Meridian 507

It grows on you. I have had mine for a few years now, I have no plans to upgrade. I find it a robust piece of machinery. Tracks play very well base and treble are well defined and the sound stage has depth. Its weakness is mid range although given its overall performance I would not too harsh in rating it at its price range.

I purchased the Meridian 507 unit new two years ago, and for the price, it is still one of the better high end players out there. If one can find a nice used one, it would be a mistake not to grab it.

If you see one for a good price, get one!

First hearing is a joy, highly detailed, fine controled bass. After a while, the flaws of the Meridian 507 emerge. Much too bright, very sibilant, almost unlistenable with certain recordings.

Bought this to replace my original 10 year old 506 CD player (I got £300 trade-in on the 506, not bad as I paid just £600 for it originally). The Meridian 507 sounds stunning, very clean and precise and works with every type of music I throw at it. Not a staggering improvement over the 506 but a healthy evolution (besides the 506 was a great player too).

It matches perfectly with my Meridian 551 integrated amp also and they make a great compact system.

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.

i auditioned this Meridian 507 CD player against the cyrus cd7q & the naim cd5. The former lasted less than 5 minutes as it can't hold a candle to the meridian or the naim. it was a close call between these two but the meridian won the day. it's fantastic, clear & crisp sound with nowt taken out nor added in. Stereo imaging is superb as is the overall detail level. this is a sublime performer. if you can afford it, get one. you'll be glad you did.