I just bought this Lexicon dc 2 to replace my Yamaha c60.
Very musical and smooth. I don't know what to say but this piece of machine really BLOW ME AWAY with the sound. I currently only use it for 2 channel stereo listening.

Great piece from Lexicon. Grab it if comes by. You won't regret!!

Amazing Sound Quality!!! The patented lexicon's logic 7 mode. Plenty of inputs for your other AV equipment. Upgradeability. Considerably light weight in comparison to other AV receivers / Controllers. Back light remote Detailed manual (I strongly suggest that you read the manual to properly "set up" and fully "appreciate" this unit).

The cosmetic look of the unit will not really impress anyone (Lexicon made up for what it lacks in looks, in superb quality sound). Lack of AM / FM tuner (For the $4,000 msrp, you would think that one would be included). Not the greatest for music listening (I suggest you buy another seperate unit for that).

Let me start by saying that this is my first high end piece of equipment purchased for my HT set up, and I am glad it is. After reading the many "audiophile" reviews from this and other sites, I decided to take my chance and purchase this piece of equipment. Although not purchased new, thus the low paying cost, mine is in MINT condition with all original accesories and box. I was lucky to find an honest ebay seller who previously used this Lexicon DC-2 as a demo unit. Anyway let's go to more important issues, this unit is one of the best sounding piece of investment I made. You will definitely hear all the sound effects that the director intended on "us" audience to listen. The processed sounds generated from this unit, is incredibly amazing, and it brings the listening experience of movie watching to life. I was amazed at all the sounds I missed out on before hooking up this equipment. I am literally watching movies all over again, just to listen to the sounds. The patented lexicon logic 7 is one my favorite listening mode other than DTS. Now that you can get these units previously used at fractions of the msrp retail price, I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU GET ONE! Hell, buying this unit used was the only way I could afford such luxury on my limited budget. This unit DEFINITELY meets the wife acceptance factor. My wife initially couldn't understand why I paid so much on a piece of equipment, but after listening to the sound this unit puts out, she IMMEDIATELY became very impressed! She too is RE-WATCHING movies just to listen to all the detailed sounds and effects that was previously unheard or missed. If you truly want to enjoy your movie listening experience, you should treat yourself and buy this unit. You will not regret making such move.

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N/A

Flexibility, number of digital, analog & video inputs. Ease of setup & use.

Build quality, lack of analog bypass

The DC-2 is an oustanding product for the price. While not the cheapest at $4K (list), the unit strikes a good compromise between the music/HT realms. Prior to purchasing the DC-2, I used a Melos SHA-Gold reference preamp for music and an Adcom GFP-750 for HT. The Lexicon blows away the 750 for HT, the Logic 7 mode sounds great on almost any material. For music the DC-2 is a just a little bit harsher and less revealing than Melos. The Melos has tubes that create a warm, lifelike sound with a magical soundstage. While the DC-2 can't reproduce music as good, it still sounds very quick and accurate. DC-2's don't have analog bypasses due to the digital nature of the unit. Everything is converted into digital. I thought this would be a weakness but I have been very surprised how good this digital preamp sounds. I still think a bypass would be a nice touch for those who have good outboard digital equipment for music listening. Overall a strong performer that offers high value for the buck.

Equipment used:
Totem Model 1
Totem Model 1 Signature Center
Totem Mites (Side)
Definitive Tech Dipoles (Rear)
Older Toshiba DVD
Maccormack DNA-1
Anthem MCA-5

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Adcom

Superb resolution, pinpoint imaging and depth of soundstage in 2-channel mode. Terrific flexibility in multichannel - especially with Logic 7. Superb definition and clarity from deep bass to the top end.

No audio shortcomings that I can think of. Unassuming appearance. No second subwoofer output. Not really suitable for video switching due to lack of component video outputs.

I bought it during a visit to the USA purely on hearsay and Lexicon's reputation. It replaced my PS Audio DAC running through the Adcom 750 passive preamplifier. Both these products are excellent, with high definition and clean sound individually and together. Obviously, the Lexicon is a later generation product and the differences are obvious. Most of my listening is to classical music and some pop/rock/jazz. Speakers are B&W802 Matrix, Transparent Audio The Wave cable, Adcom power amps. Kimber silver streak interconnects.
SOUNDSTAGE
This really blows me. I can now differentiate between 15, 20, 25 etc. feet away. Pinpoint left/right and front/back imaging.
DEFINITION
Excellent - particularly in the bass. Superb articulation throughout the range. Extremely good voices, but then the B&Ws excel in the midrange anyway.
MULTICHANNEL
I have little comparative experience but I can say the effects are enjoyable and involving and non-fatiguing. I use multichannel often - even with classical music !!!! the effects can be tailored to be subtle.
CONTROLS
There are enough controls for fine tuning the sound considerably, and setup can take a number of hours of listening. Nothing more is necessary in my opinion for most listeners. The occassional problems I do have with sound are from bad recordings rather than the Lexicon's shortcoming.

