A feast for the ears — and eyes
The rarest things in life are, by definition, anything but ubiquitous: the Rolls Royce "Silver Ghost", a magnum of 1969 La Romanee-Conti, Shakespeare's First Folio. These precious gems are put on pedestals by the automobile, wine, and literary aficionados. For the home-theaterphile, there's McIntosh. Just rest your eyes on the graceful lines, the smooth glass front, the luscious blue-green glow . . . its appearance alone is enough to make a pilgrim of the staunchest I-only-care-about-what's-on-the-inside technophile. But, this is a McIntosh, so know you'll be getting the highest quality engineering, both inside and out.
People who live in glass houses . . .
should understand completely why McIntosh uses glass in their front panel design. McIntosh aesthetic principles prescribe that the typical front panel design just isn't good enough: lettering printed or stamped directly on the front panel is vulnerable to every day wear and tear. And since McIntosh products are built to last not just a few years, but decades, they want to make sure each unit holds its beauty — and its value — for the life of the product. Ergo, it takes three full days to complete a McIntosh front panel, and the lettering is silk-screened on the inside of the glass to prevent wear. Behind it all lies long-life, cool-running fiber optics that emit that timeless McIntosh style.
Sounds great, but what the heck is Teranex?
In our profoundly gadget-oriented era, technical terminology is tossed around almost carelessly in an attempt to wow consumers. Unfortunately, the really useful technology gets lost in this advertising frenzy. For example, McIntosh employs a custom implementation of the Teranex Realto chip. But, what exactly does that do for you? Well, Teranex is company that makes video processing chips. As a matter of fact, they make the best. (How else would they make it into a McIntosh product?) The essential function of their chip is quite simple: the chip makes your normal DVD movie look as good as an HD DVD movie. I know, your next question is, "why not just make an HD chip?" Well, how many people do you know have a huge collection of HD DVD movies? How many people do you know even own an HD DVD player? Hmmm, not that many. Now how many people do you know who have dozens, maybe hundreds, of plain old DVDs in their movie library? Lots, right? And did you know they won't be able to play those DVDs on an HD DVD player? There's the rub. So, Teranex figured they could build a chip that gives you an HD quality picture, without having to forsake your entire DVD collection. Now you get the best of both worlds. Brilliant.
Video that will keep you on the edge of your seat
For the videophile, the 12-bit 216MHz video D/A Converter generates a superior-quality picture that is available as 480i and 480p on the Components output, and up to 1080p (true high definition) on the HDMI output. Both NTSC and PAL video formats are supported, and a new Audio/Video SYNC adjustment is included. The addition of HDMI connectivity simplifies connection to all the new HDMI-equipped source components for gorgeous, uncompressed high-definition video and audio, and the MVP871's ability to simultaneously output HDMI, Component-video, S-video, and Composite-video proves itself invaluable in complex installations.
Fidelity for real
Every McIntosh source component is designed to minimize any potential source of distortion or signal degradation. This approach is one reason that McIntosh tuners, disc players, and digital processors are some of the most sought after components long after McIntosh has stopped making them. Take the MVP871. The analog power supply equipped on the MCD201 is costlier than digital switching supplies, but it reduces noise and interference that might otherwise compromise the superior performance of the MVP871's audio circuits. The low-impedance output circuits reduce interference — even over long cable runs. And using the balanced XLR 2-channel outputs on the MVP871 provides a noise free path to connected equipment for the best possible performance. Four high performance Multi-Bit D/A (digital-to-analog) Converters assure wide dynamic range and ultra low distortion, so both PCM and DSD discs are played without digital glare yet deliver all of the imaging, nuance, and air that is present on the disc.
Put some boom into your 2-channel room
The beauty of the MVP871 Audio Video Player is that — and we're not trying to be coy here — it's built for both video and audio. The point being, this isn't a machine that caters to just video and surround sound. It's built to make everything sound fantastic, and that includes music recorded in 2-channel stereo. McIntosh uses their Full Bass Management technology to output both 2- and 2.1-channel stereo (regardless of how many channels the original source was recorded in). That means your subwoofer won't sit neglected in the corner.
One well-read CD/SA-CD system
Let's face it, compact discs just weren't designed to take the abuse we throw at them, such as the accidental, butter-fingered slow-pitch across the living room. The MVP871's purpose-designed transport spins compact discs at four times normal read speed and DVD discs at two times normal read speed, giving the laser multiple chances to extract and refocus through imperfect discs resulting in fewer errors. With this extraordinary level of tracking ability and error correction, the MVP871 gives new life to many previously unplayable discs — much like the ones on the shelves at your local video rental store. The MVP871 plays DVD-A, DVD, HDCD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, SA-CD, and MP3 discs.
Who is McIntosh?
McIntosh is that rare stronghold of American ingenuity where craftsmanship is the key to excellence, and every employee, from PC board assemblers to transformer-coil winders to silk screeners, takes pride in exemplary work. They also care about their customers. A lot. So much so, they even give their customers the names and numbers of actual people if there's a question or a problem. (Might we emphasize it this way: they want to hear from you.) See, McIntosh didn't just start a tradition of excellence, they maintain a tradition of excellence.
