Meridian America Meridian 518 manual What about analogue sources?, What else do I need to know?

Overview of 518 9

What about analogue sources?

Tuner

LP

CD Player	562
LaserDisc
DAT

518

Using 518 with a 562

Analogue sources need to be converted to digital before passing through

518.Meridian make the 562 and 562V digital controllers, both of which have very high quality delta-sigma analogue–digital converters.

By adding a 562 to the system you will be able to feed 7 analogue sources (like radio, tape, even LP) in addition to 5 digital sources. A 562 also provides full tape copy and 2-room facilities.

518 and 562 work together seamlessly through the Meridian 500 Comms system.2

What else do I need to know?

This is a high-performance system, and to be successful, there are a few things to consider.

∙Use a high-quality DAC. Preferably look for at least 18 bit precision. The Meridian 563 is an 18 bit converter and is a very good choice. Of course, 16 bit DACs will work, and the sound quality improvements from 518 will be evident: the drawback is that 16 bit DACs may give an audible background hiss when connected directly to a power amplifier. The extent of this noise depends on the sensitivity of the power amplifier and speaker used – and of course will be no more than the noise the DAC currently gives you at high listening levels.

If the power amp has some adjustment, set its gain to the lowest value that also allows 518 to give you the loudest result you need. As a guideline, an 18 bit DAC should be quiet enough for a system where the DAC maximum output (normally 2V) is well matched to the power amp sensitivity.

∙Make sure that the maximum output of the DAC (normally around 2V) suits the maximum input level of the power amp. Your dealer will advise on this.

∙As there is no volume control between the DAC and power amp, it is important that either the DAC you use does not have a serious turn- on/off thump, or that you always turn the power amp on last and off first.

∙Preferably, the DAC will use analogue de-emphasis.

2Setup details: set 518 to Type 0, set 562 to Type 1. Either can be the system controller. Autoconfigure (see page 30) makes 562 the controller. Make 518 the controller if you want to use the Menu keys on MSR.

518 User Guide