Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems DSP5200SE’s or not?

I recently lost out on buying a used 2017 high gloss black minted pair of DSP5200SE’s (plus MC200) on eBay for £4,850 - when the owner got cold feet, apologised for messing me about, and withdrew the listing. I don’t blame him.

Other high gloss black examples I’ve seen, even ex-demonstration models, have comprehensive swirly surface scratches and chips in the lacquer. My four year old high gloss black DSW.2 is as pristine as the day it was unboxed (touch wood). Maybe I’m being unrealistic but I expect the same when buying used/ex-demonstration DSP5200SE’s.

I’m beginning to think I should just save up and buy a brand-new unblemished pair in 12 months time. Then again, for the £14k retail price, I know where there’s a minted pair of high gloss black DSP7200SE’s for £13k (but they’re unlikely to be still available in 12 months time). Then again, I suspect that the overall physical presence of DSP7200SE’s might look significantly out of proportion in a 5 x 4 metre lounge.

Who knows, though - perhaps in 12 months time Meridian might launch their DSP5200XE replacement (which, of course, will likely be far more expensive than the model it replaces).

With that preamble; are existing DSP5200SE owners more than satisfied with their purchase (especially if they also own a DSW for music, not movie, listening)? Or, do they wish they had saved their pennies and bought the next model up? I’m conscious of Rick’s recent bumper sale of Meridian traded-in kit that featured several DSP5200SE’s - presumably because their former owners subsequently purchased DSP7200SE’s.

When I bought my DSP7200.2 I was on the fence between a factory SE pair of DSP5200SE. I was able to demo them side by side and price was about the same. The DSP5200SE is the perfect speaker for normal living rooms. It imaged better and was more transparant than the DSP7200.2. The DSP7200.2 provided more extension and slam. I like to be able have the live feeling and this needs higher volume of unstressed sound. Hence I choose DSP7200.2 and later upgraded to SE.

DSP5200SE are gorgeous in piano black and are a great choice for an audiophile and a more livingroom design conscious person. They are like to 911 of speakers, the design has been the same very long.

If the speakers only have swirl marks but no chips, Turtle Wax Jet Black will remove them and make the speakers look new again.

I just now asked my spouse about whether or not my new piano black DSP9s, replacing 5200SE, have changed how our living room looks/feels to her. She says that she never wanted to have either model visible, but that the 9s don’t significantly change the room. They are only a few inches taller.

We still have them in a home theater L-C-R and I still love the sound, especially for the $$. A bargain for less than $10k.

I was watching those! I wondered why they went without a trace..

Having previously owned 5200SE and currently 5200.2 I can say for certain the 5200SE is a fabulous speaker. As good as the 5200.2 is, in our current setup I would have the SE back in an instant.

I can’t see me being in a position to buy new 5200XE if that becomes a thing right now. The 7200SE are another level again. If you can accommodate a 5200 you can accommodate a 7200 (generally). The 7200 variant would not need the DSW if that helps 🤷🏻‍♂️

Either way ... whichever you went for I’m sure you would be extremely pleased 😎

Regards
David

If you have the budget for the 7.2k go for them, either new or used. My space is 3.4m wide and the slightly less power of the 7k's played at around 65, 400w vs 600w is more than sufficient. If the bass performs as well on the 7.2k as it does on the 7k which imagine it does, the need for a sub other than for movie LFE is totally negated IMHO.

My 7k's were also resprayed by HQ Lacquer and are in pristine condition, so a few swirls are not insurmountable.

How much did the refurbishment cost?

I’m aware of a pair of DSP5200SE’s at a PP being sold as new/ex-demonstration that, as far as I’m concerned, haven’t been well cared for: to my recollection, they’ve been on display since 2018, and are chipped and scratched (which is probably why they can’t shift them, no matter how much they reduce the price)…

…but if their refurbishment is likely to run into the thousands as I’ve been led to believe then it’s probably wiser to spend the cost of refurbishment on a better, more well cared for, pair.

I’m also aware of another mint pair from a PP acting on behalf of a client, but theyre unable to contact the client for further details.

For a complete re spray be aware you will need to supply the speakers as bare cabinets so they will need stripping down and all electronics, displays and drivers removed. Then obviously re built 👍🏻

Something a PP or engineer on the forum can do if you’re not tempted yourself.

Regards
David

It is worth reaching out to HQ Lacquer to get an estimate of respray costs.

It depends on how badly the cabinets are damaged, if it is just a sand down and respray or if they need filling, etc.

I've stripped a number of cabinets down and had them resprayed by HQ for customers. The main issue is the displays as the glass is impossible to remove without damage, requiring new display assemblies to be purchased. On some 5200s, they were glued in, but on 7200s they seem to be screwed in...

It takes approximately an hour to totally strip down a pair of 5200s and the same to carefully rebuild them.

Any questions, please drop me a PM.

Cheers,

Steve

You’ve both convinced me to search for a better looked after pair.

If you’re considering between 7200.2/SE and 5200SE, my experience is that 7200.2 is an exceptional speaker. I did extensive demo between these and 5200SE, which at the time used/ex-demo respectively, were the same price, give or take.

The 5200SE are very nice, no question, but the 7200.2 was a much better speaker overall, especially in terms of midrange clarity, scale, authority, effortlessness, deeper, cleaner bass and slam. Yes, the 5200SE has the beryllium tweeter and the wide-band amps, but the 7200 has a very good dedicated midrange driver, Meridium cabinet, deeper bass and over twice the power in each amp. All of this makes a huge difference.

It was a slightly closer choice when I was listening, which was before Meridian firmware upgraded the 7200.2 to process MQA. Once they did this, after I had owned them for a year or two, it was like a new speaker and sounded truly wonderful.

Although slightly taller and much heavier, once they’re in the room, they don’t look too big as the frontal aspect is not that much bigger than 5200. It’s only the depth which is significantly larger.

What would I lose out on by purchasing a .2 vs SE variant?

I was under the strong impression that ‘full fat’ MQA was only possible on SE variants, which is why I’ve been ignoring a deal on an unwanted new pair of DSP5200.2.

Does the DSP7200.2 MQA firmware you mention extend to the DSP5200.2?

Surely, one would still be restricted to 96kHz rather than the full 192/352kHz capabilities of an SE model?

From what you say, compared to your system bio, why did you part company with your DSP7200.2’s if they were so good?