Of the players listed, the Meridian 508-24 is the best sonically in my opinion. The Stereophile reviews in this instance agree with my assesment. The 508-24 has very, very low jitter which I feel gives it its ease of sound. The other players sound less defined and not as transparent. Also, another consideration between the older Meridians and the new 507 is the quality of the transport. It took a nose dive in the 507. The CDM 12.5 transport was discontinued.
I feel the Arcam is a solid notch behind the 508-20 and 2 or so behind the 508-24. It is a very smooth player but not as defined and has a digital grunge compared to the 508-24.
I started out with the FMJ then upgraded to the 508-20 and finally the 508-24. I still use the 508-24 and currently have no desire to upgrade further.
I feel the Arcam is a solid notch behind the 508-20 and 2 or so behind the 508-24. It is a very smooth player but not as defined and has a digital grunge compared to the 508-24.
I started out with the FMJ then upgraded to the 508-20 and finally the 508-24. I still use the 508-24 and currently have no desire to upgrade further.