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Lexicon MC12B Music & Cinema Processor
As an owner of a Lexicon MC12B, I can share my experiences of using this processor in a home theater system with other high end audio components, the MC12B is by far one of the best investments in equipment. After the MC12B was installed into my theater system I instantly noticed the difference in quality and sounds that were never heard before from my old processor- a Sunfire Theater Grand. The sound is crisp, clean and most of all realistic. The Lexicon is most versatile allowing many custom settings and options to program inputs, outputs and individual speaker parameters from the menus. Setup can be as simple as taking it out of the box, connecting and have it running in half an hour or the complexity to spend hours tailoring the settings to your personal preferences.
The original Lexicon MC12B released in 2002 is still a state of the art audio component and superior to many other brands of upscale processors on the market today. This machine is by no means inexpensive (in 2003 $10,000) and only an audiophile’s ear can truly appreciate the value of listening pleasure it delivers. I haven’t upgraded yet to the V4 or V5EQ versions as I was satisfied with the unit as V2 version. After talking to other Lexicon V5EQ & MC-12 HD owners, all said the upgrade and new units have significant improvements in sound quality. Recently I upgraded other video components to HD- a satellite receiver and Blu-Ray DVD player. I am now considering updating the MC12B to the newer version V5EQ or purchase a new HD series processor. The V5EQ upgrade would cost about $4000 and a new MC12HD costs around $13,000 minus the trade in of the MC-12B.
I don’t use the video section of the MC12B, and most audiophiles and home theater owners would think this is crazy. I only use the processor as a preamp for connecting the audio components- DVD, satellite, tuner and SACD player. I use a Marantz VS3002 HDMI switcher (6 inputs-2 outputs) which has the capability to send the video signal to 2 displays like a projector or LCD and TV. So for my use, the 6 HDMI inputs on the new MC12 HD processor won’t be connected. The MC12 has 3 totally independent output zones so you can assign the same or 3 different programs of music to other areas of your home simultaneously.
There was a V4 upgrade kit available which cost $1300 and another V5EQ upgrade which cost about $3800. The new model MC12HD, which has replaced the original MC12, has the same front face but has built in the V5 upgrade with HDMI inputs and outputs to accept today’s newer cable connections and configurations. The Version 5 Upgrade Kit and the companion microphones provide MC-12 owners the ability to make any listening room virtually acoustically balanced. When setup the microphones send the actual sound back to the processor and compensate for the room deficiencies to correct the output. Now the big question, should I spend $4000 on the processor upgrade or purchase a new Lexicon MC12HD?
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