I think this product is really superb at its price point, with no real shortcomings. I love it.

Similar Products Used:

PS Audio superlink (1996) DAC with Adcom GPA 750 preamp.

Imaging, depth of sound, clarity of reproduction, and flexibiltiy

Not a McIntosh

In to the digital age I go.My quest began with the intention to find the best pre-amp around $2,000 I could buy.
I had narrowed it down between the Acurus ACT 3 and B&K Ref 20.
After the demo of Acurus....I felt a little let down!...there had to be more....but how MUCH more.

I raised my limit to $4,000 and under....and I said,"show me something "special"! Then we hooked up the Lexicon DC20!

My home set-up is excellent in creating soundstage conditions.18 ft. ceilings barn style home..lots of wood.Stone wall to far left front of listening area with slate ledge (great spot for my sunfire subwoofer!).
Room is 25' by 16' deep and is OPEN.

Upfront are my 7 year old Klipsch Chorus II speakers with Klipsch center and 2 rear Klipsch 2.5's( at least I'M consistent)...all powered by 2 ADCOM amps...GFA555 (200 watts per) for front and 125 each for the remainder.

Speakers are spread out to each end of room(making LOGIC 7 control indespensable...for those who don't know..logic 7 which can be used with 5 speakers...wants to know exactly what the distance from each speaker is to your "sweet spot" and adjusts accordingly).
DVD/DTS Yamaha and Nakamichi CD2 at the beginning of the show.
Speaker placement in rear was reccomended to be up and behind listening area(there goes the chance for 5 speakers to be the same...as well as cost to do so!)....subwoofer placed off center in left corner to take advantage of ledge and stone wall!
MY comments to sound quality....."OH...MY...G-D"...it took my breath away, quite as it was intended!
With RS232 and expansion ports at the ready...fully upgradable when the next fad appears...the Lexicon as they say...is the "Paragon" of accomplishment!...at ANY PRICE.
And man was there ever a difference between this and the $2,000 preamp options.
Music is for life, might as well enjoy it....I was...and I certainly will evermore.
Anyone who has ever said...I don't need DTS...what's the big deal?....has never listened to the Eagles recording "When Hell Freezes Over"....or has gone deaf from listening to a cheaper system turned up too loud.
Now...as tome goes on...I will determine if I need more power...such as new Sunfire 5X 400 amp...very nice and very reasonable...like with Lexicon...why pay more when you don't have to...there can be NO sound better than what I hear from this unit!
To all who have...enjoy as I know you will!
Dura

Similar Products Used:

Adcom,Acurus

Finally put together my first system and I must say I am VERY glad I spent some extra money on this phenomenal preamp, the DC-2. I was considering the Parasound AVC2500 but soon became disenchanted with some of its limitations in comparison to the Lex, namely a true 24 bit environment, ability to run 7 channels and better crossover flexibility.
I had the DC-1 on loan while the AVC was on backorder and that's when my conversion to the Lex took place. The DC-2 is everything the 1 is and then some.
The 24bits, new remote, improved software and greater upgrade flexibilities make the DC-2 the new champion of the standard benchmark for pre/pro's in a realistic price range $4k (like the DC-1 was).

I am so impressed with the Lex's Logic 7 surround sound that, ghasp, I now spend half my time listening to it with 2 channel recordings as this surround mode is just fantastic and not cheezy like most effects. It is so clean, non reverb and naturally surrounding,(no pun intended). They also have a forthcoming software upgrade to DolbyEX to allow for real 7 channel sound (assuming EX titles follow).

The setup is very straight forward and the new remote is the best improvement over the DC1 yet. There are alot of shortcuts without having to drill down layers. The sound is great, be it stereo or digital. You won't find alot of coloring but rather neutral as intended out of the studio, most likely recorded on Lexicon equipment to begin with.

The only shortcoming I see to the DC-2 is no component video in/output, but I can live with that, as I haven't seen an improvement over the S in/outs anyway.

