The MVP 861 is the latest addition to my McIntosh family. I added this as a 2nd CD source a couple of years ago - the MVP 861 and my older Denon DCD 1650AZ. The Mac is wonderful - very musical and it gives me astonishing results time and time again. The only thing left to be desired is the transport/loading mechanism. For a 3K player - I was expecting a higher quality loading tray vs. the flimsy plastic that it's made out of. My Denon has a solid build throughout including the loading tray. It's the only thing I would have recommend McIntosh put forth more effort on, otherwise the 861 is impressive. I'm using it for 2 channel audio only - no video although I'm sure the composite output is worth enough considering there is no HDMI (current model has HDMI).

The soundstage is much wider on the MVP vs. DCD (this is based on using the same interconnects) - some may not notice, but on Dave Grusin's Discovered Again CD there is quite a difference. Rich deep, but tight bass and extremely smooth highs (as is the Denon).

The MVP861 is a terrific CD player. They are available on the secondary market for between $1200-$1800 which is a great price for a well made, well engineered CD/DVD player costing $4000 new. Many owners upgraded to the 871 simply because of the HDMI output and in doing so they sacrificed alot of money. My suggestion for anyone looking for a topnotch player is to find a used MVP861 and be prepared to be pleasantly surprised.

This is hands down the best sounding universal player you can get in the$4k price range..Same as the mvp871 but without hdmi out

Stunning sound and good looking too, built solid and great re-sale value.

no hdmi for movie upscaling. I don't care because it is my cd player, I have a blu ray player for movies

I purchased the mvp-861 as a new old stock from a mcintosh dealer who purchased a close out from the mcintosh factory . The box was received via UPS, everything so far is working fine. The cd quality is the best I have every heard and I have other mcintosh equipment. I have tried the video since I am using it as a cd player in my 2 channel system. SACD on a Elton John disk sounds superb as does DVD audio on the Beatles_Love DVD a. I highly recommmend this machine to anyone looking for a great sounding cd/sacd/dvd-a/dvd video/ cd-r,cd-rw, dvd-r player.

Great Sound
I do have to say that my salesman did all he was allowed to do by McIntosh and Audio Dimensions. He really tried and I feel sorry for him.

Expect to have to pay extra for a replacemet if your model fails under warranty after it's out of production.
Don't believe the "Breathes new life" stuff...

I bought my 861 as a demo unit at Audio Dimensions. It was the best sounding CD player I have ever heard!
CD and DVD Playback problems began. Audio Dimensions sent it to Mcintosh for repair. After a month at the factory, it returned, and still had playback problems. II sent it back myself this time. Another month without the player...
When it returned from Mcintosh the second time, it STILL had playback issues, but this time, it vibrated on some discs so badly that it rattled the glass candle holder on my heavy wooden cabinet!!
Audio Dimensions offered to send it in AGAIN. I asked for a new unit. They offered a refurbished 861, as it is no longer in production, or the 871 for a $580.00 upcharge.
Wanting to get away from the 861, I accepted the new unit, but was very dis-pleased that I was expected to pay extra money just to get a working unit. I arrived to pick up my 871 that had been shipped common carrier from Oklahoma City. The box was partially open, and the packing for the inside box was laying in the outer box. I know the box wasn't open from inspection, bacause it had just arrived, it had extra parts inside that the salesman wasn't aware of, and he actually stated that he wanted to look at the unit.
I left with the 871.
Mcintosh service and Audio Dimensions' management both expressed thier dis-pleasure in having to make my purchase satisfactory. Ostensibly, since I ONLY paid 2500.00 for the store demo unit in the first place...

Two Mcintosh quotes still ring in my ears... "You now have the best.", and "The MVP-861 Breathes new life into previously unplayable discs."

Hopefully the 871 (which sounds even better) has the issues worked out.

Customer Service

HORRIBLE!!
If I ever do business with Audio Dimensions again, it will only be because of this particular salesman. They are a very arrogant and rude organization.

Similar Products Used:

MVP 871

Amazing sound quality- liquid, smooth, and dynamic with a big soundstage and a have-to-hear-it-to-believe-it realism on both SACD and CD.

