I have owned (among others) the Meridian 508-24, Bel Canto DAC-1, and the Birdland Odeon-lite. The Bel Canto was considerably more musical than the Meridian, especially in the highs. The Meridian might have had a teeny tiny bit more bass. The even less expensive Birdland was demo'd to me by a customer, and it was in a whole different league from the Bel Canto. So I called Gilles Gamiero and got some use out of my limited Francais, and he let me become a Birdland dealer. By the way, the new Odeon-Ag is even better - stunningly three dimensional and palpable (which were things the Odeon-lite excelled at but not to this extent).
From time to time an Odeon-lite shows up at AudiogoN - when that happens, jump on it! They're quite easy to resell if you don't like it. But DO NOT skimp on the digital cable - in a reasonably priced cable, I suggest the Analysis Plus.
From time to time an Odeon-lite shows up at AudiogoN - when that happens, jump on it! They're quite easy to resell if you don't like it. But DO NOT skimp on the digital cable - in a reasonably priced cable, I suggest the Analysis Plus.