Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems DSP5200 or more B&W?

For those of you that have the DSP5200s, do you find that you are in disagreement with the What Hifi assessment, discussed in this thread .

Cheers,

Absolutely, the bass output is phenominal though and is very different from what I have heard from other speakers.

Pop productions can sound too bassy but this is probably attributable to the production rather than the equipment. I also had to set the loudspeakers to bass -2 to get a sound I liked - bear in mind that I have only played them for 4 hours or so and they are both corner placed (with boundary compensation set to corner).

All in all a cracking sound though.

I also believe that What Hifi had the DSP5200s in their demo system at the Bristol HiFi show and the very man who reviewed them in the mag was raving about how good they were at the show.

What was is the wind blowing today?

The 5200s in my opinion outperform the 5000s by a fair margin.

I thought that review was extremely Mickey Mouse befitting What HiFi's waning reputation. Whilst I might have some sympathy for their main gripe , the price point , after that there really is no substance to their review.

They do not list what test discs they used or even what equipment they partnered the 5200s with. I will never forget the day ( and night !) when I got my 596 and swopped out my old pioneer for the first time. Almost 10 hours straight.

Most of the rerview just quotes the Meridian techy PR fluff and doesn't convince on the 'actual testing' front.

It certainly wouldn't put me off , and I haven't even had a demo yet.

Regards,
M

Okay, had another lengthy listening session last night and thought I'd post some further observations as they are slightly different to those posted yesterday.

I have now changed the bass setting back to the default of 0 as I think I am getting more used to the balance of the speaker (I have been running a pair of Bose multimedia speakers for the last month on my G91).

The sound is so full with what I think is a very deep articulate bass. The midrange is very open making vocals sound very natural. The sheer amount of detail that is unearthed is one thing I have really noticed, I'm hearing new things on very well played albums.

For me, the system is giving me that spine tingling feeling when I listen to music, seemingly capturing the excitement of the recording. I'm finding it hard to pin down but listening to music on it is giving me a similar sensation to that of experiencing music live.

I am absolutely delighted with my purchase and am champing at the bit to get home and listen to it all over again!

As an aside I have also watched a couple of movies which have sounded excellent, I don't really regret having moved from a multichannel setup to stereo only.

dhansak79,

If you havent already try running the speakers at free and boundry aswell. I run my 6k's on free and they are only 30cm out from the rear wall. It definately worth giving it ago. I find that anything less then free I loose that really deep kick to the bass.

*edit* Sanjay I would move down the option B route. I love the simplicity / power and articulation of DSP's. It all does depend if the DSP sound is to your liking.

[This message has been edited by synergyfx (edited 04-02-2005).]

Just moved back to boundary from corner and agree it sounds better. Can't quite get into free yet but we shall see. I think I'm getting more used to the sound now.

Anyway, I'm off to listen to a CD. ;-)

I have had my speakers for over 6 months and I am still playing with them

I've now moved to free and it sounds cracking. The DVD I used in my initial setting up had an unusual bass balance on the PCM track which accounts for my initial dislike to this setting.

Everything else sounds great. :-D

I auditioned the DSP 5200s and a DSP 5000 center at home this last weekend -directly comparing to my N804 + Meridian G57 amp.

A consistent picture emerged.

1 Trifield is great
2 DSP 5200s have great bass, drive, rhythm and much better in room bass extension and volume. Very good imaging.
3 N804s have much better upper mid and treble - very much smoother on female vocals and more delicate on cymbals. Also less boxy/ more open.
4 configuring G91 and DSP speakers is a pain and not repeatable. Buggy software? But the cabling simplicity Vs multiple lengths of bi-wire is very appealing.

These differences were not subtle.

Guess I have to audition the B&W 803D now to try to get better bass the B&W way before deciding. DSP 6000/7000s are too pricey. Asthetics of 5500 do not appeal.

I wish B&W would buy Meridian and combine their speaker technologies. That would be great.

Sanjay

Or better yet, Meridian could make some hybrids, using Electrostatic panels to deliver the Mid and Treble, with Dynamic drivers firmly where they belong - delivering Bass only.

As you can probably tell, I'm a devotee of Electrostats!

Cheers,

David

Funny that you should say the B&Ws sound more open. I have always found the B&W sound to be quite dark.

Being used to such nice speakers must make it hard to change to a different sound.

I moved from Monitor Audio S6s (�600 a pair) to the DSP5200s so the difference was massive.

I have also found that my speakers sound a lot smoother after owning them for a month.

Price and convenience aside...

Candidly I owned Nautilus 802's when I thought they (B & W) were "the best". Soon I discovered that "the best / B & W" were simply loudspeakers designed to pander to my perceived "our Perceived" Ideal. Meaning B & W like Linn and JM Lab, create loudspeakers for a sub-set of listeners who like that sound. To me, these are very over-salted. Not Bad -- just developed to make a certain sound which Marketing says people like. Lingering tweet levels, and sheltered bass. Like speaking through a tube.

I did not find my B & W's true to the recording. I found them to screach, and play Bass very passively. A Puff rather than a hit. I purchased larger more resolute amplification but it only raised the ante on the shrill sound, but still no bass. The B & W Played A shiney version of a cymbal, but no sound of the nylon tip of the stick. The B & W played the fret-board, but no middle back of a Martin guitar.

I get this honesty from my DSP 5200's
Whereas in my B & W's I got into a game of buying better cables, more power, Traps, Stands, matting, etc...

The genius to DSP is their ability to closely couple drivers with customised Amplifiers, to the signal, at the end of the signal path... and avoid the compression and filtering of the Passive design. This kills the bass in the B & W. I find The 5200's to be more open, more musically true (to a fault), and they impart more sizzle than B & W who overdrives the Tweeter/Mid array to impart a perceived sizzle. Don't be misled. Re- hear your recordings and you should find less forced sounds, and more of what is transcribed.
What could be cleaner than a 5.1 system which has one piece of kit, and speakers.

You may wish to have an audition with the B & W's beside the DSP's -- The painful truth is you may wish to leave the room when the B & W's play/ sizzle to a fault.

Perhaps this is why Stereophile has had nothing to say about Bowers for a year Plus.

On the topic of Integration, the Digital signal path may help you steer sound in the room to compensate, for Glass Stone and Wood, whereas The B & W's may force you to consider Traps, and Diffusion, in lieu of science.

For everyone there is a sound.

Mine is Neutral.

Follow your heart.

Good Luck

Cheers,

Bernie