Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems DSP speaker firmware

**Subject: Longtime Meridian Enthusiast Seeking Firmware for DSP Speakers and 568**

Hello fellow Meridian enthusiasts,

I feel a little uncomfortable asking for help, but I figured I have nothing to lose by reaching out to this community.

First, a little background about myself. I worked for an authorized Meridian dealer for 24 years as an electronics technician, until the owner sadly passed away. Over those years, I developed a tremendous appreciation for Meridian equipment, its engineering, and the exceptional sound quality these systems are capable of producing.

I currently own two complete Meridian systems. Although everything was still functioning, I had noticed that the sound quality wasn't quite what it used to be.

After spending nearly a year researching capacitor performance and selecting what I believed to be the best replacements for each section of the electronics, I undertook the rather ambitious task of replacing virtually every electrolytic capacitor in my DSP6000, DSP5500, DSP5500.2, and multiple DSP5000C speakers.

I left the Mylar film capacitors in place, but tested those as well.

Using a B&K Precision 880 and a FNIRSI LC1020E, I evaluated the capacitors' capacitance, ESR, and other characteristics. What I discovered was rather astonishing: more than 90% of the original capacitors had drifted significantly from their rated values, with many measuring approximately 50% out of tolerance or having failed outright.

As I completed each speaker, I had the opportunity to compare it directly against an identical speaker that had not yet been restored. The improvement in sound quality was remarkable! The difference was so obvious that even my wife, who certainly wouldn't describe herself as an audiophile, could hear it.

It has been an incredibly rewarding project, and the results have reinforced my appreciation for just how good these Meridian speakers really are.

**Now, to the reason I'm reaching out.**

I still have Meridian's original Flash Upload Program, but unfortunately, I no longer have access to the latest firmware files for my equipment.

I'm hoping someone in the community might have archived copies of the following firmware versions:

- **DSP6000 — v5.40**
- **DSP5000C — v5.21**
- **DSP5500 — v5.40**
- **568 Version 1 — v1.55**

If anyone happens to have these files, or could point me in the right direction, I would sincerely appreciate the assistance.

After all the time and effort I've invested in restoring these wonderful pieces of equipment, I'd love to have them running the latest appropriate firmware as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rather lengthy introduction. I'm grateful that communities like Meridian Unplugged and Hitchhikers Guide to Meridian exist to help keep these exceptional products alive and performing as they were intended.

Best regards,
Craig

PM sent.

Just wanted to bump my original request. I'm still looking for firmware version 5.40 for the Meridian DSP6000 and DSP5500.

If anyone has these files archived or knows where I might find them, I would greatly appreciate the help.

Also, a special thank you to OldDogCan for the assistance. It's great to have a community of Meridian enthusiasts willing to help keep these wonderful speakers going strong!

Best regards,
Craig

Hi Craig,

Drop me a PM with your email address, and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks,

Steve

A Sincere Thank You to the Meridian Community
I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone in this wonderful community for their help, generosity, and willingness to share their knowledge and resources.
I've developed a tremendous appreciation for the engineering and sound quality these products offer. It's equally rewarding to see such a dedicated group of enthusiasts helping one another keep these exceptional systems alive and performing at their best.
Communities like this are invaluable, especially for those of us who still appreciate and enjoy Meridian's equipment.
Thank you again, everyone. Your kindness and support are sincerely appreciated!

Best regards,

Craig

That's a cracking system you have there! Huge fan of 6Ks, never had the pleasure of hearing them in a surround setup.

It's been my experience also that a full re-cap by someone who knows what they are doing completely transforms these older DSPs.

One other thing - have you replaced the tweeters? This has also transformed the sound for me on all mine. Since you have the skills, you could always replace one, and then compare with the other, as you have done with the cap replacements.

Nice to see a fellow, Kimber/Russ Andrew's devotee. If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to consider replacing your DSP Speaker fuses with mains UltraFuses and internal SuperFuses.

This for me was least expensive upgrade I have ever done, providing the biggest improvement of sound.

With regard to 6K's in a surround setup, perhaps due to the size and my placement restrictions, I found the speakers overwhelming the bass from the .1 sub as it was impossible to adjust the 6K's output. Absolutely fine in stereo but I found the 7K.2's were an improvement.

However, the 8KUSE's work so magnificently in either stereo or surround, they almost disappear sonically leaving one to simply enjoy the sound rather than 'listening to the speakers'!

Cheers!

Oh interesting!

I’ve been using RA stuff since the late 90s and most of mine dates from then or early 2000s! Originally ordered some Kimber speaker cable from them, then was encouraged to start with mains, which I reluctantly tried because of the 30-day money back… Well, needless to say I was impressed. A full loom of what, in those days, were called “high current power cords" ensued. Then an original powerblock, which was then upgraded to be a purifier block, before I added a super-purifier, which in those days came in a separate enclosure which piggybacked off the power block. I then had my mains required with a dedicated ring main and ran a dedicated earth into the garden which was star earthed - a lot of digging and watering but worth it - big improvement.

Silencers and superclamps were fitted and then a mega-clamp (which is great).

Then I replaced interconnects and speaker cables - eventually moving all the way up to Select stuff, which really does sound very good - only the copper speaker cables, but I did get up to a silver interconnect. The select analogue interconnects and speaker cables were sold once I got into Meridian enough (they actually funded my first 6Ks, as Reuben was looking for a reference set of wires, and he had a nice pair of 6Ks - anyone remember Reuben? Those were the days!). Now I just run 8TC on the analogue system and a four-braid copper interconnect. I do use some of their DV digital cables for some of my Meridian system runs and a silver streak for the main source output to processor run.

The improvement which blew me away most, though, was when I bought a Torlyte equipment rack. This is the old Torlyte with the square edges and square, chunky shelf connectors. Wow. I couldn’t believe it. Everything opened out and all the harmonics of instruments were there again - it just sounded so beautiful and “right”. A lot of people overlook Torlyte, but it’s really clever engineering, nothing quite like it on the market…

I haven’t tried a lot of the newer stuff like the Zapperators and Abzorbers, or any of the fuses yet, but must get round to it, I’ve never had anything from them that hasn’t made a nice improvement. You’ve encouraged me to pick up some fuses - maybe I can get them as a Christmas present!

Sorry to hijack - back to the thread!