Be Transported by the McIntosh MCT500

Be Transported by the McIntosh MCT500

May 29, 2018

McIntosh SACD/CD players and transports can complete your two-channel home stereo or multi-channel home theater system. Many music lovers have a vast and treasured CD collection that deserves to be played on only the best CD player available – like those from McIntosh.

The MCT500 is the newest addition to McIntosh's line of performance SACD/CD Transports. It is a digital-only unit and features 4 digital outputs: industry standard balanced, coax and optical outputs plus McIntosh's exclusive MCT connector.

To enjoy your CDs, it can be paired with any product that has standard digital inputs and a digital-to-analog convertor (DAC). This includes select McIntosh home theater processors, integrated amplifiers and preamplifiers. For SACD playback, the MCT500’s proprietary MCT output needs to be connected (via the included cable) to a McIntosh product with an MCT input. This includes the D1100, C52, C2600, C47 and D150 preamplifiers, MA9000, MA8900, MA7200 or MA5300 integrated amplifiers or MAC7200 receiver. When the MCT500 is connected to one of these devices, a secure digital connection is created, allowing for the playback of the high definition audio found on SACDs. Regular CDs can also be played over the MCT connection.

Featuring advanced disc playback and file support not found in the previous MCT450 model, some of the differences in the MCT500 from the MCT450 include:

  • Plays user generated CD or DVD Data Discs and USB flash drives
  • Popular file formats such as AAC, AIFF, ALAC, DSD (up to DSD128), FLAC, MP3, WAV (up to 24-bit/192kHz) and WMA can be played from these media
  • A "Type A" USB input has been added (located on the front panel for easy access)
  • New front panel direct LED backlighting
For fans of the MCT450, the following key features remain:
  • Advanced disc transport with a precision die-cast aluminum tray
  • Advanced digital servo provides fast, quiet and accurate operation
  • Same type and quantity of digital outputs
  • 1 each of coax, optical, balanced and MCT
  • Same chassis size
  • Same chassis style