Lexicon MC-1 is in the house!!!! (1 Viewer)

[Steven Simon]

Check out theater pics below.....

I ran through some preliminary calibrations last night. I threw in Gladiator and Phantom Menace as my first strong demo pieces. The Lexicon teamed up with the rack of Parasound amps simply sounds stunning. My speakers system has completely become transparent. I no longer can tell where a Sound Effect is coming from. Localization is gone!!! The front soundstage in my opinion is really what sets this configuration apart from what I had before (Denon 4800.) Vocals were heavily weighed in the Center Channel, music seemed to be larger than life. The front stage was the deepest and widest I have every heard my theater....

Much more to come….. I only had around 2 hours with my new toy. This Lexicon is so configurable; I could spend 2 weeks setting it up.

P.S

Oh, by the way. My Twin SVS 20-39's never sounded so detailed, with Low, bone crunching LFE!!!!

 

[Gregory Scott Bass]

Congrats, the mc-1 is awesome...I miss mine very much...you can forget two weeks setting it up..lol you will become an obsessed tweaker however the mc1s menus are so good they actually make set up enjoyable, I dont think I will ever be as happy with my home theater until I either repurchase another mc1 or something comparable...which there is not much comparable out there...maybe meridian and of course the mc12....I was getting ready to do some research on the rotel unit...ive given up on outlaw. take care and enjoy your new masterpiece. Scott

 

[Michael Reuben]

Congratulations, Steve! Enjoy.

M.

 

[Trevor Schell]

Wow Steven!!,,
I can't keep up.
One thing though!,
You may want to consider to upgrade the Parasound mono's to something with more current and try to bi-amp your Studio's..
Then you would surely be at the next level.
BTW,,I did upgrade..A new house..
Move in time is May 1.

 

[Ricky T]

Steven,
Congrats! The sound is only gonna get better! I am still in awe of how good the MC1 makes my system sound. Just make sure I get a "free pass" before you start charging admission

 

[John Tompkins]

Steven, I echo your sentiments about the mc-1, I also have a parasound 2205, plus prior to this I had the denon 4802. Your observations were my conclusions aw well. Read the got the mc-1/got rid of 4802 thread. Keep us posted. One other thing I think you will is logic 7 music mode. You can configure to your liking.

 

[Steven Simon]

One thing though!,
You may want to consider to upgrade the Parasound mono's to something with more current and try to bi-amp your Studio's..
Then you would surely be at the next level.

Trev,
I feel I'm at that next level. The audio sounds so detailed and precise; in my mind, I cant do any better.
Also my SVS subs have never felt so detailed....
I may increase the power on my Studio CC at some point. For right now, it's keeping up with the HCA-1500 (205 Watts)on strong demo materials. I'm content for now

 

[Randy G]

Congrats, Steve!!
I got my MC-1 about two months ago, but haven't set it up yet...starting to drooool...especially after poring thru the owner's manuals.

 

[RAF]

The front soundstage in my opinion is really what sets this configuration apart from what I had before (Denon 4800.) Vocals were heavily weighed in the Center Channel, music seemed to be larger than life. The front stage was the deepest and widest I have every heard my theater....

Steve,
As I told you over in the HT Construction section, what you are experiencing is the difference between "receiver" sound and "separates" sound. I had exactly the same reaction when I replaced my Denon 5700's pre/pro section with the Outlaw 950. The difference in sound was definitely beyond "subtle."
And with amplification that is totally separate from those contained in receivers you have completed the jump from "receiver" to "separatist." I will be there myself next week when my 5700 leaves the fold.
Then you enter the next phase. (Remember, "satisfied" is no longer a word in your lexicon - the book, not the component)

Someone suggested bi-amping your speakers. (This is a non-issue for me since I have M&K 150's). And, of course, being a "separatist" means that you have so many more choices, and so many more interchangable pieces that one box solutions don't provide.
Congratuulations on your latest acquisition. I'm looking forward to your side by side comparison of the MC-1 with the 950 when that day comes.

 

[Steven Simon]

I'm looking forward to your side by side comparison of the MC-1 with the 950 when that day comes.

When it arrives...

A full review on the Mc-1 will follow tommorow....

 

[Ricky T]

RAF,

IMO, a small part of Steven's improvement is receiver to prepro (not separates, as he already had the power amps). However, it's really Logic7 and Lexicon processing that he is hearing. My Onkyo 989 outperformed three other prepros in my setup ($6k angstrom 200/205, HK Signature 2.0, and Sherwood 9080), but is no match for the MC1. Other Lexicon owners (ie, JohnT and Steve Dodds) would also agree, as they have owned both receivers and prepros, and pick the Lexicon as the best HT processor.

