McIntosh MCD12000 SACD/CD Player Owner’s Manual

McIntosh MCD12000 SACD/CD Player

Introduction

The MCD12000 is McIntosh’s flagship SACD/
CD Player combines an award-winning history of vacuum tube innovation with cutting-edge digital technology including the state-of-the-art professional series ESS Digital-to-Analog converter. The MCD12000 provides an unsurpassed sonic experience.

• Octal Balanced Low Distortion 32-bit PCM/DSD
• 8 DACs per channel
• Tube Balanced and Unbalanced Audio Outputs (as well as Solid State)
• 32Bit/384kHz Up-Sampling
• Advanced Transport with precision-Diecast Aluminum Drawer
• R-Core Power Transformer and Multi-Regulators Power Supply
• CD/DVD playability up to 24Bit/192kHz, DSD128

Trademark and License Information

The McIntosh MCD12000 incorporates copyright technology that is protected by U.S. patents and other intellectual property rights. The MCD12000 uses the following Technologies:

ASIO is a trademark and software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

| Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories.

Dolby, Dolby Audio, and the double-D symbol are trade- marks of Dolby Laboratories.

| For DTS patents, see http://patents.dts.com. Manufactured under license from DTS, Inc. DTS, the Symbol, DTS and the Symbol together, and

Digital Surround has registered trademarks and/or trademarks of DTS, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. DTS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Dimensions

Where to Put It

The MCD12000 can be placed upright on a table or shelf, standing on its four feet. It also can be custom installed in a piece of furniture or cabinet.
Always provide adequate ventilation for your MCD12000. The cool operation ensures the longest possible operating life for any electronic instrument. Do not install the MCD12000 directly above a heat-generating component such as a high-powered amplifier. If all the components are installed in a single cabinet, a quiet running ventilation fan can be a definite asset in maintaining all the system components at the coolest possible operating temperature.
A custom cabinet installation should provide the following minimum spacing dimensions for cool operation:

• 6 inches (15.3cm) above the top
• 5/8 inches (1.6cm) below the bottom
• 2 inches (5.1cm) on each side of the MCD12000so that airflow is not obstructed
• 18 inches (45.7cm) depth behind the front panel
• 2 inches (5.1cm) in front for handle clearance

Navigating the Rear Panel

1. Balanced Outputs (Solid State): These ports produce Solid State signals using XLR connector cables.
2. Unbalanced Outputs (Solid State): These ports produce Solid State signals using RCA connector cables.
3. Unbalanced Outputs (Tube): These ports produce Tube signals using RCA connector cables.
4. Balanced Outputs (Tube): These ports produce Tube signals using XLR connector cables.
5. Optical Inputs: These ports accept optical connections for digital signals.
6. Coax Inputs: Connect coaxial cables for digital signals into these ports.
7. Service Port: This USB Type-B port will be used for service purposes only.
8. RS232 Port: Using a 3.5mm-to-DB9 cable, you can connect the device to a computer or another controller device through here.
9. IR In Port: Connect an external IR sensor here with a 3.5mm connector.
10. Data In: Using a 3.5mm data cable, this port receives control data from a McIntosh Integrated Amplifier or Preamplifier.
11. Power Control Out: Sends an On/Off signal to a connected McIntosh component via a 3.5mm cable.
12. Power Control In Receives an On/Off signal from a connected McIntosh component via a 3.5mm cable.
13. Optical Output: Connect an optical cable to transmit a digital signal from this port via the DISC input.
14. Coax Output: Connect a coaxial cable to transmit a digital signal from this port via the DISC input.
15. AES/EBU: This port accepts a balanced digital signal.
16. MCT Input: Used to transfer signals from McIntosh products with an MCT connector.
17. USB Audio Input: A USB Type-B connector will go here to receive a digital signal from a computer.
18. Main Power: Connect to a power outlet using the included power cable to supply power to the MCD12000.

