LEXICON MC-1 VERSUS MERIDIAN 861

I would agree with Definitive. Proceed AVP is hard to beat. It is excellent on 2 channel not just movies like the Lexicon. However, I sold mine and purchased a California Audio Labs unit, the CL-2500-SSp which is better in most respects than the AVP. The AVP has more inputs and the inputs can be programmed with titles. Some of the CAL units presets can be labled, others are fixed. The Cal unit has is more advanced with newer and more powerful motorola chips and new higher bit dac. It has Burr Brown 1704 dacs on all channels which are 96/24 bit dacs. Also the Cal unit is hardware upgradable and the Proceed is only software upgradeable. The dacs can not be upgraded which in one of the reasons I sold my unit. On 2 channel, the Cal unit is very clean and as good as a lot of hi-end 2 channel preamps but it is not as good as the better ones. The Proceed pre-amp was a Stereophile class B preamp , but the Cal unit is better than it so that should tell you that it's 2 channel performance is not shabby. Audition 1 if you can. It is a new unit and hard to find. I was able to purchase from a dealer who gave me a very competitive price. For video switching you have to buy a separate swithcer which adds another 2000.00 to the cost. The video switcher can switch HDTV signals and will include a line doubler in the near future. As I said the AVP is not hardward upgradeable and thus can not be upgraded to process component video signals or any other new formats that may appear. After comparing them all, including the Lexicon, I settled on the Cal unit because, it sounds better on 2 channel than any that ss processor that I have heard and I have heard most, it has the most advance motorala and Burr Brown chips than any other on the market, and both video and audio capabilities can be upgraded via hardware and software upgrades.

I agree the AVP is a good product, but the Meridian gear is in another league. The 565 (older model) has been the best sounding processor for the past 5 years, the only problem was it was impossible to setup. Now the 561 and 568 have PC setup software that works really well. The AVP is user friendly, the MC-1 has a lot of effects, but the 568 is the audiophile choice.

I think the Meridian clearly beats the Lexicon in sonics (I havn't heard the MC-1 but I have heard the MC-2 which is supposed to be better). If sonic purity is what your looking for then I would wait to get your hands on the new Bryston Sp-1. It doesn't offer as many features as either the Lexicon or the Meridian (nor is it nearly as complicated to setup), but it does have all the important THX features,and I have yet to hear as home theater pre/pro that sounds as pure to the source. (I,ve heard alot of high end pre/pros) Shannon

Thanks for your responses so far guys, throwing a NEW unit in the Mix- HAS ANYONE HEARD OF THE OVATION ? I forget who makes it. It is a sleek looking silvery unit and supposedly upgradable. I have decidedly placed LEXICON on the bookshelf with my unwanted books. Heard today that Meridian offers a much warmer sound than Lexicon. Never heard of rhw CAL, Bulldogger, but I will look into it. Anyone heard of OVATION ?

You mentioned in your original post that high-end audio was your first priority. If this is true, then you won't get it with a home theater processor. Even the best processors, costing 2 and 3 times the units you are looking at, can't compete with a dedicated 2-channel preamp for high-end sound. If you're truely serious about 2-channel audio, then save some money on the processor and buy a decent preamp as well. Both can be integrated into the same system. There's all this talk about the sound of one processor versus another, but one comparison of any processor to a decent preamp will yield obvious results.