 

[John Tompkins]

Ricky,

You hit the nail on the head. The biggest improvement between the 4802 used as a pre and the lex mc-1 is logic 7. Man it really is incredible. Both the logic 7 music and movie modes do things I have never heard, period. I dont want to be contraversial but in my ears logic 7 beats the tar out of all other surround formats. I see why HK doesnt want to sell logic 7 as the work that must of went into this algorithm.

Things like good dacs, specs etc. are all very nice and do count towards the final price, but what would be the price for the logic 7 by itself ??

Forgot to mention, the other thing that really sets the lex apart is tweakability. I find I am able to zoom in on "my" perfect sound using these features

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Steve,

I told you that thing was like god. I was so sad the day I had to give mine back.

So did you buy this local, or did you pick this up from our Mutual friend on the west coast?

-Vince

 

[Scott-C]

Sounds like the MC-1 is a winner, regardless of the DACs in it. Seems a lot of discussion around here as of late is about getting the best possible, newest DACs, but that's only part of the "sound solution" (no pun intended). Are the folks that are buying MC-1s buying them new or used? It seems prices on the MC-1 are coming down but I'm not sure if the more inexpensive MC-1s are "trade-ins". What kind of pricing are people paying for this unit, if I may ask?

 

[Steve Morgan]

Steve, congrats on the MC1. I'm agonizing trying to deceide on selling my Ref 30 and buying the MC1.Ricky compares the Onkyo 989 and the Denon 4200 to the Ref 30 but I think that comparison is skewed. How could that be.I went from the Yamaha DSP-A1 and RX-V1 to the Ref 30 with Parasound amps(2205a,2203a) and it was not a subtle step up.I am waiting on your review.I have to make a deceision tomorrow to pick up the MC1 for a good price(sub$2300).

Cheers,

Steve M.

 

[Randy G]

Prices under $3k are usually traded-in units, and usually depend upon what condition the units are in, if all the manuals are there, and how much time is left on the remaining transferable warranty. Absent an orginal sales receipt, Lexicon starts the warranty at the time the unit is shipped from the factory to the dealer. I got lucky with my unit as it had 2.5 years remaining on the warranty. Lexicon is happy to let you know how time is left if you call them with the serial number. High end= $2500-2600, low end= around $2000.

 

[Ricky T]

Scott,
MC1s are going for $2100-2500. DC1 V4.0 for ~ $1100.
Steven Simon,
My NHTs are more power hungry than your Paradigms, and if my 100 wpc citations can take my system over 105dB, I'm sure the parasound 205x2 is fine for your 100s. IF you must upgrade something later, you might want to get a parasound 2003a 220x3 to drive your center and sides, which in Logic7 are just as important as the mains.
Steve Morgan,
Isn't the Onkyo 989 pretty close to the B&K 307? And the 307 has the same electronics as the Ref30? And the Denon 4802 is maybe in the same ballpark as the Denon 5800 (and therefore, the Onkyo and B&K's)? Yes, the MC1 beat the 989 in my system, but the 989 also beat the Angstrom, HK, and Sherwood prepros. And Steve Dodds, remember him...owner of several processors in one year? His "final" showdown was DC1 vs Tag McLaren AV32R EX. He kept the DC1 (not even an MC1). Also, MC1 vs Ref30 is $6k retail vs $2.5k, the price of admission for Logic7....a no-brainer for you since the street price difference is ~ $500.
SteveMorgan/RAF,
If you want to discuss why you think a prepro sounds better than a receiver just because it doesn't have built-in amps, please take it up with Chung in this thread. I wish you guys a lot of luck!
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...8&pagenumber=3

 

[Robert Crawford]

So did you buy this local, or did you pick this up from our Mutual friend on the west coast?

Vince,
You already know it was the latter of the two.
Crawdaddy

 

[RAF]

Quote:

Actually, I've been following chung's discussions and he certainly makes some valid points regarding the pre/pro vs. receiver situation as he really knows his stuff. In fact he also admits that one of the bad things about a receiver is that the one box solution leads to some compromises in the size of some amp components that would be needed to do the job. And, of course, the good receivers sound very, very good. I think one of the main things that we all agree on is that good amps can be a "forever" purchase so rebuying them with successive receiver upgrades can be cost ineffective (unless you are very good at reselling your older receiver equipment). I prefer to avoid this hassle.

 

[SHAWN SZILEZY]

Steven,
Congratulations on your upgrade! Welcome to the Lexicon family. There line of processors do not disappoint. I am sure you will be very happy for years to come.