Critical Review of MVP861 vs MVP871

Then there is the Moon Evolution SuperNova which Wes Phillips (who originally reviewed the Ayre) liked just as much as the Ayre and better in some aspects, (looks much better than Ayre too), which in turn caused more Ayres to appear on the A'gon for sale, next few months it will be something else... and so it goes. Have fun!:yes:

With the superb build quality, great looks and unmatched sonic qualities, as long as there are redbook CDs to listen to, the MCD/MDA will serve me well, at least for the next decade or so. :thmbsp:
 
Negotiableterms said:
The following statement will be regarded as heresy here, but to my ears, the Ayre actually sounds better than a 201/1000 combination on CD, and better than the 201 on SACD.
Click to expand...

No such thing as heresy here. Differing opinions make this forum stronger :yes:

Had an opportunity to audition the Ayre, ML 390S, Krell SACD, Esoteric X-03Metronome Technologie CD4 and Wadia 861 and have to admit i preferred the Mc sound. Problem was they were not all auditioned with Mc gear so admittedly it wasn't what I would call very scientific (not many home loan trials available here :tears: )

May be somebody with an Ayre who happens to be holidaying in Hong Kong could be nice enough to use a bit of their hand luggage space....:scratch2:
 
quick reply- thank you! - not watching the global warming awareness environment show? ...i mean the academy awards?
 
actually Im now wondering if that is on the cusp of breaking rule number two(political) .... oh well, living on the edge:smoke:
 
masterlu said:
I think I'll get the last word in here. :naughty:
Click to expand...
Ivan, you can have the last word... what is it?

Have you heard the Ayre, and if so, what do you think?

Here's an interesting thought:

The Ayre sounds amazingly good for $5,000 (street price). It plays all formats, so whatever DAC chips sets it's using are capable of many different conversions(CD, SACD, DVD-A). Along comes the 871, which has similar capabilities, and (according to Ivan) outperforms the 201, and not quite approaches the 1000. Could it be that there is something synergistic going on that causes the universal players to have an edge on sounding better than the others?

If the 871 is as good as Ivan says, it's a fantastic competitor to the Ayre, since for only $300 more you get video and multichannel on top of the universal player.
 
Negotiableterms said:
Ivan, you can have the last word... what is it?

Have you heard the Ayre, and if so, what do you think?

Here's an interesting thought:

The Ayre sounds amazingly good for $5,000 (street price). It plays all formats, so whatever DAC chips sets it's using are capable of many different conversions(CD, SACD, DVD-A). Along comes the 871, which has similar capabilities, and (according to Ivan) outperforms the 201, and not quite approaches the 1000. Could it be that there is something synergistic going on that causes the universal players to have an edge on sounding better than the others?

If the 871 is as good as Ivan says, it's a fantastic competitor to the Ayre, since for only $300 more you get video and multichannel on top of the universal player.
Click to expand...


Yes, I have heard the Ayre. I'll stick with my Mac, the 871 is a true bargain!
 
One thing great about a forum such as this is we don’t always agree, but we dam make our sure voices are heard.:yes: I just sold my 861 this past weekend and I’ll be ordering an 871 this week. It’s all about choices and I’m glad I have one.

cnote:thmbsp:
 
cnote said:
One thing great about a forum such as this is we don’t always agree, but we dam make our sure voices are heard.:yes: I just sold my 861 this past weekend and I’ll be ordering an 871 this week. It’s all about choices and I’m glad I have one.

cnote:thmbsp:
Click to expand...


Looks like another 871, I helped Mac sell!

You will love it, for sure! :yes:
 
PHC1 said:
Then there is the Moon Evolution SuperNova which Wes Phillips (who originally reviewed the Ayre) liked just as much as the Ayre and better in some aspects, (looks much better than Ayre too), which in turn caused more Ayres to appear on the A'gon for sale, next few months it will be something else... and so it goes. Have fun!:yes:

With the superb build quality, great looks and unmatched sonic qualities, as long as there are redbook CDs to listen to, the MCD/MDA will serve me well, at least for the next decade or so. :thmbsp:
Click to expand...

