Amp/Preamp Asylum: REVIEW: Meridian 502 Preamplifier (SS) by Luminator

Model:	502
Category:	Preamplifier (SS)
Suggested Retail Price:	$2450
Description:	remote control preamp
Manufacturer URL:	Meridian

Review by Luminator on May 01, 2009 at 12:42:51
IP Address: 75.25.148.121 Add Your Review
for the 502

N.b.: my colleagues and I have never seen or heard the phono card.

For all the pertinent information, please click on the links first. Then proceed.

Part 1 background
Part 2 rear
Part 3 front
Part 4 performance

And also:

Meridian System Remote

I could go on and on about the Meridian 502, but there was one particular listening session, which, for me and my friends, drove home the point.

Let's go back to late Spring 1987. I was a high school sophomore. Not only was the school in San Francisco, it was in the fog belt of the Parkside district. Those were the drought years. And even out near Lake Merced, the weather was sunny and warm. I had chemistry in the late morning. That class was on the top (third) floor, and faced south. It overlooked the soccer field.

Anyway, chemistry was one of the most boring classes. It always seemed like the clock was ticking backwards. Back then, I had the Sony WM-F107 Sports Walkman. It had the solar panel, which wasn't enough to power cassettes, but was enough for infinite radio play. I would always stick in some inconspicuous earbud headphones. I sat near the back of the class, so the teacher may not have known that I was listening to music all that time.

One of the songs that perfectly captured those slow, sunny days was Breathe's "Hands To Heaven." With the dCS Puccini's layered soundscape, it was as if I were staring out of that chemistry classroom's window, gazing out into the yellow sky, looking in vain for the Pacific Ocean.

The girl who sat next to me, Jill, had platinum blonde hair. While I was dozing off to "Hands To Heaven," she heard the song, grabbed one of my earbuds, and said, "Hey, I like that song!"

The Meridian 502's transparency allowed the mood to re-occur, and I turned and tried to grab my earbuds from Jill. Alas, as this is 2009, the only one next to me was my audio buddy, Chris!

My chemistry teacher moonlighted as a scientist for the Academy Of Sciences. On one Friday, he asked if anyone wanted to join him in going to the Academy Of Sciences, which was then in Golden Gate Park. I went home after school that day. While grabbing something to eat, I saw the video for Breathe's "How Can I Fall." It starts off as a sunny afternoon, just like the weather in S.F. in May 1987. Memorable are the lights strung across the street. At the end of the video, it has that gratuitous rain, rain I wish the Bay Area could get!

While we played "How Can I Fall" on the Puccini, that openness made the memories come flooding back. I remembered how I took the 5-Fulton bus out to Golden Gate Park, and met up with the chemistry teacher and about 6 other students. What was really cool was that the teacher flashed his security badge, and was able to get us all in for free. If you were to look carefully, you could spot doors hidden in murals and walls. These doors often led to a hidden world inside the Academy. Our chemistry teacher, who was so boring at school, had this cool office and lab, hidden inside of the Academy. And did he do chemistry? No. He did biology, specifically working with spiders. We had had no idea! Along with his partner, he actually discovered a species of spider native to the Bay Area. They had their names on the species too!

The point is, the Meridian 502 was so transparent, it didn't do anything to shut down the Puccini's breathing space. Ahem. So when we played Breathe, all those details and memories weren't just resurrected; it was as if I went back in time, and experienced things all over again, complete with the thrill of discovery.

My dad generally hates our popular music. But in late May 1987, one particular song caught his attention. While we pulled into the parking lot of the Colma Toys R Us, Heart's "Alone" came on the radio. My dad instantaneously fell in love with Ann Wilson's voice. He let my mom and brother out, but he stayed to listen to the song.

After Toys R Us, we went to a Federated store, which was then at 280 Metro Center. While checking out the Bose 101 speakers, I heard "Alone" again come on the radio.