If your budget allows a little bracket creep, hands down, go for it. A solid 5 stars for the present and future.

System: Parasound HCA2500a amp/DC-2/Pioneer Elite DV-05/B&W Nautilus 803's front/Nautilus HTM 1 ctr/Definitive BPX surrounds.

Great Sounds,

Chris

I second Chris's comments. My DC-2 arrived last week and the improvement over my Marantz AV-550 Pre/Pro was amazing. For example, I used the digital connection on my Marantz CD player to connect directly to the DC-2 coax input of the DC-2; the 96/24 DACs made a real difference in the CD soundstage. For music, I use the Music Logic-7 option which creates a more "there" soundstage.
Many people don't know that Lexicon has had a strategic partnership with LucasFilm for years. They provide the hardware for both music and film recording. What better company to buy a digital controller (i.e. Pre/Pro) from than Lexicon. Their Logic-7 feature set is by far the best 7 channel solution on the market and is a natural precursor to Dolby Digital EX. You will be amazed at the difference Logic-7 brings to AC-3 and DTS soundtracks.

Don't get too hung-up on the the lack of video component inputs. I prefer connecting my DVD directly to my HDTV. Why put something in-between that has the potential to degrade the signal?

Finally, the DC-2 passed the important "spousal" approval hurdle. My wife noticed a significant difference in AC-3 and music surround. She, and I, feel the extra dollars are well worth the investment. Besides, I have found that this level of quality usually comes only at $9,000 and above.

Incedible flexibility and features for the price

Difficult to fine tune to individual media

First,let me say that this is is an incredible piece of equipment! And that after six months of use,I know I made the right decision. But I want to be honest and let you know about some of the things that I feel to be shortcomings also.
Since this preamp is designed almost exclusively for video use as opposed to an audiophile,music only preamp I want to review it as such.
The biggest fault is that there is no way to,easily,adjust the relative output levels (center,surround,sub) for different movies. What you do have direct access to is balance,fader(a car stereo term which means front to rear),bass and treble. After using an Adcom preamp for years that does have dedicated controls on the remote for sub,center and rear levels it is hard to live without them.
A feature that the Lexicon does have that I think is fantastic is a mode called "mono-logic". This gives full surround sound from a mono source and it works great! There are many older movies on DVD that while "Dolby Digital" are still in mono. Terminator for example as well as all the B&W classics which are still better on DVD. The problem is that this mode is only accessible through the analog (RCA) inputs. So you must have both the analog and digital outputs of your DVD player connected to the preamp. And then when you decide to watch a mono DVD,you must go into the preamps setup menu and change the DVD input source to analog and then back to a digital input when the movie is over.
The last thing that I want to mention is that playing movies that have either a surround or a non-surround audio track,the preamp performs flawlessly. However,when watching broadcast TV,newscasts primarily, that I believe are primarily stereo as opposed to surround,the preamp will occasionally "spit" a little sound to the surround speakers. I believe that the preamp "thinks" that it has stumbled upon some surround information which it then sends to the back. The Adcom never had this problem. If there was no surround information,the rears just stayed silent.
In summary,I just want to say again that this is an awesome preamp with a wealth of indispensible features:digital time alignment,cross-overs,display black out,lighted remote,future-proof eight channel upgradeability, and the best surround effects I've experienced.
It's just that too many of the reviews that I read on this site seem like they are written by people that just want to let you know how proud they are of the deal that they got. while I for one,as a reader,want to know about the product itself. Just the facts,ma'am.

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Adcom GTP-650

Everything you see in it

The change to the DC-2 was more than I could expect. The Logic 7 mode is fantastic even without the rear speakers. I have only the side dipoles and cant wait till I get my rear directs.
The swithching from input to input is very smooth and there is not a sound that will cause any worry.
Build quality is first class as you can expect from Lex.Set up is a breeze and very specific. Once you are set there is no turning back. It's just days and years of GOOD stuff.
Personaly I feel the Logic 7 sounds better than the Surround EX. That's the way to go Lex.
Any of you guys thinking about the DC-2, just do it you'll never repent.
I use Rotel 991 and 993 amps and have ordered a 981 for the extra rear. My speakers are B&W 605 s2, LCR6 s2, DS6 and the new surround is gonna be my old Boston Acoustics Micro 90.
Pioneer 919 player and a Servo 15 Paradigm + Velodyne Hgs 12 subwoofer.
Cant wait till I get the extra rears.
Happy Listening GUYS

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Rotel RSp-985