As I recall, the one thing Wes clearly appreciated about the Moon Evolution superNova was the fact that it had a digital input, which is a definite value to some. But I definitely agree that every few months it will be something else!:D
 
As I recall, the one thing Wes clearly appreciated about the Moon Evolution superNova was the fact that it had a digital input, which is a definite value to some.
Click to expand...
Ha, the MDA has 7 and is a preamp to boot.
 
I am trying to rationalize this whole 871 "superiority" thing. The statements that the 871 is superior to the "201" and is the "equal" or "near equal" to the MCD/MDA is just confusing me. Ok, I can see how the 871 "may" potentially be sonically better than 201. But the MCD/MDA??? Speaking strictly 2 channel, from the previous experiences of other forum members we know/deduced the following:

1. We know the C46/C2200 is superior to any MX products as far as preamp stages go in terms of sonic purity.

2. We know the MDA is not inferior to any preamp and is the fully equal of the C1000 preamp, in fact, at least one member has decided to get rid of C1000 because he did not hear any clear advantages of the C1000 over MDA. From my own experiments the MDA is clearly better than C46/C2200 not to mention the MX family.

Since the 871 does not have a preamp section, going through either C46/C2200/C200/MX or even a C1000, the 871 would have to clearly offer something even more than the MCD/MDA to overcome the point of the statements above.

So I am supposed to believe the 871 is sonically better all by itself and offers so much more than MDA in terms of sonic advantages that going through any preamp it will be the equal or nearly equal of the MCD/MDA??? Now this, I would need to hear for myself. :scratch2:

I wasn't expecting much from using the 201 as a transport going to the MCD but that upgrade proved me wrong, there was an advantage. Does the 871 transport equal or better the MCD transport? I am pretty sure the transport section of the 871 is the equal of the 201 not the MCD. The 871/201 transports have more in common than the MCD transport.

I think it is easy to get excited over a new product but clearly more careful listening sessions over time are in order. :yes:
 
PHC1 said:
I am trying to rationalize this whole 871 "superiority" thing. The statements that the 871 is superior to the "201" and is the "equal" or "near equal" to the MCD/MDA is just confusing me. Ok, I can see how the 871 "may" potentially be sonically better than 201. But the MCD/MDA??? Speaking strictly 2 channel, from the previous experiences of other forum members we know/deduced the following:

1. We know the C46/C2200 is superior to any MX products as far as preamp stages go in terms of sonic purity.

2. We know the MDA is not inferior to any preamp and is the fully equal of the C1000 preamp, in fact, at least one member has decided to get rid of C1000 because he did not hear any clear advantages of the C1000 over MDA. From my own experiments the MDA is clearly better than C46/C2200 not to mention the MX family.

Since the 871 does not have a preamp section, going through either C46/C2200/C200/MX or even a C1000, the 871 would have to clearly offer something even more than the MCD/MDA to overcome the point of the statements above.

So I am supposed to believe the 871 is sonically better all by itself and offers so much more than MDA in terms of sonic advantages that going through any preamp it will be the equal or nearly equal of the MCD/MDA??? Now this, I would need to hear for myself. :scratch2:

I wasn't expecting much from using the 201 as a transport going to the MCD but that upgrade proved me wrong, there was an advantage. Does the 871 transport equal or better the MCD transport? I am pretty sure the transport section of the 871 is the equal of the 201 not the MCD. The 871/201 transports have more in common than the MCD transport.

I think it is easy to get excited over a new product but clearly more careful listening sessions over time are in order. :yes:
Click to expand...



Serge,

Your post makes alot of sense, however the MVP871 is a landmark product. Not just a new one, I am excited over. I expected no improvement whatsoever & could barely justify the labor removing & installing the MVP861. Price to me is always secondary to the actual installation.

Aside from the CD/DVD tray being plastic & not aluminum, it's sound is extraordinary. I suggest you get a hold of one to play with in your environment. I'll bet it stays in it!

Multi-Channel SACD/DVD/DVD-A/ is where the 871 really excells. Personally, I think this unit will hurt MCD1000 sales unless you already own one.

masterlu
 
Ivan, I would be surprised if there is any difference whatsoever between the 871 and 201 transport. Didn't the 4x transport debut in the 861, then the 201 and now the 871? I could be wrong but that was my understanding. In terms of hurting sales, I don't think the MCD was ever a strong seller for McIntosh, it is a pure and hardcore 2 channel product that is part of the "dream system" in the McIntosh line up which obviously pales in the number of total sales in comparison to other products. To me, the 871 and MCD/MDA have completely different purposes and I would never replace one with the other as I am a 2 channel listener. Obviously the 871 has it's place and function but like I mentioned before, No Blu-ray, no sale for me. I don't want to have to replace a $5k product a year later, but that is not the point here.

