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McDACs

Thanks...and SOLD!

I've cancelled my order for the Ayre C-5xe. I wasn't expecting to use it for DVD-A much anyway. Now Ron, I have only two questions:

1. Is it the old style (matching MS-300) or the new style (matching MC-501)?
2. Can you give us an idea on price so I can start saving now?

Thanks!!
 
Great!

Great looking unit!

One of the two large knobs is volume. What's the other one do?

Are there any inputs for other digital sources to make use of the internal DACs?

It's SACD/CD, and no DVD-A. Is that technology-driven, or related to the SACD/DVDA format war, or a prediction or preference of some kind?

Since it has balanced outs, are the DACs differential?
 
Negotiableterms said:
Great looking unit!

One of the two large knobs is volume. What's the other one do?

Are there any inputs for other digital sources to make use of the internal DACs?
Click to expand...

I was at CEDIA today and spent a little time with the MDC-201, I looks like a great unit. The left large knob is the skip/scan self centering spring loaded knob, very cool but I would think most people would just use the remote. I looked at the back of the unit and I don't remember any digital intuts, only an output for say a MDA1000.

I'm not sure about your other questions, I was too blown away with the new premier line to concentrate on the MCD-201. :D

Victor
 
The MCD201 uses a custom transport that is not based on any existing machine. It is a 4X CD, 2X SACD read transport. The internal multi-bit DACs are very high quality. It has excellent sound quality. This is the best one box player McIntosh has made to date.

Ron-C
 
Negotiableterms said:
Are there any inputs for other digital sources to make use of the internal DACs?
Click to expand...
The possibility to use the MCD201's internal DACs would have been awesome (it would have added *alot* of value IMO, for computer or digital TV audio). But maybe it is not that easy to add without adding too much cost... the current target of 3000$US for CD/SACD is good, since the 861 (adds Vdo&DVD-A but no headphones) is around 4100$US I think.

Anyway, it would be too cool if McIntosh CD and DVD players had that feature; a little CD/AUX button in front of the MCD201 would have been too good to be true :D

The next step must be a MVP8** with a headphone output with "virtual surround" or something (like Dolby Headphone) :lmao:
 
Ranking DACs

Ron C-

Would it be possible for you to describe and compare the various current-production Mc DACs, or rank them in terms of 2-ch CD sound from the top down? As must be obvious, I have a hard time understanding how one differs from the next. As must also be obvious, I'm most interested in figuring out where the MCD-201 fits in the range, and I'm hoping it's the most sophisticated next to the MDA-1000. What I'm curious about is where the MPV-861 would fit in compared to those.

I realize this is a tough question, so please feel free to tell me it's not possible. Thanks!
 
The MCD201 is two channel. This simplifies everything as it is only PCM and DSD.
The MVP861 does PCM, MP3, DSD, DTS, DD, etc so it has a much more complex DAC section using three stereo Burr Brown dacs.

The MCD201 is multibit for both DSD and PCM and this is a new desisgn we have not used before. The DSD section is superb with less than .013 distortion before the DSD filters are applied. After filters it is .000 something.

Ron-C
 
I have a new MS300 and MVP861. I did a bit of comparison of CD to HD of the same tracks and it was indeed difficult to tell the two apart, but I need to try it again. DVD-A's on the 861 are simply sensational, some of the best sound I have ever heard. The interface and convenience of selecting music from hundreds of titles without getting up and changing CD's makes the 300 the single coolest audio device there is.

I like my Mac's!
 
I would like to echo the suggestion that others have made that a digital input be added to the MCD201. I think that would greatly enhance the value of the product. If McIntosh is going to go to the effort of building a top notch D/A converter, why not make it possible for consumers to use that same D/A converter for their other digital sources?

In addition, I wish McIntosh (as well as other manufacturers) would add a phase invert switch to their CD players.
 
The MCD201 has many unique features. It is done and loaded into the production schedule so it will be around for some time as is. Every digital source uses built in DACs and these have all improved over time. The weak link is not always the DAC but usually the implementation of the analog section.

Ron-C
 
Digitizing?

