Price Paid:  $9200.00 from Dealer

Summary:
There is a boundry above which it is not necessary to do better. There is OK equipment, good equipment, excellent, etc. Meridian is purely excellence. Initially I was going for Wilson Sophias (not purchased yet) together with Mcintosh amp / preamp and Musical Fidelity CD player. That would have been very very good. The Meridian DSP5500s are equal or better. Probably better. And everyone, they are above that boundry so that when you listen to music you can foget about mids and highs, forget about cables and power and damping factors and just enjoy imersing yourself in the pleasure of music. If I put on some piano to have as background music while I do other things, I have trouble walking out of the room. I just want to sit down and indulge. Every day. All music. I'm an old rock guy, but my wife has introduced me to country. I can't say I love the music, but they do mix the audio well acoustically and I can actually just enjoy that quality. The pluck of a string where you can almost see it vibrating in front of you, a strong female vocalist loud without a sign of high end fatigue. No fatigue. You can listen and listen, on and on. Incredible bass tight and smooth with no mush, perfect pitch, clean highs. Sometime I believe the highs are lacking, but then a chime, a bell or a tophat will sound crystal clear and I just smile. You can pick a bunch of the words used by audio reviewers we all try to wade through and they will apply to the Meridians, or, you can just close your eyes and thank God you have hearing, and that sound alone can be that beautiful.

Side note: I was initially concerned about everything in one box and a digital input only setup. Not to worry. It actually alleviates a lot of decisions we can obsess over and can set you free of all that "review", or "is it good enough" or "is it set just right" stuff.

Strengths:
Power. Simplicity. Understated elegance. Tonal balance. Exceptional clarity of each instrument. Pleasure. Pleasure. Pleasure.

Weaknesses:
Can be bass rich if you shove into a corner. They need about 20 inches from a side or back wall to smooth out.

Similar Products Used:
B&W (although smaller), McIntosh, Rotel, Adcom (avoid), Pioneer Elite.

Price Paid:  $11000.00 from Music Matters UK

Summary:
Moved from Marantz CD85,Yamaha DSP1,MF 3b/270.2, Linn DMS Isobariks/Celestion 3 rears to Meridian 596/562v2/568/DSP5500II/Rel Stentor III/M&K S150 rears.
Major step change in quality all round. Imaging and soundstage excellent with ability to deliver drama in DVD as well as CD. In some modes I dont use the REL as bass is more than adequate with the DSP's. Competent with Rock, easy listening, Classical and Church music. With remote sensor all but the speakers are hidden away in a cupboard so my drawing room doesnt look like an electronics lab.
Dealer critical in set up (very good) as is technical support from Meridian UK.
Change the cable to the speakers for another big step change in quality.
Not sure if the DSP 6000's are the next upgrade step. They seem pretty close in quality but not in price. I may consider another set for the rears moving M&K's to the sides.
I have given these a high rating but my selection criteria of value also includes non audiophile issues such as remote use, style and non sound affecting interchangeability of wooden cheeks by a cabinet builder.

Strengths:
Resolution of sound
Precision of image
Involving soundstage
Style and fit with surroundings by wood change
Ability to handle CD/DVD/TV/VCR/Cassette/LP sources (may be a function of the other components also)
Deep bass
Dealer support and Meridian technical support.

Weaknesses:
Not all functionality is available remotely using speaker sensor only so remote sensor needed at £100 to resolve problem.

Similar Products Used:
Used Linn Isobariks but heard many others.

Price Paid:  $7000.00 from Music Matters

Summary:
Moved from Linn Isobarik DMS/MF 3b pre/MF P270.2 power/Marantz CD84 to Meridian 568/562v2/596/DSP5500/REL Stentor III. Without rears and REL on, imaging is precise and soundstage huge. If you want to be on the stage so be it. Detail retrieval is excellent as is the breadth of response. Speakers are unstressed but not laid back.
Change out Meridian cable and the depth and precision make a major step forward. Im very pleased and will almost certainly buy a pair for rear use. With remote control function everything except speakers go in a cupboard so my drawing room doesnt look like an electronics lab.

Strengths:
Imaging, soundstage, resolution, "ability to be in control", style (Rosewood). High quality construction. Dealer - Music Matters Solihull, best technical and service quality I have encountered in some Years .

Weaknesses:
Having 232 link problems with my PC on the kit combination. This may not be the speakers.

As of 25/5/02 display functionality of 5500's claimed on the web site not consistent with actual fuctionality (display options on the speakers may be important to some).

Meridian technical keen to help where possible but (in my case) I had little empathy from the Sales Director once I had a problem. Dealer was critical in sorting this out, which it was.

Similar Products Used:
Complete upgrade but I have auditioned many similar priced speakers. For me this decision is right on the inflexion point between value and diminishing returns.

Price Paid:  $12000.00 from Dealer

Summary:
I recently put together a sound system comprising primarily of Meridian components. I have been extremely impressed by the performance of the 5500's for both music and home theater. The soundstage and imaging in fantastic. In instrumental music, you can clearly identify each instrument and its location. The speakers DSP has the ability to place instruments in almost any location in the room. Meridians decision to include all the necessary components in these speakers for music reproduction seems to have paid off. The speakers never seem stressed. They handle high frequencies with the utmost precision, and provide deep, powerful, and very real bass. I've heard speaker and amp combinations wich cost many times more that arent nearly as musical and powerful as these speakers. I think these speakers are probably one of the best values in high end audio.

Summary:
This review is for the DSP5000, which are connected to the Meridian 500 CD drive. Note that these speakers have three amplifiers, with each one driving the bass, mid and treble. I tried several high-end systems in the US$6000 to US$10000 range and this was the one that most impressed me. Its by made an English firm and the build quality is superb. What do I like about the system? well it has a very "real" sound to it, most unlike the other systems I tried which would not quite accurately resolve the shimmering of a cymbol for example. The bass goes down to a very real 35Hz, sufficient to keep suprising me on certain tracks. The sound is extremely airy and free from the speakers and fills up the whole room. Detailing is superb even at low levels whilst the treble is incredibly sweet. Transients are very fast - due to the design of the system which has an individual amplifier driving each speaker. This is a hard system to fault except that some may find it a little laid back. So if your into the latest hip hop etc it might not be for you. But fot jazz and classic lovers it has to be one of the top choices for around US$7500 complete. For those with more dosh to spend the DSP6000 is supposed to be even better but comes in at around US$16000 complete with a 500 transport.