I will be sure to audition the 871 out of curiousity as soon as I can get my hands on it for a home audition, however, my shootout will be something like this:
MCD-AES/EBU-MDA-XLRs-501 vs 871-(preamp?)-XLRs-501. I don't think the 871 will compare in this "purist" shootout. I still believe that the MCD-AES/EBU-MDA-XLRs-amp of your choice, 501 and above is the best McIntosh has to offer to a 2 channel purist such as myself.
 
PHC1 said:
Ivan, I would be surprised if there is any difference whatsoever between the 871 and 201 transport. Didn't the 4x transport debut in the 861, then the 201 and now the 871? I could be wrong but that was my understanding. In terms of hurting sales, I don't think the MCD was ever a strong seller for McIntosh, it is a pure and hardcore 2 channel product that is part of the "dream system" in the McIntosh line up which obviously pales in the number of total sales in comparison to other products. To me, the 871 and MCD/MDA have completely different purposes and I would never replace one with the other as I am a 2 channel listener. Obviously the 871 has it's place and function but like I mentioned before, No Blu-ray, no sale for me. I don't want to have to replace a $5k product a year later, but that is not the point here.

I will be sure to audition the 871 out of curiousity as soon as I can get my hands on it for a home audition, however, my shootout will be something like this:
MCD-AES/EBU-MDA-XLRs-501 vs 871-(preamp?)-XLRs-501. I don't think the 871 will compare in this "purist" shootout. I still believe that the MCD-AES/EBU-MDA-XLRs-amp of your choice, 501 and above is the best McIntosh has to offer to a 2 channel purist such as myself.
Click to expand...


As far as the Transport, that is my understanding too.

Don't count the 871 out in your shootout yet my friend. :music:
 
Don't count the 871 out in your shootout yet my friend.
Click to expand...
I am not. I will not hesitate to admit if there is a sonic advantage with the 871 in a 2 channel/redbook shootout. If I like it better, I will write McIntosh to change their "dream system" poster, have the 871 replace the MCD/MDA. :D
 
Great debate about the audio performance of the 871, Ayre and MCD/MDA.

Recently I upgraded my C200 to a C1000 and the improvement with LP is very significant. Initial impresssions with my Ayre is more detail but perhaps somewhat bright and fatiguing. With the Ayre/C200 combo my entire CD was playable. I do find myself turning down some CD's with the new combo.

My system is 2 channel with video (no multichannel yet). If the 871 is comparable to the Ayre then one gains video and keeps SACD, DVD-A capability (and one less remote). One could later add the MDA to further improve the Redbook. Masterlu (and others) please advise your 2 channel opinion of the 871.

Can anyone provide input about the video performance of the 871 straight into a plasma (or other video display). Also is it true about the 871 being based on Denon's 2910? Ron C we need you to clarify this.
 
psmits said:
Great debate about the audio performance of the 871, Ayre and MCD/MDA.

Recently I upgraded my C200 to a C1000 and the improvement with LP is very significant. Initial impresssions with my Ayre is more detail but perhaps somewhat bright and fatiguing. With the Ayre/C200 combo my entire CD was playable. I do find myself turning down some CD's with the new combo.

My system is 2 channel with video (no multichannel yet). If the 871 is comparable to the Ayre then one gains video and keeps SACD, DVD-A capability (and one less remote). One could later add the MDA to further improve the Redbook. Masterlu (and others) please advise your 2 channel opinion of the 871.

Can anyone provide input about the video performance of the 871 straight into a plasma (or other video display). Also is it true about the 871 being based on Denon's 2910? Ron C we need you to clarify this.
Click to expand...


My 2 channel opinion of the 871 is a "10"

Video Performance of the 871 straight into Plasma or LCD is off the chart! "10"

I already own two & counting, Mac has a real winner here guys! :thmbsp:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom