Outstanding Picture and Sound

no RGB outputs

I purchased this unit to kill 2 birds with one stone, to be used as a DVD and CD player. It is an outstanding unit in both categories!
I use it in conjuction with the C35, MC7200, B&W 805N's, Audioquest and MIT interconnects, and Sony flat screen in my rather large bedroom (22'x25' with 15' ceilings).
As several of my friends also love audio, I have auditioned many of the best known "audiophile" CD units costing much more than this one. This unit meets or beats all of them in its delivery of wonderful sound. As I have not yet seen any DVD player in this price range, only units at about half the cost, I cannot make a suitable cost/picture comparison. I can only use my trained eyes. As a cinematographer by trade, this is the closest I have seen a consumer unit come to properly representing film in a digital medium. Well worth the money.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Panasonic

Frequency range extention in the audio. Solid build quality. Built to sound and last like a McIntosh; sweet and forever.

Makes me realize all the crappy engineering that was put into recording most of my cd's. Remote control doesn't need to be this big. Inability to play CD-R's or CD-RW's, although I hear the MVP851 will have that ability.

Actually I have the MVP841 with the only difference being the 841 has an optical output as well as the others. The first thing I noticed was the wonderful bass extention from this marval of engineering. It makes me search for "test" type cd's as to be thrilled by it once again. (i.e-Flim and the BB's, Joe Jackson's "Will Power", Steely Dan's "Goucho" and "Two Against Nature". I have yet do experience the DVD to it's full potential since it's being used with a barely stereo Samsung 25". But what can you say about a home stereo system where no component has a signal to noise ratio below 100db, THD not over .01% and speakers that have an efficiancy of 100db/2.83v/1 meter. Haven't found any 24bit/96KHz cd's that I like enough to buy yet.

McIntosh refuses to dive headlong into the latest format fad that comes along. Wanting to be the first one out there with a $300 to $500 machine that plays "super widget" discs is just something that left to the mid-fi crowd. Could you imagine producing a (retail) $3,000 unit for a fromat that may or may not fly? But when Mac is convinced that a format is stable enough to consider, you can bet you will not be disappointed.

Related gear: McIntosh C-33 preamp, Rotel RB1080 amp (200wpc), dbx 1231 eq, Monster Power HTS-5000 AC line conditioner, H.H. Scott 830z real time analyzer and Klipsch KLF-20 sperakers. Vibrapods on everything.

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Sad to say my only other cd players were a Sony CDP-111s (cir. 1983) and a Carver TL-3100 (cir. 1988).

This is a preliminary review of this new DVD player and by no means is a complete check out of every feature and performance aspect of the unit. I leave that to more discerning and professional reviewers. The first Mac DVD player in my book is a winner. When you pop in a disc, you will struck at how tight the video grain pattern is in this player- almost film like in quality. Increasing tv sharpness will not result in a degraded picture of edge effects. Second the sound is superior to anything I or others have heard in DVD players. By this I mean the sound is better localized when needed; bass extension seems deeper; and the recording environment seem better( clearer footfalls, better acoustic qualities of a room the actors are placed in. I speculate that the Mac engineers have added many enhancements like a comb filter to keep the picture quality this high. The excellent quality of construction probably has something to do with its excellent overall performance. THe MVP831 has such amenities as an automatic shut off when not in use after 20-30 minutes, remembering where you left off in viewing a movie when you are interrupted(pressing stop), and system integration with the rest of the McIntosh gear. As a CD player my preliminary listening indicated superb sound with nothing left to be desired. Sonic resolution and depth were amazing, and I hope I don't change my mind about it as listen further over the next few weeks and months. Is this product perfect? In a word , no. The largish remote does not have a power button. Mac intends for you to use it in their system of 5 volt triggering when powering up a MX-130 or MX132 processor/preamp. It has a front panel power switch and stand by button for you to use. While it has RCA composite and S video outputs, this DVD payer lacks componenent video outputs. Black level adjustment using 0 IRE is not present. I expect the the home theater press to criticize these omissions. The MVP831 otherwise has all the features you find in today's DVD players. If you are looking for crisp, well saturated color pictures, with wonderful Dolby Digital or DTS sound, look no further.

This is an update to a review of the MVP 831 DVD player nearly a year ago. I have found the audio part of the Mac unit leaving little to be desired. It is utterly clean and transparent and more than capable of exposing any recording flaws. Listen to the high pitched whistling in the Linda Rhondstat collection of big band music Around Midnight. It is not consistent through out, but it is clearly discernable when the music plays and when it stops. This problem might have happened during early the early recording sessions. Anyway, you have a natural, full-bodied sound that you can listen to all day long and not get ear fatique. What more can be said? Well, if one of the new audio formats becomes sucessful, I hope Macintosh will offer a factory upgrade. That is another story for another time.

Picture quality,build quality,IT'S a MAC

No component output

This unit is a fantastic find overall,but come on McIntosh were is the component output for use with the new TV's? Otherwise a GREAT unit.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer,Sony,Mitsubishi

picture, sound, all-round cool factor

no component inputs, when used to play cd's in dvd mode
processor is tardy in picking up code standard.

when presented with a great dvd you will get a great picture. unfortunately most dvd offerings lag lasediscs in this department. that being said the 831 gives a great picture and delivers in spades on the sonic front. some might quibble on the rather cool and distant presentation on the cd front but mate it with a decent tube amp or solid-state mosfet jobbie and i think the balance would be to die for. certainly a good value at the $2k i paid.

i'm REALLY happy with my mac:>)

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huh???