Anyone here in the McIntosh forum, or elsewhere, own or have listened to the new McIntosh MCD12000 CD/SACD PLAYER?

[A-Line]

I also purchased a MCD12000 and was shocked how good it was , I also purchased a MA-12000 to pair with for a 2nd system. Today I'm setting up a c2800 and pair of 611 monos . I have many amplifiers but wanted to compare .

The 611's are massive as is the MC3500's. I've seen them both at local McIntosh dealer.
Post some photos and reviews of your setups.

I'm basically done with any more upgrades. The music is really happening now. A new phono pickup about every 10 years or so and that's about it.
The new CD player is quite excellent!
I'll get busy playing more CD's tomorrow.

 

[Charles S]

rau, I just posted my Signature and a few pics. It's very nice to meet you. I only have one system. I recently read a review of the C2800. It got an excellent one. I think this pre will be made for a longtime. Congrats on your recent acquisitions!

 

[A-Line]

I also purchased a MCD12000 and was shocked how good it was , I also purchased a MA-12000 to pair with for a 2nd system. Today I'm setting up a c2800 and pair of 611 monos . I have many amplifiers but wanted to compare .

Did you get the 75th Anniversary model or just the standard model regarding the MCD12000?

Mine is just the regular model. I didn't see any value in spending a extra 600.00€ for the just the 75th Anniversary logo insignia.

 

[treitz3]

Hello @Charles S and good afternoon to you. Please allow me to offer you a very warm welcome to the What's Best Forum.

Tom

 

[Charles S]

Hello @Charles S and good afternoon to you. Please allow me to offer you a very warm welcome to the What's Best Forum.

Tom

Tom, thank you so much. It's very good to meet you. I enjoy high end audio very much. It's been a cherished hobby of mine for many years.

Best

Charles S

 

[Charles S]

I also purchased a MCD12000 and was shocked how good it was , I also purchased a MA-12000 to pair with for a 2nd system. Today I'm setting up a c2800 and pair of 611 monos . I have many amplifiers but wanted to compare .

rau, I agree that the sound quality of this new Mac reference gear is superb. I also believe that the C2800 and MC611are of a very high quality. I especially like the 2800. I believe it will be made for a long time. I believe that I finally have my 3500's salted in and reliable. I now have over 300 hours on the green marked new EL509S green output tubes and no failures. I bought 100 of them in reserve. If you saw my system recently posted, you probably noticed my MC1.25KW's silently standing by in case of a major problem with my MC3500's. Sonically the 3500 is significantly better than the 1.25KW in every respect. However, using the tube output of the MCD12000 and the tube output of my C12000 makes my 1.2KW sound much more pleasing to my ear and at least competitive with my 3500's, in the same ballpark with them, if you will. When operating properly, my 3500's do a fantastic/amazing job driving my XVX off the 2-ohm tap, so it's not that the 1.25's are lousy, but that my 3500's are truly exceptional, especially using the SS output of the MCD12000 and tube output of my C12000.

 

[A-Line]

rau, I agree that the sound quality of this new Mac reference gear is superb. I also believe that the C2800 and MC611are of a very high quality. I especially like the 2800. I believe it will be made for a long time. I believe that I finally have my 3500's salted in and reliable. I now have over 300 hours on the green marked new EL509S green output tubes and no failures. I bought 100 of them in reserve. If you saw my system recently posted, you probably noticed my MC1.25KW's silently standing by in case of a major problem with my MC3500's. Sonically the 3500 is significantly better than the 1.25KW in every respect. However, using the tube output of the MCD12000 and the tube output of my C12000 makes my 1.2KW sound much more pleasing to my ear and at least competitive with my 3500's, in the same ballpark with them, if you will. When operating properly, my 3500's do a fantastic/amazing job driving my XVX off the 2-ohm tap, so it's not that the 1.25's are lousy, but that my 3500's are truly exceptional, especially using the SS output of the MCD12000 and tube output of my C12000.

That sounds fantastic Charles!

