I own an MCD500 and like it very much. I find it to be a touch warm and laid back, but with enough detail to give me what I want musically from the system. I have not heard the D-06, but FWIW, every piece of Luxman gear I have ever heard, and that is a lot, has always been very impressive. That said, if I found the MCD500 and the D-06 to be musically equivalent, I would choose the MCD500 for its eye candy factor. |
I listened to the MCD500 but not the Luxman. I thought the McIntosh was nice but not great, I was actually a little disappointed at the sound. It could have been synergy with the amps, speakers, etc. I can't remember what they were using. My impressions are that the player was an average sounding player, others were better. I liked the Sim Audio D300 dac better, the new Denon 100th anniversary SACD player was a much better sounding cdp, in my opinion of course. |
The McIntosh is a big pile of you know what.....but hey, they don't do digital....I think the internals are all from Denon or Pioneer....it was easily trounced by so many players half its price.....it's a dumpster piece if i ever heard one.... |
Does anyone own or have listened to the Luxman D-06 or Luxman D-05 CD Players? Thoughts on them and how they compare to other high end players? |
Chashas1, what players have you personally compared the Mac with? |
HI Bob, quite a few.....I should have given a better description of what I heard, sorry for that.
What I did hear truly amazed me.... The MDC500 basically robs the music of any life. Every time we listened, everyone sat there, and then when we'd switch to another unit, such as a Naim or Rega or Resolution Audio, everyone started tapping their foot and smiling again. I was truly surprised, and then started to put two and two together, since Mcintosh has not done any digital development of their own, just sticking in some others and putting their name on it. A horrible player musically, looks are fine if you like that sort of thing. |
Chashas1,
It is so hard to have these conversations when we all have different rooms as well as electronics. The reason i made the post was that i was considering the MCD500 and the Luxman D-06. To say that the MCD500 is horrible is hard for me to fathom. I have an imperfect room and I have had the MCD500 store demo and it is a very nice sounding player. The mid-range is accurate, the bass quite good, and the overall sound giving me a nice balance of detail and musicality. I have decided that I am going to go with a Luxman but the MCD500 was far from terrible. I auditioned the Ayre and Meridian and have also had Ayon. I thought the Mac held its own with that group. I have Pass XA60.5 Monoblocks, a Rowland Capri Pre-Amp, and Tyler Acoustic Loudspeakers with Seas Drivers. I don't know why some people like to bash McIntosh but the player I tried was quite good. |
Correction. I am not blasting Mcintosh.
I am blasting the Mcintosh cd player I heard. It was boring. The guy's tuner was more musical. Very true, we each have different tastes, but that box cannot convey a musical moment, I don't care who's room or system it is in.
Best to you . |
More importantly than our different tastes is the fact that we all hear differently from each other. I have the MCD500 in one of my better systems and it more than holds it own (for digital, of course) amongst other higher end gear, i.e., Well Tempered Amadeus, Audio Research electronics, Verity Fidelio Encores, and a REL B2. As part of that system, for me, and for all of my audiophile friends who have listened to the system extensively, the MCD is highly musical. I offer this perspective not to be argumentative but rather in support of the fact that we all hear differently! |
I always find these forums interesting as individuals put forth thoughts as absolutes. I hope that the audiophiles out there have the sense to realize that the synergy between the components and that includes the room will determine how a piece sounds. Yes, there are levels of quality, but no one knows for sure how equipment will sound till it is heard in a room. Everything is not black and white. Even the reviews are limited. I find that I have less patience for audio people who act like they know it all. Its like a dealer that tells you that a brand that they do not carry is crap. Take all the information in and make your own choices. The Mcintosh MCD500 is very musical, has a very nice midrange,and is very pleasant to listen to in my system. That is just my opinion but I don't claim to know everything. I have owned the Ayon CD2, Ayon CD2S, and the Ayon CD5. I also had a Wadia Player some years ago, tried the Ayre C-5xeMP, and one of the current Meridian players. The Mcintosh holds its own with that group of players. |
Pettyfeversk - Exactly! ;-> |
Sorry. Didn't mean to post anything even close to an absolute. The OP asked for opinions. I would love to listen with those of you who like this player. Maybe someday some teletransporter can achieve that. Until then, enjoy without me. |
Chashas1 - No harm, no foul, no worries! Happy Listening! ;-> |
Luxman-McIntosh CD Players
You asked for our opinion and we gave it. I didn't say it wasn't a good player, it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be, especially at $5,000. I would have definitely picked the Sim Audio dac over this player, it has much better dynamics, more musical, much more alive sounding and it cost $1700. The Denon is $2500, it is very detailed, warm, musical, and has computer hookups. I can't remember all of the amps/pre-amps etc. that were used but I know they were all hooked up to upper end electronics. The Simaudio used Avalon speakers and then we hooked it up to Dynaudio speakers. The Denon 100th Anniv. Receiver was used for the Denon along with Boston speakers. I personally think the MCD500 is overrated and overpriced compared to other players, this is my opinion of course. But the bottom line is that everybody hears music differently and if you like the sound of a system, so what if nobody else likes it.
by Smw30yahoocom |
Thanks for posting. That was my point. The OP wanted opinions. No egos or other opinions were meant to be sullied. My friend had one, we compared it in different systems, rooms, against less expensive players such as Naim cd5 and Rega Apollo, and everyone chose those over the mc, in a heartbeat. Just wanted to give the OP a heads up. Haven't heard the Luxman.
Moot point now, OP bought Luxman. |
I have the Luxman D-06. It is a great sounding unit in my system. Really a sweet sounding unit. |
Absolutely right on the Mcintosh stuff. I don't think Mc-Music is great at anything. Especially digits! I don't waste my time with anything Mcintosh anymore. However, I have heard the Luxman and i thought it was beautiful! |
Love the posts. I think Mc is great. However.....I just purchased a used Mc CD player. My $300 Sony outperforms...hands down through my Mc amp. Boring and non-dynamic. Love the brand...hate this product.
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