Let's reverse course for a moment. If one wanted to get from vinyl to the highest-res digital possible, does anyone know of a SACD recorder, or a high-end DSD ADC, or... ?

I don't have a lot of vinyl left, and only two ancient turntables of questionable pedigree (and which are in boxes), but there are a few albums I'd like to turn into SACDs. Any ideas? All comments welcome!
 
Negotiableterms said:
Let's reverse course for a moment. If one wanted to get from vinyl to the highest-res digital possible, does anyone know of a SACD recorder, or a high-end DSD ADC, or... ?

I don't have a lot of vinyl left, and only two ancient turntables of questionable pedigree (and which are in boxes), but there are a few albums I'd like to turn into SACDs. Any ideas? All comments welcome!
Click to expand...

I'm not aware of any consumer SACD recorder. Alesis makes a hard disc recorder with a built in CD burner that can burn 96/24 recordings onto CD-Rs. The CD-Rs won't play back in regular CD players, but I think the files can be read by certain music software programs.

Your best bet would be to get a high quality 96/24 A/D converter and a soundcard with a digital input. There are now programs that let you master and burn audio DVDs with a 96/24 soundtrack that will play in regular DVD players.
 
An MS300 has facilities to rip from albums onto the hard drive and then name the album, artist, and tracks. You can then burn to CD-R's. I have not copied a record onto the MS300 yet, but the quality from CD's is outstanding. I don't think you'll get much better trying to get an album converted to an SACD if it can even be reasonably done. There are certainly computer alternatives that may be effective as well.
 
ron-c said:
The MDA1000 is 80 % of what you were hearing. The big advantage of the MCD1000 transport is a very good design with overkill power supply and most importantly the 110 Ohm AES / EBU output. It just simplifies the process.
The MDA1000 does strip all of the clocks off the incoming 75 Ohm SPDIF signal when using Toslink or Co-Ax RCA style digital cables. If you use a silver plated co-ax type digital cable the performance will be very good. Re-clocking the signal eliminates most of the sonic flavor of whatever transport is used. You can use a very cheap transport with the MDA1000 and have great sound.

Ron-C
Click to expand...

Ron,

Can you compare how the sound of these would be:
  • the digital output from an MCD7005 run into an MDA1000 vs.
  • an MCD201?

Thanks, Rob
 
I have not done that one. The MCD7005 will benefit from a newer DAC and the MDA1000 improves anything of course. The other issue is that the supply of replacement laser diodes for the 7005 is exhausted so you will be looking at a new player one of these days.

thanks,
Ron-c
 
Disappearing Data From CD-Rs and DVD-Rs

jrsystems said:
An MS300 has facilities to rip from albums onto the hard drive and then name the album, artist, and tracks. You can then burn to CD-R's. I have not copied a record onto the MS300 yet, but the quality from CD's is outstanding. I don't think you'll get much better trying to get an album converted to an SACD if it can even be reasonably done. There are certainly computer alternatives that may be effective as well.
Click to expand...
msn.com had a story a few days ago dealing with CD-Rs and DVD-Rs.

The gist of the story was that because dyes are "melted" by the burning laser to make the pits in a CD-R (instead of a pit being burned directly into the aluminum substrate like in commercial CD production), a CD-R would only have a limited lifetime. The article noted cheap CD-Rs might last 2 years while the best ones would barely make it to 5 years before they became unplayable.

The article noted that the Library of Congress was having a nightmarish problem with this as they had archived many valuable documents and old recordings to CD-Rs, had gotten rid of the originals, and now the CD-Rs they made were unplayable.

We have some software CD-Rs of non-critical information we made two years ago on TDK, HP and Sony CD-Rs and virtually all of them are now unreadable, so I personally do not consider CD-R to be a viable storage medium.

Funny how vinyl doesn't suffer from any of these problems, nor do old 78's if they are stored properly! :tresbon:

I also know for a fact DVD-Rs will suffer from the same problem: I purchased a DVD-R of the extended length "Dune" that David Lynch refused to let be shown in the United States. I bought it three years ago and now it is unplayable. Fortunately, at least in this case, this extended cut was finally commercially released this week. :cool:
 
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