MCT vs AES/EBU vs Coaxial vs Optical
 

I will post pics of my new WEL Signature digital coaxial very soon. I have been doing AB comparisons. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated Ryan chiming in and helping me. I almost lost my MVP 881 which would have been a disaster.

So I want to help Mac owners that may be about to shell out a lot of money for an expensive digital cable. Here's the bottom line:

The MCT connection is equal to WEL Signature AES/EBU and digital Coaxial. It's a 40 dollar cable vs 4,000.00 cables. The MCT is a superb connection.

The optical connection is significantly inferior to the coaxial. Easy to hear. I was surprised to hear how good the WEL Digital Coaxial cable sounded running from my MVP 881 to my D1100. It is every bit as good as the other two digital connections. I can't tell any difference between it and the MCT or WEL AES/EBU running through my MCT 500. It is great news for Mac owners that have the DAC2 Module which has no AES/EBU to know how expertly Mac has engineered their basic digital coaxial input.

Best

Charles

____________________
Charles Updated System: Wilson McIntosh Audioquest
New gear on order:
Most recent updates: AQ Diamond USB replaces AQ Coffee; Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx replaced by Wilson Audio Specialties XVX Chronosonic; new subwoofer crossover; new Galaxy Grey Thors Hammer; Wilson Pedestals; heating and cooling completely reworked and reinsulated resulting in a much quieter, cooler, and more efficient room (cost about 10,000.00). McIntosh MCT 500 SACD/CD transport. Wilson Audio Acoustic Diode for XVX Chronosonic. WEL Signature digital Coaxial cable for MVP 881/D1100 digital connection replacing the optical connection.
Amps: McIntosh 1.25KW’s (3) set on floor on custom made cultured marble slabs
Preamp and DAC: McIntosh D1100
Sources: McIntosh MCT 500 SACD/CD Transport, MVP881 BR player, MVP851 DVD player, MR87 tuner, Marantz 510LV Laser Disc player, ASUS laptop USB (JRiver Media Center 23)
Speakers: Wilson Audio Specialties XVX Chronosonic
Sub-woofer: Wilson Audio Specialties Thor’s Hammer (1) horizontal lie and Wilson Watch Controller (abbr: WC)
Cables main system: Audioquest WEL Signature speaker cables and balanced IC (preamp to amps); WEL Signature AES/EBU balanced digital IC for CD playback; WEL Signature digital coaxial cable for MVP 881/D1100 digital connection; Audioquest Diamond optical (1) for tuner, (1) for MVP 851 DVD player, and (1) for LD player for total of (3); Audioquest Diamond USB cable; McIntosh MCT cable for SACD playback; Dragon power cords (5 HC cords and 3 source cords for total of 8); Thunder HC power cord for MVP 851 DVD player
Cables subwoofer system: Audioquest Redwood speaker cable (1); Wolf balanced subwoofer IC from WC to amp; Wind balanced IC from preamp to WC; Hurricane HC (2) and Dragon HC (1) power cords
Power conditioners: Audioquest Niagara 7000 (1) and Niagara 5000 (3); (4) dedicated 20-amp lines with no. 10 wire straight out of fuse box
Isolation: Wilson Pedestals for D1100; MVP 881 BR player; MCT 500 transport; MVP 851 DVD player
Cabinet: Double Custom Woodwork & Design (CWD) solid walnut cabinet on large casters; holds all sources and preamp; also, Niagara 7000; 11 feet minimum distance from speakers
Acoustic Treatments: Room and Echo Tunes
AC: Dedicated to this room only, an ultra-high efficiency and quiet recently installed Ruud split system 3-ton heat pump.
Room (mancave): 40’L x 15.5’W A-frame; max ceiling height 8’ min 5’; wall within wall construction built of 2 x 6’s; built over garage with custom hardwood floor with gym seal with over 40 Lowes stiffened wooden I-beams supporting floor; complete isolation from rest of house.

https://i.imgur.com/eCFtQvrh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/i9llzOxh.jpg

Glad my misinformation pointed you in the right direction! Your system is amazing and I always enjoy reading about your thoughts/additions.

