Specifications

Bob Stuart answers Questions about the Meridian 598
Page 3
9 How does CD playback on 598 compare to a 588?
Meridian’s 588 CD is a close relative of 598; many of the same components and principles
are used. Their performance on CD is similarly excellent. Obviously 598 is overall a more
useful high-quality music player because, even without bothering with the pictures, it can play
both DVD-Audio and music from DVD. 588 is ideal for someone who seeks just a great CD
player.
10 Can I get 96kHz out of my 598?
598 is fully capable of providing multichannel at 96kHz from DVD-Audio or stereo from DVD-
Video. Analogue outputs (if fitted) always run at the highest possible sample rates and digital
outputs will also provide 96kHz; sometimes to comply with copy protection these outputs will
be encrypted and you need a Meridian system to get the very best result.
11 What about 192kHz?
192kHz is available on some DVD-Audio discs. The 598 is fully capable, the 6-channel
analogue output option uses an extremely high quality studio-grade 192kHz 24bit D/A
conversion system.
Although MHR Smart Link can support it, at the moment there is no industry-standard digital
interface for 192kHz. Current 598 software deals with 192kHz on its digital outputs by using
exquisite double-precision signal processing optimised by Meridian to give transparent
downsampling to 96kHz 24bit. This result sounds fabulous and retains all the benefits of the
high-speed recording.
12 But my DAC/Decoder doesn’t support 96kHz. What do I do?
There is more benefit from double speed digital audio the further down the chain it goes. If
you cannot receive 96kHz don’t worry. For now, use the downsampling DSP in the 598 to
feed the digital output. If you upgrade your DAC or DSP speaker then you can turn double
speed on again.
13 Does 598 have multichannel output?
Yes. All standard configurations of 598 provide multichannel decoding and multichannel
outputs.
The multichannel output can be analogue or digital, see Q. 2. 598 also has a secondary Aux
digital output that can be separately configured as bitstream/decoded and high-rate/low-rate.
This output is intended either to provide a second path to a surround decoder or to feed a
separate zone.
14 Can I just have stereo?
Yes, if you want you can configure the 598 to use only 2 main outputs. In this mode 598 will
put out 2-channel from CD, it will pass bitstreams like AC-3 and DTS on to a surround
decoder. Movies can also be decoded to 2-channel PCM or only decoded when they are
native stereo. In addition, if it suits your system, 598 will access the 2-channel mix on DVD-
Audio discs.
We are very proud of the 2-channel performance and happy that it enables simple playback
systems such as a 598 directly feeding a pair of Meridian DSP Loudspeakers such as
DSP5000.