With the Simaudio Andromeda's emotion, Heart's "Alone" was so gripping, it was as if I were back in Toys R Us' parking lot and watching the Bose 101 survive being placed underwater.

In June 1987, my family, as we did every summer, left for Honolulu. I recall on the flight, nothing but sun and the blue Pacific Ocean 33,000 feet below. One of the inflight audio channels had The Jets' "You Got It All." And I remember reading the little blurb about The Jets in the inflight magazine. Now obviously, with The Jets being of Tongan descent, they were very popular in Hawaii. But with the way the Simaudio Andromeda separates the music from the backgrounds, I felt like it was June 1987, on that flight to Hawaii, rather than being grounded here in he East Bay in 2009... And the Meridian 502 wasn't doing anything to disturb the sun, the ocean, and The Jets. Now where's my passo-guava juice?

When we did get into Honolulu, one of the first things we did was hit the Tower Records on Keeaumoku, right outside the Ala Moana shopping center. My brother bought the Cutting Crew's Broadcast CD. Very rare for any audio component, the Simaudio Andromeda just nailed that throbbing intro to "Any Colour." Man, hearing this over the Andromeda, I was reminded at how the sun shone through that Tower Records' south-facing windows, despite having posters plastered on them. And unlike other preamps, the 502 did nothing to blur or gray-out the textures and colors of "Any Colour."

Next up was the Wadia 781i. While my brother bought the Cutting Crew's Broadcast that day, I purchased the Breakfast Club's eponymous album. For those of you who don't know, the Breakfast Club were Madonna's old band. The Wadia 781i's combination of openness, color, and PRAT fully captured "Right On Track" at its funky best. Almost made me want to don the chicken suit [as can be seen in the music video].

In late August 1987, my parents took us to a party in Manoa valley. That family had a system with NAD electronics (including a CD player, which was pretty impressive for 1987) and some version of the Bose 901s. I hung out with guests who were similar in age, i.e., high schoolers. But there was this "older" girl, who must have been in college. She was in blue/gray tank top and shorts. Sitting on the floor in front of the right Bose speaker, she was doing her nails. The host's teenage son put on Heart's Bad Animals CD, and cued up "There's The Girl." That was the first time I ever heard that song, and it was swingin'! And all I could do was watch that college girl bounce her smooth, sexy legs in tune. With the Wadia 781i and Meridian 502 playing "There's The Girl," I found myself uncontrollably moving my (decidedly rough and un-sexy) legs to the groove. I wonder what ever happened to that girl, and then realize that, when I was in high school, co-eds were "Wow," but now they are "young 'uns," barely legal.

You look at the small, square, plastic Meridian 502, and think, "This can't be any good." But you surround it with quality electronics and cables, and it dawns on you that the 502 does an admirable job of being transparent and true. And more times than not, as in the examples cited above, I find myself not just "forgetting about the equipment," but traveling back in time to when I first heard the music.

-Lummy The Seahorse

Product Weakness:	MSR remote was a $99 option, some people don't like the plasticky look
Product Strengths:	small size, ample inputs and outputs, 99 volume control steps, runs cool, no noise

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Jeff Rowland 312
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Jeff Rowland Capri, Mark Levinson No. 326S, Simaudio P-8
Sources (CDP/Turntable): dCS Puccini, Simaudio Andromeda, Wadia 781i
Speakers: Martin Logan Aerius i, Penaudio Charisma, Totem The One
Cables/Interconnects: Nordost Odin, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Rock, pop, metal, TV
Time Period/Length of Audition: 12 years
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Jeff Rowland 312
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Jeff Rowland Capri, Mark Levinson No. 326S, Simaudio P-8
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	dCS Puccini, Simaudio Andromeda, Wadia 781i
Speakers:	Martin Logan Aerius i, Penaudio Charisma, Totem The One
Cables/Interconnects:	Nordost Odin, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Rock, pop, metal, TV
Time Period/Length of Audition:	12 years
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner