Meridian 5xx vs newer lossless systems

Hey Brax:

For connection, you're covered. Optical for the Blu-Ray and if you have a digital coax from the DVD, you're covered there as well.

With that price difference, you're right that the 565 is an easy call. Assuming you don't find a lot of value in using a computer to setup the 568, and don't need balanced outputs, the difference isn't worthwhile IMHO.

FWIW, I think the 568 uses some FIFO digital buffering whereas the 565 did not, but I defy actual humans to truly notice the difference. At least not without a $50k pair of Meridian Digital speakers! As I said, I've lived with a 565 for years and really don't have any motivation to replace it, other than new gear "lust."

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!