Reliability issues, my dealer's attitude, long turn-around on repairs

I have actually owned two of these, of which the power supplies have failed in less than 20 hours of use with both of them. The second one is currently at the dealer getting fixed.

I have owned numerous pieces of McIntosh gear in the past and all has proven to be extremely reliable. I don't know why the 861 has to be such a headache, but a headache is has been. In speaking with tech support at Mc, they are aware of the 861's propensity to fry their power supplies.

What really upset me was the dealer's willingness to blame ME immediately after having an issue with the player. McIntosh is too fine of a company to have dealers automatically blaming customers of a $5,000 piece of equipment for having done something to cause it to fail. I hope McIntosh doesn't encourage this behavior from the dealer- I hope my dealer is the exception and not the rule. There have been no other issues with any other piece of gear in my setup, including my other current McIntosh piece the C220 tube preamp. Come to find out, as mentioned, McIntosh is aware of this problem and they thought they resolved it by adding more ventilation slots to the top cover on the most recent production units before discontinuation (both of mine had them). The power supplies gets hot (too hot) in these and Mc believes that is the reason for the failures.

When these players work, there aren't but maybe a handful of players on the market at any price that can match them for audio quality. I have never played a DVD-Video disc through mine, so I can't comment on video quality. Audio quality, however, is simply unbelievable and is the closest thing I have heard to the sound of a high-end turntable setup from a digital product.

Whether SACD or Redbook CD (I don't have any DVD-A discs to try), the 861 has a realism about it that has to be heard to be believed. It is also super smooth, throws a big soundstage (both width and depth), and images very well. The sound is liquid, very dynamic, and full of energy. The only shortcoming I have noticed is that the player is not the last word in detail or in high-frequency extension and air. Then again, I haven't had one long enough to fully allow it to break in, so this may all change once one of these has a couple hundred hours of use.

So, apparent reliability issues aside, this is one fine player indeed. Reliability, however, does play a big role in the overall quality of the experience and, at $5,000, one hopes...no expects (and rightfully so) that reliability won't be an issue. In that regard, McIntosh has let me down on this one. My dealership's attitude also let me down...enough so that I may not go back to McIntosh for a while. This is all too bad because this is one hell-a-va good player otherwise.

Similar Products Used:

Too many to list individually, but some of the brands are Marantz, Musical Fidelity, Sony ES, Theta, EAD, California Audio Labs, Jolida, Cary...you get the picture- A LOT of what is available on the market today.

Awesome, "vinyl-like" audio, including SACD. Superior video performance. Solid build quality. Great remote.

No "Power Off" switch. The unit is either on or in standby at all times.

The McIntosh MVP861 is flat out the best-sounding CD player I have ever owned I was in awe listening to the vinyl-like music coming out of my speakers from a 15-year-old CD (Alison Moyet's "Alf") that I always use as a test disc. This CD always sounded brittle and sibilant on other players (except for the Marantz DV8300, where it sounded a little bit too laid back and mellow. Marantz may have been attempting to "vinylize" the sound of CD's, but in doing so sanded down some of the highs a bit too much, resulting in a slight muffling of the high end). The highs are there on the MVP861, though, perfectly sweet and clear. The "s" sounds are natural, as are cymbals, bells, etc. And this is just on regular CD's! Listening to SACD's was other-worldly! I was never impressed with the Marantz's SACD sound. In fact, I preferred the standard CD's on that player. SACD just didn't sound "right." According to the hype, SACD was supposed to blow my socks off, but it didn't. Well, after listening to SACD on the Mac, my socks flew clear across the room! So THAT'S what I was supposed to be hearing! Amazing. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, though. Since McIntosh built its reputation around audio equipment, I would've been shocked if the audio wasn't up to snuff. Video, though, hasn't always been Mac's strong suit, so I didn't know what to expect. My trepidation was laid to rest the moment I laid eyes on the gorgeous picture on my HDTV. It was, in a word, stunning. And the remote offers many more and varied options for controlling the action than the Marantz did. Aesthetically, it also feels and looks better than the lightweight and cheapie-looking Marantz remote. In form and function, a hands-down winner. In summary, from audio (including standard, SACD and DVD-A) to video (DVD, etc.) to the remote, the McIntosh MVP861 is top-notch.

Similar Products Used:

Marants DV8300.