Orfeo - if I stay with Meridian for a CD player, it would be something in the 5 series to match my 551 integrated and 504 tuner.
dabel - Gene, I’m very seriously considering a Cambridge CXC right now
sbaik - Sean, interesting commentary on the Meridian gear, thank you. I have read that the 506.24 is better than the 507 as well. All of the Meridian 5 series stuff is expensive. In some respects, it seems like you are paying for the sleek look of this gear, in the same way you are paying for the sleek look of Bang & Olufsen gear, albeit way better.
My Meridian 551 is nice but not any better than my Linn Majik I. Seems for the money, with the Cambridge CXC & a good DAC, I could probably do as good if not way better than a Meridian 596 at significantly less cost and would just have 2 pieces of mismatched gear than the aesthetics of 3 matching Meridian pieces, unless I were to get a Meridian 5 series DAC with the CXC.
I must admit, I do like the simplicity of a one unit cd/dvd player though, and in that scenario, I would still need a DAC for my Node 2i.
In the end, the Azur 840C solved everything with its Dual internal DAC inputs on the rear… decisions, decisions :)
