Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Help!! DSP5500, 5000 tweeters et al

Hi I'm hoping someone can help. In my home theatre, I have been plugging away happily for 22yrs with 4 x DSP5500, 1 x DSP5000C and a 568.2

It came time to upgrade and I have replaced the 568 with a new Storm processor and a Meridian 271.

The upgrade has revealed some problems in my DSP's

1) I have 2 5500's with slight distortion at volume (in one speaker both bass drivers and in the other in a single bass driver). Is this most likely the drivers? I have read about recapping solving similar problems....?

2) I have unquestionably lost some brightness and during the calibration process it was clear that one of the front tweeters has turned up its toes. I have done some considerable searching and am not finding any replacement units. My inclination is to at least do the 2 fronts and if I can source 3 the 5000c as well and if I can source enough for all 5 I would be inclined to do that,

3) One of the rears has a failed RCA passthrough (not a problem as it is at the end of the chain) but this speaker is also emitting the occasional random 'pop'. Could this also come from the input/output board?

My problem is exacerbated because I live in OZ and I have been unable to find any techs with any knowledge of Meridian.

Any comment or suggestions, particularly as to source for tweeters would be MOST welcome.

As far as tweeters go - try Madisound in Madison, Wi. USA. They do not have the 5000 tweeters - but others have reported that they do have alternates that work quit well as replacements.

The Integrated Home - Tweeter and the Monkey Man some info on Meridian replacements the 4 ohm black tweeter is still available I believe.

Rgds
Stuart

I do find this article thanks. I have searched high and low for a source for the 1612 or the 1054. So far no luck. Thanks for the help tho

Chris

I ordered the black ones as replacements from MrTechGuy about 4 months ago.
May be worth checking with them.

Given their age, they would very likely benefit from a recap of the amp boards. I've had speakers with soft tweeters that were resolved following a re-cap. It will probably also help with the bass issues you noticed.

I recently recapped a DSP5500HC this summer- photos are in the gallery below to give an idea of what is involved.

Regarding tweeters, I've experimented with other SEAS tweeters like those available from Madisound (H1212), and while they work, there is no substitute for an original Meridian tweeter. For example, the SEAS Millennium tweeter has been used by several of us on here, but I found it does not image as well as the stock Meridian tweeter in DSPs. The DSP is likely highly optimized for the original Meridian tweeter.

Some folks have reported salvaging a bad tweeter by restoring the ferrofluid, so possibly another thing to consider.

Yes, I definitely agree, re-capping made a significant difference in my case as well.

Replacement tweeters are available from Meridian dealers. The black dome versions are the ones that are being supplied.

Bear in mind that any of the Meridian black tweeters will require adjustment of the levels in config.

Rgds
Stuart

Where is this gallery? Thanks!

Click on Forums and it’s at the bottom of the page.

Apologies, I should have included the link in my reply. Here is the link to the thread with some additional context.
Link to DSP5500HC Recap Thread
Cheers,
John