Lexicon RT-20 or McIntosh MVP861?

If what is said about the Lexicon is true I owned a DV9500 and the video is good but the audio was a little "muting" in detail. The MVP861 is a Denon 2900 transport but the similarities stop there. The DAC circuit is much better than the Marantz or even in a A-B comparision with the Denon DVD5910 the McIntosh had a much better sound. I didn't buy the Mc due to the lower quailty video. I would have liked the audio side of it but was investing my "toy Fund" in the Ayre C5XE so I opted for the DVD3910 as a DVD player and Multi Channel sound.

Thanks, Rex. What do you think of the McIntosh MCD-201 as a music player?

The Lexicon RT-20 is a repackaged Marantz DV9500 with an AES/EBU digital port added. The McIntosh MVP861 is a repackaged Denon DVD-2900 with a balanced analog output stage and beefed-up power supply.

The Lexicon is a very good DVD-V player, a very good DVD-Audio player, a decent SACD player, and a mediocre CD player.

The McIntosh's DVD-V features are somewhat outdated. It is a slightly better SACD player than the Lexicon, but it's also only mediocre on CD.

Given the rapid churn in DVD-V technology, unless there is some feature of either of these players that really appeals to you, I wouldn't buy either one. I'd get an upscale Marantz, Pioneer, or Denon instead.

If music is really your primary focus, I would suggest you skip getting a universal player, unless it's something that was purpose-built for music like the Ayre C5xe or the like.