teemacs

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1600.00

Summary:
Bought second-hand from an acquaintance. Excellent machine. Sound-wise, no better or no worse than others (but as good as a Wadia 16 against which I compared it). I expect to keep it for a long time.

Strengths:
Small and neat and very classy-looking
Makes a very agreeable noise

Weaknesses:
Longish disc-loading time
Hate the remote control
Poor fast forward mechanism

Similar Products Used:
Linn Mimik
Marantz CD-63II KI Sig

Bigaloe

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Superb cd player,have had no problems or glitches in nearly three years use.It will play any of my cd's,even one with tiny pinholes in the silver coating,that other players reject. It is a very musical machine that doesn't draw attention to itself,it just gets out of the way,while you immerse yourself in the music.Unfatiguing,even after long listening sessions,unless the recording is of a poor/harsh nature,but most cds,even early ones are satisfying. When buying the player,I didn't have loads of time to audition all the competition,and also spending this amount (2,100 gbp) on a cd player to hopefully go the distance,i wanted the reassurance of dealing with an established company,should any problems arise. All in all,I'm very happy with this cdp.

Strengths:
Sound,open and airy.You just know you wont get better,unless you spend thousands more. Small size,easily accomodated in rack. Well built and heavy for its size. Nice remote,works well from most angles.

Weaknesses:
None really.Mind you,it makes you wonder what the new model,the G08 with upsampling sounds like!

Price Paid:  $2300.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
I sold my BAT VK-D5 24 bit with Amperex tubes ($6K) in favour of this machine. Incredible detail retrieval and top to bottom balance without being analytical. Smooth, warm and inviting midrange without being bloated. In comparison to Linn's Ikemi, which is close to the Meridian, I found the 588 more inviting and organic. Both machines do sound more like analogue then do most cd players. I measured the 588's frequency output using Stereophile's test cd and it is basically flat except for a couple of 1.5 db peaks in the mid bass. My BAT had up to 4 db peaks in the midbass and treble region which I believe is why the treble seemed to jump out unnaturally. The retrieval of low level details is better than anything that I have ever heard and blows BAT and Theta away without sounding etched or analytical. Music simply flows from my speakers without any frequency range drawing attention to itself. I find that I drift off into the music, as I do with LPs, instead of hearing BAT's treble or Theta's bass as I did in the past. The soundstage size and precision is on par with other top end machines and I notice that when I stand up I don't lose the sweet spot as badly as with the BAT. The 588 also passes the out-of-room test with honours. It sounds very close to live music when listening out of the room. Try this with your system. Put on music with piano, drums and/or brass, turn up the volume and then leave the room. If it sounds real then you have a pretty good system. Yesterday the Purolator Man at my front door, hearing Harry Connick Jr.playing in the other room, asked if one of my children was practicing piano. The question caught me dead in my tracks so before answering him I listened and it really did sound like a live instrument. Although $3895 is not cheap for a cdp, the 588 seems like a bargain when compared to the $6000 BAT and megabuck Theta. The only area where these machines are on par (or maybe have a slight edge) is in the leading edge attack of the bass which has an ever so slightly better snap. If you want a machine that honours the music rather than sounding like artificial hi-fi then do yourself a favour and audition the Meridian 588.

Strengths:
Balanced and detailed while being very analogue sounding. Price vs. competition.

Weaknesses:
Very slight softness in the bass compared to machines costing thousands more.

Similar Products Used:
BAT VK-D5 24 bit, Theta Gen V, Linn Ikemi.

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Doug Brady's

Summary:
Thought I'd do a follow up review,as I've had the player for over 6 months now. The 588 has performed faultlessly and given many hours of musical enjoyment,on many different types of music. A very neutral sounding player,it just lets you hear whats on the disc,I really feel this player is that good,that the only limiting factor now is the quality of the recording itself,the cd medium has been exploited to the full. All the hifi strengths are there,soundstage,imaging,timing,slam,etc.Violins sound like real wooden instruments,what constantly amazes me is the variety of different sounds from snare drums,even on the same album,the 588 captures all the many timbres of instruments,and throws them out across a convincing soundstage.I can't imagine cd replay getting better than this. Have been spending more money on the rest of my kit as a result! System now: Meridian 588 cd Michell gyrodeck with VC power supply Rega RB300 arm with Ortofon MC25fl cartridge Chord cpa 2200 pre amp Chord spm 600 power amp Trichord Dino phono amp Trichord Dino + power supply for phono amp Chord co odyssey biwire speaker cables B&W Nautilus 803 speakers

Strengths:
Imaging,depth,slam,dynamics,etc.

Weaknesses:
None really

Price Paid:  $3400.00 from Natural Sound

Summary:
I've been auditioning CD players to find a replacement for my long time CAL Tercet mk IV. I tried the Meridian 588, Cary 306/200 & Mark Levinson 309S. The 588 is by far the smoothest most natural sounding CD player I've had in my system, period. Good sound stage depth, imaging, dynamics & pace. The other players had a different approach to the presentation and leaned to the analitical side. The Cary sounded thin and the ML while very refined with excellent depth was just sort of bland. Neither had the midrange warmth or got me involved in the music as did the 588. The 588 is warm & full but not overdone. Top end is extended & smooth and there is good bass to boot. I've been a performing musician for most of my life and know what instruments should sound like. Acoustic instruments and vocals sound real thru the 588 not stripped of body and threadbare. CD's actually sound musical. All of the information on the disc is there, but presented as part of the music/recording event, not over emphesied. I agree with others that this player needs a good break in period. I've let it play 24hrs a day 7 days a week for the 3 weeks I've had it and its really starting to open up now. Highly reccommended! My system: Turntable: VPI TNT HR/dedicated VPI TNT stand/SDS power supply/VPI 12.5 memorial arm/Micro Benz Ruby 2 CD: Meridian 588 Tuner: Magnum Dynalab Etude Preamp: VTL 5.5 tube Amps: VTL 405MB Signature tube mono blocks Speakers: Apogee Duetta Signature series II ribbon speakers Subwoofers: REL Stadium III subwoofers Interconnects: All Monster Sigma retro gold with balanced pr feeding amps Speaker cables: Monster Sigma bi-wire Accessories: PS audio P300 power plant, VPI HW17 record cleaning machine, Billy Baggs component & amp stands.

Strengths:
Musical! Big, open detailed sound without being edgy or threadbare. Value for $$ in this price range. Well built.

Weaknesses:
None (for me)

Similar Products Used:
Cary 306/200, ML 309S