Very very accurate and musical

A little slow cueing up a CD

The Mac is a very very good sounding CD player/ changer.
Mind you not a Resolution Audio OPUS 21 but there is NOTHING out there that is but this CD player does get close. It is musical...erotic...and very very analog sounding with NO edge. Good air and depth of listening field...nice tight bass and wonderful mids and highs, and again without that added edge. This player even blows away my very outstanding Maverick SACD player in the SACD MODE !!!!!!!!!!!!
A darn good purchase with good build quality and very very nice to look at.

Similar Products Used:

Music Hall Maverick SACD
Resolution Audio OPUS 21
Jolida JD100
REGA Jupiter

the SOUND...only the SOUND.

The display can't be excluded...But who interests???

In front of a MC...chapeau!
Built like a tank, black classic style, magnificient sound: very clean, deep soundstage, perfect tonal balance, quick and accurate to an perfection.

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Copland 823, Monrio, Orelle, Marantz 17, Densen 400, Exposure 3017

D/A converter. I spent a few months A-B ing the output of this unit versus running the digital through a sepate 5K Classe DA converter using all kinds of digital cables. I honestly could not tell the difference so I sold the Classe, in my opinion that says a lot about the quality of this Mac.

Others: build quality, remote

Loud disc changer. Also, I wasn't that happy when I took the rubber feet off the bottom to facilitate use of BDR cones. 2 screws did not come out cleanly, they stripped a little bit and left metal dust. The should use small bolts with nut/washer instead of screws. This is potentially pretty important because if you ever have to send this unit in for servicing, McIntosh is ADAMANT that you attach the rubber feet during shipping to prevent damage and properly fit the original foam.

I like to be able to put it 3-6 cd's, press "random" and enjoy music for hours. So, I have long liked CD changers but have not always been crazy about the sound.
Behold behold this nice MCD 205. I got lucky and found a nice one used and snatched it up. No more compromise on the sound or features, this player is great. Sounds great, looks great, built solidly, variety of output features, what more could I ask. I don't switching to any other CD changers for a long time to come.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Various California Audio Labs (CAL) and Sony ES changers. Although I loved the CAL gear, this unit is better and presents a more balanced, listenable sound. It was not subtle, especially in bass.

Solid tight refine bass,superb mids and classic high quality highs that is NOT harsh just polish and refine.The build quality is rock solid and the look is classic in design.Excellent warranty and resale value makes this player a keeper.

Some noice during disc change but not too loud or annoying.

As a digital audiophile iam very sensitive about my equipment.I have had the Onkyo Integra DX-7911 cd player for many years and never believe a better player existed particularly in the $1000.00 to $3000.00 range.Then about 6 months ago i purchase the MCINTOSH MCD- 205.At first i connected to my Onkyo reciever($3500.00)using the digital coaxial output.The sound was not as great as i expected from a player of this caliber but it was almost as good as the Onkyo...which has amazing specs ie 110db signal to noise ratio and 110db dynamic range.Two days ago i made a change from digital to anolog connection and WOW what a difference..my Mcintosh is now # 1 in sound besting my beloved Onkyo Integra Gold masterpiece player.The Mcintosh is an audiophile masterpiece and is worth every penny.

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Denon,Onkyo Integra,Sony Sacd Players.

Excellent all aound sonic performance for not a lot of $$$

None from a performance standpoint. WHen changing discs it is a tad noisy, but not excessively so

I decided to go with an integrated player about a year ago. The MCD205 replaced an Audio Note CDT2 transport/DAC 3.1x Balanced DAC. Since I was using a McIntosh pre-amp and map, I thought I would listen to their player. Simply put, this unit performs to a level near that of the Audio Note rig which cost almost 4X as much. Whether the sonic excellence is due to the unit synergizing with the other McIntosh gear in my system, I don't know, but I am listening to my system more and more and enjoying it immensely. This unit is well worth the price. Recommended tweaks include Symposium Rollerblocks w/titanium balls and a Symposiun Ultra platform which extracts every bit of sound this player can play.

Similar Products Used:

Audio Note CDT2, Audio Note DAC 3.1x Balanced DAC; Audio Note DAC2 Signature.

Build quality, sound, ease of set up and use, aesthetically it's beautiful. A joy.

None

Actually my 205 was built in March 2005 and I am quite frankly astonished at this player. First, let me say it is built like a tank at 25 or so pounds. It is beautiful to look at before you even play a CD. Once you insert one CD and play it, you'll be hooked. The sense of space is immediately apparent. There is clarity of sound, nothing gets in the way of what is on the disc. I don't understand why McIntosh doesn't get the respect they obviously deserve for making superior equipment. I have been listening to everything from Classical vocal, orchestral, Opera, instrumental music to jazz and rock. Everything sounds as it should. No tricks, nothing but pure, clean sound. It is not tiring to listen to 5 discs on this multi disc player. Right now Alfred Brendel is on playing Beethoven piano sonatas and it is breathtaking how marvelous it sounds.

Similar Products Used:

Sony CD/SACD players; Marantz Universal DVD 9500, Creek CD50 MKII, Adcom

Music and vocals come from a dead-silent background. Coherence, dynamics, timbre, soundstage.

Loud disc changer.

This is an awesome player. I had a Sony player running through a Musical Fidelity A3.24 that sounded great. From the moment I put the Mac in my system, I found that it opened up the soundstage in a way that the Sony/MF combination couldn't approach. Vocals are spot-on, the background is dead silent, the soundstage width and depth have opened up and I hear details in the recording that I never knew were there. Even my fiance remarked how much more refined the MCD-205 is and coming from her, that speaks volumes about the sound of this unit. On the looks front, you would be hard to beat that McIntosh look and feel of quality. I am going to have this unit for a very long time.

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Musical Fidelity, Sony, Denon

excellent sound and it is a changer

er um let me think...ah NONE

hear ye hear ye,what no reviews on this one...here is mine....it is quite good, scary good...I have heard in my house...MLevinson 390s, the mighty Linn CD12,meridian,Naim and the Linn Ikemi(which i also own)... To say this holds its own is an understatement...it is very musical and compares favorably with the Ikemi...at its price it is a value...I own other Mac gear and I am consistenly impressed. Audiophiles who turn their backs on Mac are missing the boat...their stuff sounds GREAT...what goes around comes areound I guess...for the money this is a bargain.

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lots o stuff