Sam loves the McIntosh MCD205. Do You?

I had the MCD205 in my system for about a month. I let it burn in and then used it extensively. I wanted to really like it because I appreciate the convenience of changers and I have a Mcintosh integrated amp. Although the changing mechanism seems robust, I did not like the fact that you had to stop playing all CDs to change only one CD. I came to the conclusion that the sound of my rega Jupiter was smoother; the mcintosh player sounded edgy. I then upgraded to an Electrocompaniet EMC-1 and that has been great! There is someon else on this board who has a MCD205 connected to an Electrocompaniet DAC and loves that combination. However, there are others who love their MCD205s.

Sam's article was informative, but he does not go into detail about sound of the MCD205; he only speaks in general terms. I like his style of writing and reviewing (I appreciated his comments on the autoformers in the Mcintosh MA6900), but the downside is that you don't the thoroughness of a detailed review.

I think the MCD205 is a fine product, certainly better than any other changer, but it can be improved by adding an external DAC. I settled with an excellent single-disc player and kept my old Technics carousel CD changer for dinner parties, etc.

Can any1 compare this changer to the Anthem CD1??

In the early produced 205's a static pop could be heard when using the digital output to a stand alone DAC. Mac has sinced fixed the problem on current production and I am told they will fix older models if sent in. You can get verification from member Goodsie in another forum thread about this changer problem.

You may want to try the McIntosh DVD player which is about $2,700. I did not do A/B with their CDP but it sounded pretty good. Dealer called it a sleeper.

I wrote a review of this changer a couple of months ago in this forum here at audiogon. Do a search under Mcintosh in the "digital" forum and it should come up. I thought it an excellent sounding changer for those not interested in hyper-detail and the ultimate high-end. It is smooth, clear, and coherent. However, ultimately I believe that those looking for outstanding digital sound will want to use an external DAC. I have mine connected to an MSB Platinum Plus and the combo delivers a sound I could live with for a long time. BTW: I had no static-pop problem and am not worried about it because I know MAC would fix it if it happened (they have really good customer service).

To the person who asked for a comparison to the Anthem CD-1: I used to own the CD-1as well. The CD-1 sounded great, and I loved that it had HDCD (the 205 does not) and an XLR digital output. In the end though, I used it as a transport for the Perp. Tech gear. As a transport I did not like the internal magazine it had. It was noisy and slow. The 205 is internal as well but is is less noisy, and actually very fast. I do wish I could change discs while playing one, but only carousels seem to be able to do that.

I hope this is helpful, good luck,