Meridian 500 arguably best transport in the world!

Discussion in 'Hi-Fi and General Audio' started by michaelab, Aug 25, 2003.

  1. michaelab

    michaelab desafinado

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    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3043078288

    I feel that certain people here might not agree :D

    Still, Meridian 500 with Trichord mod (presumably clock 2) and no reserve - worth a punt probably :) He says "Meridian recommended Trichord upgrade" - hmmm.... :bs: :bs:

    Michael.
     
    michaelab, Aug 25, 2003
    #1
  2. michaelab

    Robbo

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    I think the guy might be slightly over reaching himself here:rolleyes: If it is that fantastic then surely he would want to keep it!
     
    Robbo, Aug 25, 2003
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  3. michaelab

    wadia-miester Mighty Rearranger

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    Having had both, and Merlin as well (teac P30) (mine had a clock dob board and psu), I feel the words :bs: :bs: :bs: 500 are ok, not shite at all, but I feel he's been at the Naim Juice :D
     
    wadia-miester, Aug 25, 2003
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  4. michaelab

    bottleneck talks a load of rubbish

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    hmm


    makes me wonder what the best used transports are in the £500-£700 bracket.

    Best ones I can think of from the top of my head are the meridian 500 and Theta data basic... but.. I havent heard enough to have a qualified opinion on transports.

    Given the fact that you can mod a tranpsort to reportedly great differences, it makes it difficult to know where to begin with a base model.

    I'll be getting a new transport sometime in the next 18 months (dont laugh, Im skint, it'll take me that long to save!!)... but which to buy??

    Any opinions?

    NB

    Meridian 500 the best transport in the world? - :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :confused:
     
    bottleneck, Aug 25, 2003
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  5. michaelab

    SCIDB Moderator

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    Hi Chris,

    Interesting ad! It up to £310 at the moment. As for transports, look at is the Tag which Tag are selling direct for £530. Nice sounding piece of kit. Very well built. Not sure how it will react to the usually internal tweaks but is well worth a look.

    I like it.


    SCIDB
     
    SCIDB, Aug 25, 2003
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  6. michaelab

    Lawrie

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    Hey Bottleneck,

    One name that does not seem to roll off the tongue easily when people are making transport recommendations is: Vecteur (a French brand). The Vecteur D-2 (or the latest D2.2) dedicated transport and the Vecteur L-4 (or the latest L4.2) integrated CD player with a very good transport are regarded as being up there with some of the best even though they cost what could be regarded as "beer money" in the U.K.:D If you are looking for excellent sounds for sensible money and are a music lover and not an audiophile,:D then check these out.

    The D-2.2 costs EUR 1,095 and the L-4.2 with a 24/192 DAC but with an excellent transport costs EUR 1,795. These transports appear to be the transport of choice for many tube DAC and Chord DAC64 owners on this side of the pond. I know that the brand has just started distribution in the U.K. so it might be worth an audition and you might be able to pick up the older models much cheaply second hand. Don't let the name or the price fool you. Internal tweaking of those players should not be necessary unless you are an audiophile.;) Those that have done the comparison preferred the cheaper Vecteurs to the more expensive Meridian 500 transport. Hype does go a long way in this hobby.

    [​IMG]



    Enjoy the music!!

    Lawrie :D
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 26, 2003
    Lawrie, Aug 26, 2003
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  7. michaelab

    PBirkett VTEC Addict

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    If over £1k is "beer money" to you, then I think you ought to check into a clinic ;)
     
    PBirkett, Aug 26, 2003
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  8. michaelab

    domfjbrown live & breathe psy-trance

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    Paul - that's Euros, so as with $, 1000 Euros is equivalent to about 7 gross British Pence ;)

    That said, a beer habit that big is still cheaper than the Betty Ford....

    Seriously though - what IS that - about 700 quid for the transport? I'd not call that beer money either, but it's more affordable than the Wadias and dCS's of this world...
     
    domfjbrown, Aug 27, 2003
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  9. michaelab

    Lawrie

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    Ah Domfjbrown,

    It looks like you've cracked the code dudester.:D My comment was indeed a tongue-in-cheek remark taking into account the price/performance ratio of the Vecteurs in comparison to the price/performance ratio of the other much hyped and more expensive brands out there. Remember, we are talking about a transport here not an integrated CD player.;)

    Again, those that have done the comparison and were spending their own money chose the Vecteurs over the more expensive big hitters and spent what they saved on a better quality DAC which is where the main action is, IMO. If I wasn't looking towards an SACD transport for the future, then one of the Vecteurs would be accompanying one of the three DACs I would soon be auditioning. So, Master Birkett, I would suggest you get with the programme before you get left behind even further.:D





    Enjoy the music!!

    Lawrie:D
     
    Lawrie, Aug 27, 2003
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  10. michaelab

    michaelab desafinado

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    Paul - I thought you spent at least that much each month on alcohol :D

    Michael.
     
    michaelab, Aug 27, 2003
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  11. michaelab

    lowrider Live music is surround

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    And a lot more on gals, considering your avatar... :p
     
    lowrider, Aug 27, 2003
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  12. michaelab

    Mr_Sukebe

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    I'd actually argue that it's still a rather expensive option.

