Used Lexicon a good deal?

[whoaru99]

I've seen a number of the Lexicon MC-1 advertised for $1500-$2000. They claim to be mint condition V4 (I presume that is the last/best upgrade).

I realize they are not the latest gear, but in terms of sound quality, are they all they are cracked up to be for HT and 2-ch stereo?

Also, what would I be giving up or gaining for processing modes or input/output capabilities with respect to something newer like Rotel 1068 or Anthem AVM20?

I probably could do all the research, but my thoughts are why duplicate the effort that someone most likely has already done.

Thanks again!

[Daryl Furkalo]

I bought a used MC1 last year for about $1400US if I remember right, V4, factory re-conditioned as part of the trade-in program they had for the MC8 and MC12. It was from the Lex dealer in Minnesota.

For home theatre, it is incredible, even more so if you want to go to 7 channels. For music, the Music Logic feature is interesting but probably doesn't appeal to everyone.

The biggest missing feature is an analog 5.1 bypass for SACD/DVD-A. For all settings, mine is on Logic7, liker DD, DTS and pro-logic. I really have little interest in PL2 since I have L7.

[Andrew Pratt]

As Daryl points out the MC1 is a very nice HT processor and would easily hold its own against newer units for that duty...where it falls short is that it lacks any support for analog inputs like SACD and DVD-A so if music is a priority you might want to consider one of the newer units like the Rotel 1068. I've been though this same choice many times as I kept seeing used Lex's around for a good price but for me it always came down to music and so never did make the jump. I'm now running with Rotels and IMO they're amazing and do equally well in HT and music which suits my needs perfectly...that said the MC1 deserves the hype it gets for its HT abilities and you can't go wrong with it does what you need.