I ended up emailing my question pertaining to no sound from my MVP901/C2700 via digital coax to Chuck at McIntosh. It was news to me that SACD will not decode/send signal via digital coax (Sony makes it proprietary), so this is why I was getting sound OK via XLR only. He stated that if I put a standard CD in the MVP901, it would send signal to the C2700 through digital coax (I confirmed, and this worked OK). He also stated that SACD will work via MCT too, but as you know the MVP901 does not have this output. Again, my misinformation, and it looks like that triggered your path to correctly not getting rid of your MVP881. So with all that said I guess no problem and you are welcome.....I think:p

-Ryan

I find the MCT equal to my Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 AES/EBU, I hear no difference on my system. Even so, I use the AES/EBU input for redbook and the MCT input for SACD.

Ryan, according to the information I have from Mac regarding the 891 and 901, because these players use an Oppo transport, my D1100 will not decode a BR disc or a DVD disc through the digital coaxial audio input of my D1100. Your raising this issue caused me to call Mac. If the 901 will play BR and DVD through the digital coaxial input, I'd be surprised. SACD never came up. Only BR and DVD 2-channel downmix was discussed.

Best

Charles

p.s. And thank you for the compliment. Also:

Hi Charles,

The SPDIF, (co-ax and optical) outputs of the MVP901 cannot to 2-channel PCM, they only do bitstream or multi channel LPCM.

So, the MVP901 will not work via co-ax into the D1100.



Chuck Hinton of McIntosh, Wadia, and Snell Tech Support

888-979-3737 X311

I've been following Charles' journey here and I am absolutely astounded that the MVP901 will not output 2-channel PCM via SPDIF. It simply makes no freakin' sense. Charles, please don't take this the wrong way, but had you not pasted in the statement from Chuck Hinton, I'd be reluctant to believe it. So thank you very much for chasing this down and sharing the info!

I'm glad you sorted this out before giving up your MVP881. I recently spent crazy money to replace the entire drive in my 881, but I think it was worthwhile. It's a great player.

brownbear, this is exactly what I do also. I listened to the Paul Simon and Friends DVD last night using the new WEL coaxial cable. What a difference from optical. When I was making all my upgrades (it seems as though I've been upgrading for years, it never stops), I confess that I called Mac and asked about the optical vs coaxial connection. Huge mistake. Mac's stock answer (at least to me) is always "both sound the same" for literally any piece of gear. So the AQ Diamond optical was $900 and the WEL coaxial over 4,000.00. Easy choice and it was for movies and live performances anyway.

When my MCD1100 was sold and I was waiting on my MCT 500, I noticed a distinct brightness to the overall sonic tapestry. Also the bass was thinner. The sound simply did not have the richness I was used to. It was not really objectionable, just distinctly different.

So I bit the bullet and ordered the WEL Signature coaxial cable. Last night I had the XVX really cranked up to volume 81. Of course it was quite loud with the Thor frequently hitting 120 watts and also the XVX. But it was like sitting on the second row of seats in the real auditorium. It never hurt your ears or got shouty in any way. Very enjoyable. No way I could have done that with the optical connection. Mac has done an excellent job with the coaxial connection but it will take a WW Platinium or AQ WEL. Cable quality does matter.

Best

Charles

p.s. my opinion is that sonically Mac is sonically competitive with almost anything on the market but much less expensive. This is because once they decide on a technology (like switching or volume control) they don't change it so they can justify additional charge. I think many manufacturers do this to make a profit. Thus, you can spend the money saved on cables, cords, conditioners, racks, etc. This gear does make a huge difference in sonics. I have recognized this unique property about Mac and utilized it to build my system around it. No way I could have bought an XVX if I'd had 200,000.00 in source gear, amps, and pre.