Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Speaker Options with 551

Hi everyone,

I'm only really interested in 2-channel audio, and I'm currently running with a 551 integrated and I'm now planning to upgrade my speakers. I've got a budget of around �2.5k - �3k, which gives me some good options.

I'm really tempted by either Martin Logan Aeon i or Clarity, or maybe Nautilus 804s.

Will the 551 drive the MLs, or would they need more power / a 555 used to bi-amp??

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Cheers,

David

A friend of mine has the Meridian M60's running of a 502 pre amp which sounds superb.
I'm sure you could get something like that for �3k.

martin logan Aeon i!
The clarity is not a great speaker, I would say it is good for surround channels in a 5.1 configuration. it lack the depth of sound and articulation at the bottom of the aeon and the difference in price is "small" compare to the difference in sound.
imho
PS:I have ML all around.

[This message has been edited by fbourgoin (edited 07-02-2004).]

I used a 551 with Dynaudio Contours which i can thoroughly recommend trying. Dynaudio don't go in for Bi-wiring, so you don't have an issue with the 551.

cheers

fbourgoin,

Good to hear from another ML guy. I have MLs all around (Aeons, Cinema, Scripts, Depth) and run the fronts with a 558. What amps are you using? Cheers.

David,

You don't mention what speakers you're using at the moment, but driving �3K speakers with the 551 sounds a bit unbalanced. I would think that if you went for electrostatics (which I believe the ML's are) that you would need some more oomph, from a 555 as you suggest, or a 556.

Mark S

I agree with MarkS on the balanced bit, and I am a committed stereo man (i.e. two channel only). I started out with a Meridian 551 and Meridian A500 speakers nine years ago. Then I added a 555 and bi-amped the system, which gave improvement. Then I switched to a 502 pre-amp and a 557 power amp, which I still have - with the same A500 speakers!! This is steps ahead of the 551/555 combo. I have listened to many other speakers and have found that I will have to spend at least �6000 to get something significantly better than I have (B&W Nautilus 802s are on my wish list).

So, you might want to review your amp situation as well/instead of the speakers?? You could add a secondhand 556 and get 100W per channel and either use just the 556 to drive the speakers (with the 551 acting as a pre-amp) or bi-amp the speakers. HOWEVER, if you decide to bi-amp, then you must ensure that the power amp you use has the same Gain as your 551 - otherwise you will be feeding different strengths of signal to the different components in your speakers and then the sound really will be unbalanced!! I know the 555 is OK for this and I think the 556 is too, but check on the Meridian website or with Meridian Tech Support by phone before buying a 556.

Also, if you like B&W Nautilus and can go �500 over your budget (to �3,500), get the 803s as they are significantly more open sounding than the smaller 804s.

[This message has been edited by 123hifiman (edited 07-02-2004).]

My brother and I both have Meridian 551 with Meridian A500 loudspeakers.

However, my system sounds much better for the addition of Meridian 555. In my experience, the method of connection with the speakers made a phenomenal difference.

Meridian once told me of some owners who connected two Meridian 557's to their A500's (apparently, they will bear the load easily - despite what the specs say).

Like the internal wiring of Meridian products, and after much experimentation, I opted for VanDenHul 'TeaTrack' loudspeaker cables (and VDH 102 interconnects).

BUT, the biggest difference came with the addition of a Meridian 518 'Digital Audio Processor' plus Meridian 24bit 566 - and that's the reason why my next upgrade will be to Meridian DSP Loudspeakers.

Speakers is the most important piece of kit in your system and unless you can change everything at the same time (which I don't recommend) then you can have an unbalanced system for a bit of time. I think that's ok.
JM I'm using Cello amplifiers biamped.

Hi guys,

To answer the first question, I'm currently running a pair of Mission bookshelf speakers - they're a legacy of my old system. I've upgraded the source (Meridian) and the Amp (551), so now it's speaker time.

I did think about Nautilus 803s, but the room they're going in isn't that big (around 26' x 12'), and 803s do seem to need a lot of space.

I think it's going to be between 804s, Aeons (if claritys aren't that good) and maybe something from Sonus Faber.

If need be, I can upgrade the amplification with extra power as needed.

Thanks for the advice!

David

david,
is it for surround channels? if so then definitively keep the same brand of speakers.
I've got scripts it is more than enough for movies.

FB

No, definately just 2-channel operation, I don't really bother with DVD-Video that much, and DVD-A hasn't kicked off in the UK yet.

I'll have to talk to my dealer (Music Matters in Solihull) about Bi-Amping with a 556 - I've heard that it can be done, but I don't see how it'll work 'cause the 556 is rated significantly more powerful than the 551... maybe you can adjust the gain in the 556, or the pre-out gain in the 551???

Cheers,

David