    Bearing in mind that groups like Wadia base their transport on the VRDS mechanism from a considerably cheaper Teac unit, surely it would make more financial sense to buy the Teac (as Timpy has with his T1) and ingnore the electronic bits that Wadia have improved on with an external DAC.
     
    Mr_Sukebe, Aug 27, 2003
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  13. michaelab

    bottleneck talks a load of rubbish

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    but then...

    Tone / Timpy not too impressed with a recent Teac they had in..

    (alright I shouldnt pay too much store by others opinions but thats all I have at the mo)...

    Makes me wonder, what IS the basic building block that makes a transport good to build upon?

    If a basic TEAC doesnt sound so great, what on earth is it in a transport that dose sound good?? Id always been told TEAC mechs were the best in the world, full stop... if its not the Mech thats responsible for a transports sound, .... what is it then.?!
    ...... Im ean I know you can mod them, Ive read all about that... but what about the basic inherant sound of the unit?

    NB
    I still fancy a Theta data basic for £500 :MILD:


    nice with the other options though, keep em coming, might help with a shiortlist... or a long list..
     
    bottleneck, Aug 27, 2003
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  14. michaelab

    michaelab desafinado

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    I understand that Tone modded Tims T1 (PSU, clock etc) and the result was pretty impressive. The Teac VRDS transport mech is very good, probably the best in the world but in the T1 it was let down by a poor clock and PSU.

    I just recently got myself a T1 aswell for £200 :) ...and will shortly be letting Tony rip on it aswell. Full Trichord PSU and clock mods and adding an AES/EBU output.

    Michael.
     
    michaelab, Aug 27, 2003
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  15. michaelab

    Lawrie

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    Mr. Sukebe,

    What you are basically saying is that a Wadia is basically a TEAC in fancy clothes?:D Then why the heck do those Wadia transports cost so much and why don't people just go out and buy a TEAC? There's got to be more to this than that. As I said earlier, the DAC stage is where the action is but the transport need not cost much. So, why do the Wadia et al transports cost so much if all they are reading are 1s & 0s or so they tell us.;)

    Bottleneck - If I'm not mistaken, the Theta Basic's transport is a CDM9 Pro. The transport mechanism in the Theta Miles (integrated CDP) which I auditioned twice is better than that in Theta Basic. I can now tell you that the Vecteur D-2 (not even the latest D-2.2) which could be had for well less than GBP 500.00 second-hand, smokes the Theta Miles (and many other top names) as a transport IMHO. :D I therefore conclude that it would smoke the Theta Basic Data. It would be nice for one or two people on this board to prove me wrong especially as there is a Vecteur distributor in the U.K.:D All IMHO, I might add.:D




    Enjoy the music,

    Lawrie:D
     
    Lawrie, Aug 27, 2003
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  16. michaelab

    domfjbrown live & breathe psy-trance

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    I can tell you one thing for nothing - transports do indeed make a HUGE difference to digital... I mean, I was surprised that turning off the display on a transport would affect the quality of the output but...

    I was over at Henryt's last night while his Accuphase is at Tone's being breathed on. Henry's Marantz (CD10? can't remember exactly) sounds "cheap" compared to the Accuphase - boomy, less detailed, and it doesn't groove so well. Also, vocals sound broken - I mean, in isolation it's not too bad, but compared to what I've heard in the past at his... Quite an eye opener.

    Lobster sperm helped the sound of the Marantz no end though :)
     
    domfjbrown, Aug 27, 2003
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  17. michaelab

    Robbo

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    Personally, I dont think that people should get too hung up on what type of mech is being used - implementation is the key. I suspect a poorly implemented VRDS mech with a crap psu and clock in a cheapo case will sound worse than an old CDM4 mech with top notch power, clock in a solid case.

    The only way to judge products is with your ears.

    Robbo
     
    Robbo, Aug 27, 2003
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  18. michaelab

    wadia-miester Mighty Rearranger

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    Well age old thing again do tranports make a diff :D
    Back to the Teac, it depends on what your looking for, I say this again I feel the teac's (transports) are about 80-85% of the Wadia's, there are a few subtle differenices, apart from PSU's and Clocks, is it worth the difference, well only the listener can decide :rolleyes: The Teac I did for timpy was still good no quibble, but what Timpy wanted, was different from what the Teac was giving, but we cured that :)
    Now I have the odd one of 2 cdp's kicking about here, and most are usable as transports as well, some more Grim than others :( , however a very over looked transport is the Muse Model 8 or 9 Sig, for about £1200 audiogon, it's an all format jobbie that is very good, christ I even like :D, transport do have more of an effect than most be give them credit for.
    There is a new influx of more affordable stuff coming onto the market now, pretty well built, nice sounding and not too dear either.
    For those who want a multi format unit do try the Belcanto drive/player one stunning for what it is.
    I recently took apart a well know cdp to look inside, what did I find, all the bits make a top notch sound, given the right stirring, and not too much either, I suspect a lot of players ands transports are like this. WM
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 27, 2003
    wadia-miester, Aug 27, 2003
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  19. michaelab

    nak

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    nak, Aug 27, 2003
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