Hello all. Well, I've had the Lexicon MC-12 since Thursday evening, setting it up late that night. In case you missed the pics in my housecleaning thread, here they are again: I will likely be adding to this review this week. But I wanted to at least get something on paper now for those inquiring minds. 
First thing you notice about the MC-12 is the sherman tank build quality. The face place is a thick machined aluminum (I think?) alloy, ground with 4 indentions for the 3 zones and volume and mute sections.
Hookup and initial setup went smoothly, with menus nearly identical to the MC-1, but with additional layers of complexity, and more features.
Hookup, the MC-12 features 8 sets of analog inputs, narrowed to 5 sets if you use the Lex for analog bypass. The usual complement of S-video inputs, but component inputs as well, including one set of BNC inputs. A plethora of digital inputs, including an AES/EBU (XLR) digital input. Additinional trigger inputs. Both LFE, and left and right subwoofer inputs. You name it. All buttons have LED indicators built in. Actually, the buttons are fairly pastel looking from the side, but if your head on with the MC-12, they are almost bright to the extreme. Pretty buttons, but bright. (Andrew, you wouldn't like that at all) the primary LED display is blue. What I would call indigo blue. A slight different shade than MC-1 display, I think. Volume knob is big, but turns very smoothly. Be careful, or you could jetison it up in a hurry by accident. Zone 2, and record sections give you lots of added inputs, you've got digital outputs. The usual complement of sound format decoding, DPL II, L7, even DTS Neo. (Is that for Matrix?
)
the MC-12 features dual DACs per channel. Quoted from Chris Lewis's review in Home Theater mag:
Now to the sound.
the first thing I noticed when connecting the MC-12 was the clarity of the center channel. It was really like I upgraded my Solo center. In fact, interestingly, it seems to be a better timbre match for my Extrema mains now that I have the MC-12. What can I say about the Extremas and the Mc-12? What the MC-1 did very well, they do even better, with a sense of presense and authority. Surrounds also sound crisp, and accurate. There's nothing left to chance with the MC-12. It's accurate, it's articulate, it's dynamic, it's complete.
So far I've watched Matrix, 5th Element, Tin Cup, The Bourne Identity, and a few others. The MC-12 did them all with style and grace. Never even breathing hard.
I think I can safely say, I've got the processor to carry me well into the future, as long as Lexicon doesn't go and change things again soon. Hopefully they won't, since this unit is software upgradable via RS-232, sports two auxilary channels for potential 9.1, and can be upgraded later to an MC-12B (XLR version), if I so desire.
I don't think there will be a really good reason to upgrade processors for a very very long time. Thank God.
Lex
Cable Guy DVD Collection
First thing you notice about the MC-12 is the sherman tank build quality. The face place is a thick machined aluminum (I think?) alloy, ground with 4 indentions for the 3 zones and volume and mute sections.
Hookup and initial setup went smoothly, with menus nearly identical to the MC-1, but with additional layers of complexity, and more features.
Hookup, the MC-12 features 8 sets of analog inputs, narrowed to 5 sets if you use the Lex for analog bypass. The usual complement of S-video inputs, but component inputs as well, including one set of BNC inputs. A plethora of digital inputs, including an AES/EBU (XLR) digital input. Additinional trigger inputs. Both LFE, and left and right subwoofer inputs. You name it. All buttons have LED indicators built in. Actually, the buttons are fairly pastel looking from the side, but if your head on with the MC-12, they are almost bright to the extreme. Pretty buttons, but bright. (Andrew, you wouldn't like that at all) the primary LED display is blue. What I would call indigo blue. A slight different shade than MC-1 display, I think. Volume knob is big, but turns very smoothly. Be careful, or you could jetison it up in a hurry by accident. Zone 2, and record sections give you lots of added inputs, you've got digital outputs. The usual complement of sound format decoding, DPL II, L7, even DTS Neo. (Is that for Matrix?
)the MC-12 features dual DACs per channel. Quoted from Chris Lewis's review in Home Theater mag:
SHARC 32-bit DSP engines and a Cirrus Logic Crystal CS49326 DSP handle the processing; using the three expansion slots, you can more than quadruple the unit's processing capabilities. Each main audio output employs 24-bit/192-kilohertz digital-to-analog conversion operating in a dual-differential mode
the first thing I noticed when connecting the MC-12 was the clarity of the center channel. It was really like I upgraded my Solo center. In fact, interestingly, it seems to be a better timbre match for my Extrema mains now that I have the MC-12. What can I say about the Extremas and the Mc-12? What the MC-1 did very well, they do even better, with a sense of presense and authority. Surrounds also sound crisp, and accurate. There's nothing left to chance with the MC-12. It's accurate, it's articulate, it's dynamic, it's complete.
So far I've watched Matrix, 5th Element, Tin Cup, The Bourne Identity, and a few others. The MC-12 did them all with style and grace. Never even breathing hard.
I think I can safely say, I've got the processor to carry me well into the future, as long as Lexicon doesn't go and change things again soon. Hopefully they won't, since this unit is software upgradable via RS-232, sports two auxilary channels for potential 9.1, and can be upgraded later to an MC-12B (XLR version), if I so desire.
I don't think there will be a really good reason to upgrade processors for a very very long time. Thank God.
Lex
Cable Guy DVD Collection
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