Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Recapping DSP5000s

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here. I currently have a Home Theater system with a Meridian 562V, 565 THX, and 519 (for my LaserDisc player), running analog amps and NHT speakers.

I now have a chance, for my home office system, to get another 562V and a pair of DSP5000s off of eBay. I've read a few of the threads on this forum about recapping products, but nobody ever mentions even an approximate price. The seller is asking $1650 for the pair of DSP5000 speakers. They look to be in good shape (I will NOT be able to listen to them before I buy, as the seller is in California and I am in Michigan). Also, I am unware if the speakers I am looking at are the 96/24 versions. Apparently there is an upgrade sticker on the back of the speakers, but it is so faded as to be unreadable.

So....I guess my three questions are:

1. How much, approximately, should I budget, "if" I would like them recapped?

2. Is there a way to tell if they have been upgraded?

3. Would a 518 significantly improve their performance?

Thanks for any help you can give. This looks like a good forum. Glad to be part of it.

Price is a little on the high side. Hifishark is a great resource for M gear.

If I recall correctly I paid around $60 in parts to Digikey to replace the caps in three DSP5000s (two towers and a center).

Also included was the resistors which are most likely burnt up by now.
This did not including new tweeters, but you may not need those.

The soldering is pretty easy, all leaded parts (no surface mount). The resistors can sometimes be a pain because the heat may have damaged the traces on the board. White wire is your friend here.
If you decide to go for it I can walk you through the process.

Mine were 24/96 versions, but I don't believe that the amps are different than the earlier model

I recently ordered all of the recommended resistors and capacitors for both the DSP and amplifier boards in three 5kSmileys (L,R,C) from Tarik's list. The Meridian-branded Ansar Supersound caps are not available at this point, so I upgraded (if Humble Homemade Hifi can be believed) to Jantzen Superior and Audience Auricap XO products instead.

Parts Connexion
Mouser.com
Parts Express

Thanks for the replies guys. Much appreciated. I have never touched a soldering iron in my life. I would have to have someone (Mr. Tech Guy? Local Dealer?) do it for me. So...under $100 for parts doesn't seem bad. What would labor on something like this be?

There is still one of my original questions that nobody has addressed yet:

Would a 518 make a "significant" improvement to my sound?

I've always wanted one of those, but about 25 years ago I brought one home as a demo to play with, and honestly couldn't hear much difference. But I was running analog amps and speakers (with a 565 as the preamp).

I'm wondering how much difference it would make in the performance of a pair of DSP5000s.

Hi Dan,

I'm sure someone with experience of the 518 will comment on it's merits and uses but I'd have thought that it's more of use for 'adjusting' various aspects of CD playback, so it may not be a huge issue for your situation. I'd have thought that the performance upgrade would be to a 568.2mm processor rather than the 565. With the 568.2mm you could add a HD621 to access the HD audio codecs from blu-ray.

Just a thought _ it's easy to the the upgrade ball rolling and before you know it you've spent a lot of cash!

ps. nice that you still have your LD/519 unit around.

Brian

Hi Brian,

Thanks for you input. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

But, I perhaps didn't describe my present systems properly.

I have a 565/562V and analog amps and speakers (and my LD/519) in my Theater setup. That system is not changing or being upgraded. I merely listed that equipment so the people here could see I already owned some Meridian gear.

For my Home Office system (I work full time from home), I am considering getting a pair of DSP5000's and a second 562V. This is a stereo only system. Currently I am just running a pair of NHT Super Zeros and a small Episode subwoofer, so you can see the DSP5000's would be a massive improvement. My sources for the 562V will be a Sony SACD changer, a Technics turntable, and the output of my PC (iTunes, Sirius XM, Cable Music, YouTube, etc).

I was wondering if the 518 would significantly improve the sound of the DSP5000's, coming out of the 562V. The way my office is set up, the speaker placement will be far from ideal, so I'm thinking if it is just a small improvement it may not be worth doing at this time. Its just that I've always thought they were cool and have wanted to have one!

On a side note, I see you are in Southampton, UK. I work remotely from my home in Michigan for a company in Southampton New York!

DanD,

I think you’ve got an interesting option here in that you could upgrade your 565/562V in the theater to a 568, and move your existing theater 565/562V to the office instead of getting another 562V.

Alternately, a 568 in the office instead of the 562V would be better able to take advantage of the 24/96 capable DSP5000’s

568.2mm would allow connection of an HD621 as mentioned earlier, which would then also give you Meridian’s apodising upsampling filter via the HD621.

G68 would allow for apodising upsampling filter directly without having to add the HD621 to the mix…

Soooo many options, so little time.

FWIW, I think the money spent on a 562V/518 combo would be much better spent on the 568/G68.

Cheers,
- Ken

That makes a lot of sense, and I really appreciate the advice.Thanks for the interesting suggestions Ken.

If I upgraded my processor to a 568 for my Theater, I can imagine moving my 562V to the Office, but I'm not sure what to do with the 565. Unless I want to throw my existing SuperZero/Episode Sub setup in the back of my office for surrounds! That could be interesting!

Hi,

The 565 is still a useful preamp in your 2 channel system, but a change to a 568.2mm* / HD621 in your surround set up would be a significant upgrade.
As Ken said "soooo many choices"

Brian
(* or G-series processor)

Thanks Brian,

I have something in the works and will update this thread when I get the details hammered out.