meridian 507 review

Have a picture of Meridian 507 CD Player?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of Beya.

Average Ratings

Sound Quality	9/10
Features	7.2/10
Value for Money	7.7/10
Reviewer Rating	8.2/10
Overall Rating	8.5/10

83% Recommended5 out of 6 Reviews

• Overview
• Reviews
• Write your review
• Ask a Question

By cia. on 27th Apr 2003

cia.'s Ratings

Features	9/10
Value for money	9/10
Overall value	9/10
cia.'s recommendation

Good Points

read review

Bad Points

tray does not open all the way.

General Comments

While carrying the Meridian 507 home, I noticed how rather heavy it was given its size. When on the rack with my other components, it was the smallest in width and had the most different look.

The first time I played it, my wife was on the phone and therefore had to listen to it a low volume. Since this was not serious listening, I read a magazine. After a few seconds of play, I could not help hear the very fine details of Diana Krall's track. I put down my magazine and listened more intently. Now I had an inkling of what this player can do and why I paid quite dearly for it. Finally the wife get off the phone and I turn up the volume. Quite noticeably, the sound from my Dynaudio speakers sounded larger and seemed to come from the whole wall. The biggest difference from my previous player was the three dimensionality of the music. It is very difficult to explain sound so I will try to illustrate by using video experience. When listening to my old player, it was like I was watching a tv show on my flat screen tv. When listening to the Meridian, it was like I was watching a 3 dimensional show. If you keep reading reviews that talk about detail, transparency, imaging, neutrality, and soundstaging, I think when you experience the Meridian sound you will appreciate what these reviewers mean.

I played my favorite CDs and they sounded much better and I heard details that I never heard before. A friend laughed at me when I said that I could hear Snow Rose and Jacintha open their mouth in the songs Reality and Danny Boy. He can laugh but I smile at these details that I now hear.

This is not a magical player since lousy CDs will sound even lousier. But fantastically recorded CDs will sound heavenly.

I am not a technical reviewer but I know when something sounds excellent. This player is not cheap but worth every cent I paid for it. If you cannot afford it now, save up for it. Forget the notion, I will buy something I can afford now and upgrade to the Meridian later.

Happy listening, that is, if you get the Meridian 507.

Total Respect: +10