Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
After the introduction of many $10k+ CD players, the 508.24 remain one of the very best sounding players at any price. For those reviewers with very negative comments on this player, I would suggest that they have their units checked out and serviced at the factory.

I have dropped this player into all types of systems and it consistently impresses with clarity, liquidity, delicacy, weight, richness and quickness.

The 508.24, along with the Levinson 39 CDP, are among the very best ever made. You can get better by spending a lot more, but the marginal return is not significant.

Strengths:
One of the most musical CDP ever made without sacraficing detail. A stone cold bargain in the used market for $1700. Beware of the banged up units selling at low prices.

Weaknesses:
You can get a better CDP if you are willing to spend BIG.

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from used

Summary:
This player is a mixed bag. The sound id pretty good but this player did upset my amplifier. The result was a sound a bit on the bright side. The 508.24 is also pretty slow and muddly. I tried the player at a friends system and the brightness disappeard, but the player still lacked groove and swing.

Strengths:
In the right system it can give a relaxed listening.

Weaknesses:
Lacks drive, momentum and clarity. System dependent.

Price Paid:  $1750.00 from used

Summary:
Had a choice to buy a used Meridien 588 and this one, but decided this a better value for money. Previously using Sonic Frontier SFCD-1 CD player, but too frequent breakdowns.
Very musical and detailed sound. Cymbals sounded better than more defined. Whispering passages of music and voice can still be heard clearly (but this is also attributed to the Dynaudio Special Twenty-Five that are connected to the system and Class A Jadis DA60).
Most of all, the Meridien brought back life to some CDs that I have heard once and kept them permanently in the cabinet drawers because of poor and unlistenable quality.

Strengths:
Musical. Bring back music from CDs I thought are unlistenable.

Weaknesses:
Needs change of lenses. Couldn't read gold CDs.

Similar Products Used:
Sonic Frontier SFCD-1
Wadia
NAIM CD5

Price Paid:  $3500.00 from Audio Connection, Sy

Summary:
Well, after all these years the Meridian 508.24 IMO still stands out as among the top of the crop, even in 2005. I also own a Meridian 598 DVD player which is a relatively recent dvd player from Meridian (a player which many magazines quote as smoking all but the very best cd players). Quite simply, I do not believe it is as good a cd player as the 508.24. Even though it is some 5 years newer. It just goes to prove that when it comes to a great cd player, 2 channel doesn't evolve as quickly as home theater. The 508.24 is still among the best cd players around. I'm no technical guru when it comes to bits and bytes of cd players, but I'm guessing it must be the 24-bit dacs used in the 508.24, versus the 16 bit dacs used in the 598 dvd player that make the difference with cd sound.

Regardless, this machine has given me years of pleasure - had it 5 years. Smooth, so non-fatiguing, but at the same time incredibly dynamic. Just slams out the music exactly as it was recorded on the disc. It's incredibly hard to find a cd player that it so smooth to listen to (like butter) but at the same time has so much slam and bass extension. Everything is perfect - beautiful and smooth on the ears but so dynamic at the same time. It's also incredibly involving - the reason I bought this player was because I could just sit and listen for hours, my toes always tapping. Pure joy and no dryness or sterile sound to be heard anywhere. (I found the predecessor 508.20 to be a little stale and dry.) The 508.24 fixed all that. I'll be keeping this one for some time.

Strengths:
Beautiful natural tonal balance
Bass extension
Slam
Very involving - keeps your toes tapping!

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Audio Research CD2
Meridian 598, 508.20

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
After reading all the rave reviews of this player I bought it after a short demo in my system. What a mistake I did! Although I lived with it for over a year I now realise that this is a boring and un-musical player. A very system dependent player and certainly overhyped!

Weaknesses:
very colored, slow and overly fat sounding. A boring experience.

Similar Products Used:
Naim CD5
Rega Jupiter