I owned the Audio Research CD2 for over a year and now have the Meridian 508.24. They are both excellent, but very different. The CD2 has a very sweet sounding 1/3 to mid-hall presentation. It's more forgiving of poorly recorded cd's than the 508.24 only due to the Meridian's ability to delineate each instrument and pull in more detail. I really wanted to keep both because each one had it's own strength. The reason I went with the Meridian was its forward presentation, which makes me feel like I'm in the front row, and in some cases (depending on the quality of the recording) on stage. Also, the 508.24 allows me to hear the individual instruments with more detail and bloom without losing its coherence, yet remaining palpable. You really need to hear both on your system before you decide. Or you can just buy both...
If you listen to mainly classical music, the CD2 (IMHO) sounds wonderful and would be my choice.
I had some difficulty playing CDR's on the CD2. Sometimes the same cdr worked and sometimes it didn't. The Meridian has never had a problem playing CDR's.
If you listen to mainly classical music, the CD2 (IMHO) sounds wonderful and would be my choice.
I had some difficulty playing CDR's on the CD2. Sometimes the same cdr worked and sometimes it didn't. The Meridian has never had a problem playing CDR's.