Meridian 5xx vs newer lossless systems


I am still wavering between getting a new low end processor like the Emovita UMC-1 or picking up an older Meridian 500 series processor. I believe the Meridian would best the newer units in sound quality for music but what would be the difference in Meridian’s excellent AC-3 decoding verse the newer lossless formats, even from a low cost unit?

Which Meridian unit would be the best value at this time?
brax
Kjweisner,

Well I just bought a 565 with the 7.1 upgrade, can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the advice.
Very cool! If you get stuck during setup, let me know and I'll try to help out. Feel free to email me at kweisner@embarqmail.com.
First, I don’t know what everyone’s talking about, the setup on the 565 was a breeze. I just printed out the manual, READ it and had it programmed in about 15-20 minutes.
Second, the sound is fantastic. Granted, it replaced a Pioneer Elite receiver but the added processing control made a world of difference. My speakers have never sounded so good. The Trifield and Music DSP modes are so good, I never listen to straight two channel anymore. The detailed setup really fine tunes your system to get the best balance and sound. I never watched movies in THX because I didn’t like the sound until the 565. Bottom line is that the 565 is a great unit, even if it’s a little long in the tooth and can be had for a great price in today’s market.
Hey Brax--glad to hear you're happy with the 565. I think I might have been a little extra cautious on the setup warnings, because it's still a little more effort than what most people are used to. Measuring tweeter distances and doing the math to figure out delay times, etc. means there's some extracurricular labor involved.

I also have a full stack 565, 562v, 518 and a DSP 5000--all of which require programming and which must be done differently depending on the settings chosen for the other gear in the stack. Add in the fact that these products came to market at different times with different software versions and contradictory manuals, and I certainly got lost in the weeds. But I've never had any desire to switch as I don't think there's much more to be had from a sound quality point of view!
Hey Kjweisner,

I just picked up a 562V to go along with my 565. Do you have your gear connected with the Meridian Comms cables? If so, what are the advantages. I have a Haromny remote that can do the switching or is there something the comms hookup adds?