, center y, balance n, n controller, 500, dd no) to my 568.2 I initially connected them using a similar pattern to that outlined in the 568.2 manual.

I.e. with regards to comms:

Master cable to 5000c center - comms out from center to patch box - 511 patch box to slave dsp5000 comms in - slave DSP comms out daisy chained to other in pair via comms in

I have also tried daisy chaining from center to L to R with center as master.

With this setup, only 2 of the speakers play - the center and only one of the DSP5ks connected directly (via patch box) to the center. Switching around speakers does not make a difference.
I believe I have typed/reset each speaker appropriately.

The only random setup that seems to work is center comms out to patch box and two separate comms to each DSP5000 (i.e. no daisy chain).

I am worried that there is something wrong with any of the speakers (although I feel that this is unlikely since only two speakers play whether they be center/pair or pairs together).

My DSP5000s have 5.030 firmware and the 5kc has the latest 5.21 firmware. Do you think that this could be an issue?

Any advice would be most helpful.

Thanks!

Hi there

Comms issues are a common source of non functioning/mystery behaviour when adding DSPs or working with multiple Meridian components for the first time (oh, and several subsequent times too!) I don't think this is at all related to firmware.

With your stereo set up, you know that your original 5M and 5S cables work okay, so can you pin the problem down to one of the new cables, presumably both S5? Dry solder joints have been known...

Try each of the new cables in your original stereo set up from Master DSP to the Slave. If they are fine with that, (with a bit of cable wiggling/movement a few feet out from each end to test for poor joints) then it's not a cable problem.

If your Master DSP is the Centre, the run should be 568.2 to your centre DSP with an M5 utilising both SPDIF and comms, Centre DSP back to 511 with only the comms part of an S5, 511 out to the left or right DSP with S5 comms (but with SPDIF between the processor and DSP), and then that DSP onto the next with another S5, again both SPDIF and comms.

Let us know how you get on.

Cheers

George

Unsurprisingly, Mr. Meridian, you are correct. The cables are to blame. Well actually, they are really not to blame - I think they are just the wrong ones for the purpose I was using them for. The cable I received with the speakers was a 180 to 180 din + phono interconnect. I now realise that this cable only seems to work from a master to slave connection. That is why this cable worked when I was plugging the digital source directly into the master speaker and playing in stereo.

Unfortunately, one thing I forgot to mention is that I am running a mish-mash of cables until mine are being made up with custom BNC terminals. Thanks to Michael, I was able to get the essential 240 (from 568.2) to 180 comms DIN to the center, the interconnect being separate. The comms from this point onwards has been via (please forgive me!) radioshack MIDI 180 DIN cables. These seem to perform the slave to slave function. I could not use these to connect to the speaker pairs due to them being too short. This is why I was initially using the original comms+phono cable that came with the speaker pair.

As a test, I ran this original cable from the 511 patch box to the slave speaker (again a pseudo master to slave connection) and connected the speaker pair using the short MIDI cable. This worked! A true "aha" moment.

My thanks to you, Mr Meridian, Carl, dpstjp and the many others who PM'd to help me sort this out!