 

[rau]

I had a MA-7900 yrs ago and loved it , only piece that made my toes tap . Not saying it's the best but I liked what it did . Then for the last 8 yrs I was on a mission i've owned a serious amount of gear but nothing gave me that toe taping experience, I currently have 735 rowland , centaur 500 constellation, JMF audio , none of these did what I wanted . So I bought a few mcintosh pcs and going to see how I end up . You know audiophiles all say mcintosh is junk

 

[rau]

That sounds fantastic Charles!

charles I sent you a message

 

[A-Line]

Just a quick update:
So I'm at around 100hrs of use on my new MCD12000 CD/SACD player and it's continues to improve incrementally in sound every time that I use it. I'm still using the unbalanced tube outputs vs solid state outputs. My preamp has no balanced inputs/outputs.

The sound has more weight to it, sort of like records or tape, yet unique in its own right. The digital format is itself a unique format, like all other formats are unique in their own way.

I've about 50 hours of CD use and the rest was with the my new MB25 Bluetooth Transceiver running through the dual DACS of the MCD12000 for live streaming radio. I know that I should probably spend more time playing CD's but I still favor playing records over CD's but must admit that sound from my new CD player is quite excellent indeed.
To date I've not heard a better CD/SACD one box player, not saying that a better one doesn't exist somewhere, just saying that I not heard a better one to date.

I still have no regrets for having purchased this component and I've no interest whatsoever in auditioning any other digital components as I'm extremely happy with the sound from my current digital playback setup.

I hope that everyone is doing well and happy listening.

 

[Tascam]

I own one. It’s great in terms of sound. However I hate the drawer loading mechanism. It’s not that easy to get discs out. At this price point, I feel that a top loader would’ve been much more appropriate.

 

[A-Line]

I own one. It’s great in terms of sound. However I hate the drawer loading mechanism. It’s not that easy to get discs out. At this price point, I feel that a top loader would’ve been much more appropriate.
View attachment 137618

I agree. My previous MCD500 had a much smoother tray loading mechanism.
However the MCD12000 is much better sound wise than my previous MCD500.
I guess wait and see if the tray mechanism of the MCD12000 works out in the long run.

Meanwhile the trey issue is of little importance to me at the moment. It's a little slow once activated to open but other than that the MCD12000 is a reference CD/SACD just as advertised.

Just my opinion.

 

[Charles S]

I own an MCD 12000, a MVP881, and MVP851 currently in my system. Of course all of this is simply personal taste, but I must be careful when playing a cd to be sure that it is flush with the drawer as it should be so as not to jam. Ditto for the my 881. Interestingly, with the much older MVP851 DVD player the drawer is significantly thicker but it may not be metal, and so there is noticeably less of a chance of a drawer jam. I am quite careful so I have never experienced a jam and I hope that I never do. For me personally, I use the tube output with my 1.25KW's and the SS output with my MC3500's. Each output, tube/SS has a noticeably different sound signature, and I greatly enjoy how the tube output complements my 1.25's and the SS output complements my 3500's. I really like this cd player a lot.

 

[Tascam]

I own an MCD 12000, a MVP881, and MVP851 currently in my system. Of course all of this is simply personal taste, but I must be careful when playing a cd to be sure that it is flush with the drawer as it should be so as not to jam. Ditto for the my 881. Interestingly, with the much older MVP851 DVD player the drawer is significantly thicker but it may not be metal, and so there is noticeably less of a chance of a drawer jam. I am quite careful so I have never experienced a jam and I hope that I never do. For me personally, I use the tube output with my 1.25KW's and the SS output with my MC3500's. Each output, tube/SS has a noticeably different sound signature, and I greatly enjoy how the tube output complements my 1.25's and the SS output complements my 3500's. I really like this cd player a lot.

I have a slightly less elaborate system. Happy with the sound of the CD player, just need to be very careful loading and unloading. Very happy with the amps and Focal Utopia Maestros.

 

[Charles S]

A-Line, you have a beautiful system. The speakers are gorgeous and quite massive. I am sure that you must have great bass. I see that you are a McIntosh aficionado as am I.

 

[A-Line]

A-Line, you have a beautiful system. The speakers are gorgeous and quite massive. I am sure that you must have great bass. I see that you are a McIntosh aficionado as am I.

Thanks Charles. Though my Spendor's & Klipsch speakers really aren't that massive yet produce very adequate bass.

I grew up with McIntosh. My dad had a MC275 tube amp, C22 tube preamp, Garrard 301, MR67 tube tuner, and Klipsch Cornwall speakers..
Though I must admit that I still love the sound of my ReVox receiver and tape deck. My ReVox receiver & tape deck are 41 years old now- they last like McIntosh as it will last a lifetime with regular maintenance.