This apparently simple player secretly has some fine tuning abilities hidden in its configuration menu
In this menu you can adjust things like error-correction and servocontrol of the laser pickup. Read on!
Something of an icon in the nineties, the 508.24 was voted Stereophile Class A when it was introduced! The Meridian 508.24 cd player has some hidden settings that are well worth investigating. Not only does this go for the 508.24 but also for the 508.20 and partially also for the other 500 series players. Every Meridian product has a configuration menu but the contents may vary. But I digress… This article is for the 508.24.
By shutting down the player with the hard power switch at the rear and powering up again, while holding the display button, you end up in the config menu. In there you can make several interesting adjustments.
Before you begin please be warned that it’s easy to mess up in these menus when you’re not paying attention. Please be careful and follow the steps below. Just to be sure, take note of the factory-setting before you change it. As long as only the display button is used, you’re only browsing. As soon as “previous” and “next” are used, you’re changing items.
Most interesting settings
There are several adjustments to be made, but two of them are of the most interest to us: Errorcorrection and Servo Adjustment.
Error-correction
This function can be toggled on or off. In the on position the sound is very precise, measured and lightning quick. In the off position the sound is the opposite: fluid and relaxed. More “analog” in a sense. This is a matter of taste of course. Just try and see which you like best. There is no technical reason to use the on position because apparantly there still is some error correction going on somewhere because all cd’s I played since are read quickly and flawlessly. Mayve this comes into play when using extremenly damaged cd’s?
Servo adjustment of the pickup lense
This function adjusts the servo tracking in 5 steps. According to an article I read Meridian incorporated this function to be able to compensate for the variation in the supplied Philips transports. Officially position A is the best and most precise and dynamicsetting but it can also become a bit dry. It is this setting that lends the player it’s most technicall correct sound. Switching from A to E the sound becomes increasingly more relaxed, distant and fluid. Especially the high frequency becomes a lot more silky but the bass loses some tightness.
How to get into the configuration menu
1.shut down the player using the switch at the rear.
2.push the button “display” and keep it depressed.
3.switch the player back on using the switch at the rear.
4.let go of the display button when “config” is shown.
You are now in the config menu. This is shown briefly in the display. After
that the first menu item is shown: 500. This is the remote protocol. Never
mind that.
5.choose the required item (error correction) using the display button.
6.switch it on or off using “prev track” en “next track”.
7.choose the next wanted item (servo) using the display button.
8.switch between the options A-E using “prev track” en “next track”.
9.shut down the player again using the switch at the rear.
The settings are automatically saved when te player is powerd down.
Have fun experimenting!
Hello,
As I bought the 508 playing no discs, I accidently fell into the config section.
You mentioned some settings.
But there is p.a, s.a, s.s (cd, tr,…)
Servo A to F.
Power on together with the standby button gives me type 1 or 2. 1 I think.
Now. I inserted several discs, cleaning disks, always loading no disc. Display — —
Then again by coincidence, I did power on together with the play button and advancing to track 2, the hell he started playing. What the hell is this ?
Tried another, loading no disc.
I got 3 results out of 6 disks. Using this unorthodox way of operating.
Ok . I paid 80£ . But this is cumbersome functioning.
I found out everyting. As he did not spin wile loading something is wrong.
What I found next was, power on together with the stop button, gave me TEST. I pushed play and he started spinning, the whole time. Hitting pause gave me LASER but I did not hear anything. So what this is I don’t know.
I don’t think the solution lies in the config, why he doesn’t spin at closing and reading the TOC, with total time.
My technician comes Saturday but I read that people replacing the laser mecanic with a compatible Philips version did not get any result. I am anxious that he gets damaged now that I have something at least.
Your remarks and advise.
Finally the 555 power amp. This amp I guess should have a little green operating light.
It is not there. Ok, maybe broken. I opened the front, there was NO lamp at all, just an empty space, with some wires on the left and right. A whole compartment was simply empty. What happened here ?
He plays, yes. But should I look into this further. I have no control over its functioning.
I guess he lights up when the preamp , the 501, starts. The 555 has no power off/on.
So maybe I worry for nothing special. But still very strange.
That is it. Many more info I do not find on the net.
If somehow any settings affect the initial spinning , I would like to know of course or people who could know.
Thanks for your advise on both machines.
Greetings,
Ignace Erauw
Belgium
I have to 506 24-bit and track one I get TOC
The rest of the tracks will play so if there is 5 tracks 1 won’t play but the other 4 will any help would appreciated
Hi Chris, weird, never seen that before. I’m afraid I cannot be of help on this one.
Hi,
I got it working without the poweroff knob.
I still don’t get the TOC after inserting the disc. So no total time.
Also SACD disks don’t work. No disc ! Because the cd player is from before the SACD age ??
Thanks.
Hi Ignace, the SACD layer is first layer that the laser encounters, the PCM layer is on top of that. The laser must, therefore, focus through the SACD layer to read the red book PCM layer. If this doesn’t work with your player then it is a sign that the laser diode, or its associated circuitry, has gone off spec. These transports sound fine but don’t last very long in my experience.