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My MCD201 Review

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Carl, at your request, here's this thread back from the tank, sanitized. Feel free to delete this post and re-introduce the thread however you see fit.



Folks, until Carl gets back to take a look, we'll all be watching it closely, lest it circle the bowl again. No more comments on moderation, please.
 
Thanks NT. I feel it is worthwhile giving this one last chance. Please folks read the forum rules if you haven't already. They are there if you click on the red lettering on every page here and I even made a sticky regarding in the forum as well.


Carl
 
Gave up on mine today. Did the A/B test last evening on the MCD201 vs. my old Philips DVD9763SA. The disc that stimmies the MCD201 plays without a hitch or hiccup in the Philips. Just packed it up for shipment back tomorrow. Am tired of listening for the problems rather than the music. Either the Yamaha CD-S2000 or, maybe, just maybe, the MVP871 for me. I'm a bit peeved with Mc, so will not hurry on getting another digital piece from them until this all settles in my mind. Too bad...........if it had worked properly and I knew I could depend on it I would have been very pleased to have the MCD201 as my digital source. Oh, well. Two is enough. Good luck with yours. And, as always, thanks to FG and the gang at AC for taking care of me.
 
FWIW, I have two 871s, both of which are flawless. I also have an MCD-751 that works perfectly. For that matter, all of my other Mc gear works perfectly. Whatever problems some % of the 201s have, they are not endemic to Mc gear in general.
 
Perhaps I can provide some insight into my case hopefully as a constructive piece for Mc.

I decided in Dec 2006 to upgrade my hi fi and Mc was one of the brands on my shortlist partly because I had heard of it before from a long time ago and partly because my friend who has a complete ML system + Watt 7 recommended it. After auditioning a lot of gear I finally sat down with Mc gear and the sound and looks hit home like no other brand. It was a revelation that something that looked so beautiful and retro also was so musical. I settled for the MCD201, C2200 and MC2000 together with SF Guarneris.

Mc was chosen because of its sound, looks and legacy. When my 201 started playing up the dealer was very good about it and offered another one in replacement, firmware upgrades etc etc. Wishing to consider further Mc gear as a replacement (even the MCD/MDA) I gave back the player (noisy and skipping and freeze-ups) and kept a credit at the dealer. However, as time went on and I read more and more people reporting problems, my confidence in Mc digital players went downhill. The crunch came when my dealer's MCD1000 had to get its transport replaced. I decided that a Mc player was not worth the potential hassle or getting it fixed or replaced etc etc. Perhaps Mc was trying to cover too many bases?:scratch2: I got a full refund.

The point I am hoping Ron-C will help convey to Mc is, I am new to Mc, loved its legacy and reputation for quality, loved its looks and ultimately loved its sound. But I am not willing to put up with problematic gear of any sort. Life is too short. It has lowered my confidence in Mc to the point that I am happy to buy Mc amps but not anything with moving parts. I was very happy with the service I received and still am but peace of mind is very valuable. Even if Mc recalled the player now and sorted it out I would not dare get a Mc player probably for 5-10 years. Once bitten twice shy. I wonder how many more like me there are?

To me, this is more of a disappointment than anything else. I am not angry just saddened that Mc would toy with the reputation earned over so many years and which was partially responsible for my current system. The 201 has garnered quite a reputation over here in Hong Kong as being problematic and that is unfortunate.

So good luck Mcintosh with your players. Hope you do the right thing.:yes:

Remember Chrysler just introduced life time warranties on some of their engines but a fat lot of good that is doing:thumbsdn:

howie
 
The unfortunate thing is that, with each passing day, even if Mc eventually does the right thing, they are less likely to capture the benefit for doing so. The right thing, done late, is scarcely better than nothing at all in the world of customer perception. I don't know whether we're beyond that tipping point here or not.
 
When Mac comes out with new cd player I might give one more try and if that doesn't work out that might be the last time I will even consider buying a Mac cd player.
 
If I was a bettin' man, I'd say Mac will be unlikely to come out with another relatively affordable music only CD player to replace the 201. The waters are so poisoned by the whole 201 fiasco that the comparisons would start immediately. That is, whereas the 831 has naturally evolved to the 871 due (I suppose) mainly to new developments in video technology, a redbook CD is a redbook CD.

They blew their chance to get it right -- and then when the 201 turned out to be a quasi-lemon -- to make it right by haulting production. In so doing, IMHO Mac has forced many would be buyers of an MCD202 not to trust any future digital Mac player under $4k.

Like a spouse who cheats on his wife, winning back her trust can take years, understandably so.
 
Hey Ivan,

It looks like you have "5" 201's. Any opinion on their workmanship/funcionality?:scratch2:
 
Just for laughs, I did a search and there are 2 full pages of threads with MCD201 in the title only and 17 when searched in thread content. He has given his opinion many times. Are you kindly asking for an update?


Carl
 
Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in, or 3 grand to be more exact. I was told that Mac was done with firmware updates, failure rate is down to 1% and to go ahead an get an MCD201. It came today, got it hooked up, powered up and hit the open/close button. To my surprise the CD tray would only come out of the player around one inch. I closed the tray and looked at the front of the unit more closely and the tray was way off center to the right. Went ahead and opened it again and gave it a light nudge, and the tray opened all the way. Then tried to close tray and it was blocked by the right edge of the opening and wouldn't close all they way. Decided to try CD just to hear this player, wow it sure sounds really nice. Played a couple more CDs, some of those Japan gold discs, and then to my surprise the player froze up on track 4 of Deep Purple Machine Head. Saturday will contact my Mac dealer, and see what happens next. I would have thought any audio company would check their CD players to see if the tray opens and shuts, it is way off center. Hopefully this works out ok, the sound quality is tops, but the build quality at least of this particular piece and some others is very questionable.
 
bradleyc said:
... I would have thought any audio company would check their CD players to see if the tray opens and shuts, it is way off center...
Click to expand...
They're all checked for that. What you're seeing is shipping damage. I expect the dealer will make that right, as a matter of routine. It's amazing it played at all in that condition!
 
Could not agree more about the sonics. Am missing mine in the mix. It was clearly better than my old SACDP, which is back in there. Too bad the two I've had simply would not work correctly. Only two more months until my new unit arrives, assuming no snafus.
 
bradleyc said:
I was told that Mac was done with firmware updates, failure rate is down to 1% and to go ahead an get an MCD201. It came today.
Click to expand...

Could you post the type of drive (as indicated on the label) and the firmware version, please?

To find out which firmware is loaded, open the tray and leave it open, then press the DISP TIME button on the remote control, afterwards press the NEXT button, three times in total. The display will show the firmware version, release date etc.

When was your unit manufactured (this is indicated on the back)? What letters does the unit number start with, please?

I am asking this because I am currently waiting for my third drive and I want to be sure that I get the latest version ....

Thank you.
 
Update, my unit is packed up and ready to ship back to the dealer. I did however see a sticker on the back MANUFACTURED NOVEMBER 2007. Yes, it is likely the off-center disc tray could have been caused by shipping, but the outer box surface, corners and edges are not damaged anywhere. The sound is so clear and enjoyable, looking forward to getting a unit that functions well. This transport was very quiet, but the player did freeze up. Just spoke with my Mac dealer and he assured me this will be taken care of.
 
I am waitng for my new 201 which should be delivered today. It was shipped from the factory on Tuesday Nov 27th. Anyone interested in drive/firmware or other details just let me know. Wish me luck !!!
 
I just checked my firmware version. It is V15. Date displayed May 2006.
I bought this unit used from Audio Classics about 6 months ago and it has performed flawlessly (knock on wood).
 
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