McIntosh MVP851 DVD-Audio/Video player:
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Taking a Big Bite
The MVP851's video performance didn't disappoint: Its 480p output equaled that of any player I've seen. Only the more expensive Meridian 598 DVD-A player ($5595) and the EAD DVDMaster 8000 Pro DVD-A player ($5900) could match the Mac's performance. But unlike the EAD, whose Adagio video board permits very little in the way of adjustments, the MVP851 lets you adjust the picture for each disc.

On test patterns from the Video Essentials and Avia test DVDs, the MVP851 had sufficient acuity to resolve even the highest frequencies on test patterns. The challenging Snell & Wilcox moving Zone Plate test looked exceptionally clean, with no sparkles of extraneous color or motion artifacts. Although the MVP851 did exhibit some stair-step jaggies on the fluttering American flag in VE's "Montage of Images," the slow pan across the stadium seats in the same segment had almost no motion anomalies.

The 720p output of Faroudja's NR video processor produces a sharper picture, but the MVP851 equaled it in terms of motion control, color neutrality, and lack of decoding artifacts. When compared to the EAD DVDMaster 8000 Pro, the MVP851 was able to produce a slightly better picture because I could subtly adjust its sharpness, brightness, color saturation, and gamma—not possible with the EAD.

Comparing the MVP851 with the Meridian 598 was difficult. After an hour of going back and forth, I could discern no differences in the picture qualities of these players. Perhaps the MVP851 had a slight edge in motion-artifact control, but the Meridian's picture exhibits a smidgen less noise. Bottom line: Both delivered a 480p image of exceptionally high quality.

The MVP851 performed beautifully as a CD and DVD-Audio player. A/B comparisons with the C.E.C. TL 2 CD transport, EAD DVDMaster 8000 Pro DVD-A player, and Meridian 598 DVD-A player left me with several pages of listening notes filled with little more than praise. Through their digital outputs, all four players produced soundstages of similar dimensions from CDs as well as Dolby Digital and DTS discs. The C.E.C. had a bit better depth though the Lexicon MC-12 preamp-processor, but this may have been a result of its AES/EBU digital output connection, which the other three lack. Coupled to the Meridian 568.2 A/V processor, the Meridian 598 produced slightly more depth and realism, but the home-team advantage of Meridian's digital upsampling and Meridian High Resolution (MHR) Smart Link connection, which keeps the DVD-A signal in the digital domain from player to processor, could have accounted for its supremacy in this setup. I suspect that if I'd had a McIntosh audio processor, the MVP851 would have reigned supreme. When all things are nearly equal, as they were with these fine players, you can't discount the effects of synergistic component mating.

Through its analog outputs, the MVP851 displayed stellar sound—only the EAD DVDMaster 8000 Pro produced an analog output in the same league. The Meridian 598 was out of the running, because the unit I have has no analog output. The Toshiba SD-9200's analog output sounded mechanical and 2-dimensional compared to the MVP851 and 8000 Pro. Listening to the EAD through the Lexicon MC-12 put it at a slight disadvantage, since its balanced XLR outputs had to be converted to single-ended RCA via adapters. But even with this handicap, the EAD produced a somewhat warmer harmonic balance and richer overall tonality than the MVP851. The McIntosh had a slightly more matter-of-fact harmonic presentation with less euphonic ambience.

My preference between these two players varied depending on the source material. Lush-sounding DVD-A recordings such as Faith Hill's Cry (Warner Bros. 48001-9) sounded more timbrally "correct" through the MVP851, but the Grateful Dead's American Beauty (Rhino R9 74385) produced a more musically pleasing, harmonically richer result through the EAD. Through the Meridian 568.2 A/V processor, both players' analog outputs paled in comparison to the Meridian 598 DVD player's Smart Link connection. The 598's superiority was not subtle. Through the Meridian combo, DVD-As sounded immediate, detailed, dimensionally palpable, and much more emotionally involving. At the end of that listening session, I prayed to the audio gods that I might live long enough to see a time when all DVD-Audio players come with digital connections.

As American as Apple Pie
I know it's a guy thing, but I can't help comparing fine home-theater components to expensive automobiles. Meridian's 598 DVD player reminds me of an Aston Martin V-12 Vanquish, EAD's DVDMaster 8000 Pro feels like a Shelby AC Cobra, and the McIntosh MVP851 evokes images of a Cadillac El Dorado. Like the Cadillac, the McIntosh defines classic American style with its timeless looks, ergonomic elegance, and solid feel. Also like the Cadillac, the MVP851 offers excellent performance for less than the other choices. If you have a hankering for a first-class DVD-Video/Audio player that performs effortlessly, the McIntosh MVP851 could become the apple of your home-theater eye.