MCD-500 question

[Fabiano]

Hi all,

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone here for the excelent knowledge base on Mcs for someone like me that is only starting.

I'm trying to decide whether to buy the MCD-500 or the MCD-301. One of the main reasons I'd go for the 500 is the ability to use it as a DAC. I play a lot of digital music from a music server and this would be a huge plus. I'm aware that the mcd-500 will only decode 2 channel stuff. However, all my 2ch Mcintosh gear (2ch only) will be also hooked to my HT theather stuff in passthru mode. I use my music server to play multi-channel movies as well. My question is: if I supply the MCD-500 with a digital multi-channel signal, even though it will not decode it, will it pass this same mulichannel signal to its digital output?? In other words, the MCD-500 would be used as a passtru for multi format signals... possible?? the problem I have is that my music/movie sever (mac mini) only has one digital output and I use it both for stereo and multi-channel material.

any help would be appreciated.

best regards,

Fabiano.

 

[Victor]

I'm not positive but I'm 99.9% sure the MCD500 will not pass through a multi-channel digital signal.

If I feed a multi-channel digital signal to my McIntosh MDA1000, it just plays the front right and left channels as a 2-channel output. I would expect the MCD500 would do the same thing.

 

[Fabiano]

Tks Victor. I know this is not very usual, but there are some DACs outthere that do that (cambridge audio dacmagic). But since you said the MDA1000 don't do it, I doubt the MCD500 will do it. Maybe I'm lucky and it does.....

 

[ron-c]

MCD500 is a two channel device. It does not have a Pass through mode but will handle one additional optical and one additional co-ax Stereo digital inputs as well as the MCD500 internal CD, MP-3, SACD, CD-R, CD-RW disk read drawer.

Thanks,
Ron-C

 

[Fabiano]

Tks Ron!!!