The MX121 is really a Marantz AV7005, while the MX19 is true Mcintosh gear. That’s why.
McIntosh MX121 vs. MX119 for 2-channel
I have recently upgraded from an MX119 to an MX121.
My main question is regarding 2-channel music, in Pure Direct mode (no digital signal processing at all), connected with RCA directly to a McIntosh MVP-871 DVD/CD player.
The music on the MX121 sounds wonderful, with great bass management (with or without a subwoofer) however I feel that the vocals are a bit behind the music and are just tad harsher and less "liquid" than the MX119.
Another big difference I noticed is that with the MX119, at the sweet spot, I hear the singer's vocal coming form the center of the room, where the MX121 sounds more like it's coming from L/R speakers.
I know the MX119 Pure Direct circuit is basically identical to a McIntosh C45.
Could it be that the sound signature of the MX121 is that different? Maybe it's all in my head?
I'd really like to keep the MX121, so it may be a question of getting used to it. I'll run some more A/B comparisons over the weekend and make up my mind.
Any opinions?
My main question is regarding 2-channel music, in Pure Direct mode (no digital signal processing at all), connected with RCA directly to a McIntosh MVP-871 DVD/CD player.
The music on the MX121 sounds wonderful, with great bass management (with or without a subwoofer) however I feel that the vocals are a bit behind the music and are just tad harsher and less "liquid" than the MX119.
Another big difference I noticed is that with the MX119, at the sweet spot, I hear the singer's vocal coming form the center of the room, where the MX121 sounds more like it's coming from L/R speakers.
I know the MX119 Pure Direct circuit is basically identical to a McIntosh C45.
Could it be that the sound signature of the MX121 is that different? Maybe it's all in my head?
I'd really like to keep the MX121, so it may be a question of getting used to it. I'll run some more A/B comparisons over the weekend and make up my mind.
Any opinions?
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- 5 posts total
I know this is an aging thread, but I ran across it while i was searching out some of my own questions about The 'Pure Stereo' mode and McBass. I've had an MX119 for about 5 years now and I love it. The manual flat out sucks. Any way, I ran across an article where the reviewer explained that the 'Pure Stereo' mode was anything but a direct signal and the '2 Channel' mode (totally not mentioned in the manual) was actually the C46 preamp path.. completely opposite of what i thought all these years. http://www.iar-80.com/page159.html |
Hi t3chnobrat, that's exactly what I was thinking all the years I had it. I have since switched to an actual C45 which I love. I do not recall the MX119 having a huge difference in sound between "Pure stereo" and "2-channel" - from memory, "2-channel" activated the subwoofer output. The main reason I let go of the MX119 was that the controls on the front were intermittent and fixing it would have been too expensive. I prefer the simplicity and looks of the C45 and of course - the sound. |
- 5 posts total