Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Best sounding Meridian CD/DVD player?

My Meridian 598 died and looking for best Meridian CD player to replace it. I really liked the sound quality of the 598 for DVD audio and CD's and wonder if the G98 would be an equivalent replacement?

My 598 was connected to my 568.2 by SmartLink, can the G98 be connected to 568.2 through SmartLink and work?

Second option I'm considering is Meridian 506 CD with my 568.2. Is the sound quality of CD's equivalent to the 598?

I'm open to other recommendations. I would like to achieve the best CD sound with existing equipment.

What died on the 598? Replacement drives are still available.

Undetermined, no power. Gave it away.

The last time I checked, it was difficult/impossible to get hold of replacement drives for the 506 and the lasers are known to fail. I'd be inclined to look at another 598, or 808 if your budget can stretch that far. Alternatively, it might be worth considering a Meridian 500 transport as you're using a standalone DAC (assuming it's not using the same drive as the 506!).

Hi

My first Meridian system was a 506-16, 501 and a pair of M60.2s.

They were a significant step up from my Technics system but nowhere near the capability of a 598, which I currently have 2 of.

I believe that there were also 506-20 and 506-24, which will give better performance than the 506-16 but again not what you are used to.

The G98 really is a rebodied 598, I believe that they share the same drive, the only caution I would give is to make sure that the PSU is replaced as they are known to fail on the G series.

Alternatively, you could source a G96, which replaced the 2 versions of the G98 and has a slot drive but I believe no longer has the ability to play DVD-A discs.

Hope that helps.

Cheers and Happy New Year

Jon

Thank you for the insight regarding 506 replacement drive. I would not have known that. I loved my 598 up until it didn't power up anymore.
Would the 808 be a worthy step up in performance vs. 598?

Thanks Lord for the heads up on the G98 and PSU issues. My suspicion is that what failed on my 598 since nothing would power up. Happy new year to you too!

I love my 818 (basically an 808 minus the drive and associated components). Given the 8xx were designed to be Meridian's reference processors, I would imagine even an early 808 would beat the 598 pretty comprehensively, albeit in a larger box. It's worth bearing in mind that I believe they dropped DVD Audio sometime around the 808v4.

Here's one review comparing it to the G08: The Absolute Sound.

Hi

To be honest, if you can stretch to an 800 series, that would be the best solution.

Cheers
Jon

Jeremy, thanks for sharing the absolute sound review. It appears the original 800 would be best with my 568.2, correct? Or...latter version 800 replacing my 568.2? My DSP5500/5000c supports coaxial digital inputs. Appears 800v4 supports only SpeakerLink outputs not compatible with DSP5500/5000C.

Thanks Jon, I'm intrigued with the 800.

Cheers
Steve

Hi, some clarification, if required.

The 800 is a DVD player, so isn’t a replacement for your 568.2*. However, it has SmartLink (not SpeakerLink) so can still connect to your 568.2. Your speakers will still connect to the 568.2 even with a 800 attached to the 568.

(*With SmartLink I presume it’s a 568.2 mm)

Brian