Connection Diagram

Navigating the Front Panel

1. Lights/Push-Menu Knob: This knob controls the Meter and Tube lights (On/Off). It also allows you to enter the Setup Menu by pushing it. Rotating the knob while in the Seteup Menu allows you to navigate through the menu options.
2. Display/Time Button: Cycles between showing on the display the Total Remaining Time, Single Track Remaining Time, or Track Time.
3. Disc Layer Button: Toggles between CD, STEREO (SACD), and MULTI (SACD) playback.
4. Back Button: Play previous track.
5. Next Button: Play next track.
6. Infrared Sensor: This is how the MCD12000 receives commands from your Remote Control.
7. Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD): Displays Menu and playback information.
8. Disc Tray: Where you insert your CDs.
9. Stop Button: Cancels media playback and resets progress through it.
10. Play/Pause Button: Halts playback of active media and will resume from where it left off if you press the button again.
11.  Open/Close Button: Opens and closes the Disc Tray.
12. Standby/On Button: Turns MCD12000 On/Off. When the MCD12000 unit is in Standby (turned Off), the LED above the button will be green if Auto-Off is enabled, or red if Auto-Off is disabled (see Page 10).
13. Input Knob: Rotate this to select different Input sources for playback.
14. Output Level Meters: Indicates the signal level being delivered from the Outputs.

Navigating the Display

Connector and Cable Information

XLR Connectors
Below is the Pin configuration for the XLR Balanced Outputs and Digital (AES/EBU) Input Connectors on the MCD12000. Refer to the diagram for connection:

1. PIN 1: Shield/Ground
2. PIN 2: + Output/+ Signal
3. PIN 3: – Output/- Signal PIN 1 PIN 2

Power Control Trigger Connectors
The Power Control Trigger Output Jack sends while the Power Control Trigger Input Jack receives Power On/Off Signals (+12 volt/0 volt) when connected to other McIntosh Components. An additional connection is for controlling the level of the Output Meters on McIntosh Power Amplifiers, as well as the built- in Output Level Meters.
A 3.5mm stereo mini phone plug is used for this connection

Data Port Connectors
The Data In Port receives Remote Control Signals from a Source Com-ponent. A 3.5mm stereo mini phone plug is used for the connection. IR IN Port Connectors
The IR IN Port also uses a 3.5mm stereo mini phone plug and allows the connection of another brand IR Receivers to the MCD12000. RS232 Port Connector
The RS232 Port uses a 3.5mm stereo mini phone plug to connect to external third-party controllers.

USB Audio

The USB AUDIO input of the MCD12000 provides the capability to receive music/sound in a digital format from a connected computer.
Software Requirements
Apple® Macintosh® computers require OS-10.6.8 or later. Apple computers require no additional driver install to communicate with the MCD12000.
For Windows-based computers (PC), Windows 7 (SP1) or later is required. The correct McIntosh USB Audio driver must be installed for the PC to communicate with the MCD12000.
To install the McIntosh USB Driver for Windows-based computers:
Download the latest driver from the McIntosh website: https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/cd-players/MCD12000
The driver can be found in the Downloads section of the webpage under Software Updates.

• Unzip the McIntosh_UsbAudio file
• Run the File
• Choose “Yes” to allow changes to your computer
• Follow software prompts selecting “Next” or “Install” as needed
• Click “Finish” when driver is installed

Next, connect the Computer to the MCD12000 using a USB 2.0 Cable from Type A to Type B.
Windows should detect the new device (if you installed the driver software as directed above) and install the driver as indicated by a message in the lower part of your monitor.
You can use the Windows Control Panel to select the new audio device which will appear as “McIntosh HD-HS 2 [ASIO] USB Audio”. You may also select this driver in many third-party applications such as JRiver Media Center.
The MCD12000’s display will show the sampling rate or bit rate for the USB input.
USB Service Port
The USB SERVICE PORT on the rear of the MCD12000 is for McIntosh service use only. Use the USB AUDIO port for audio input.
MCT
The Digital MCT Input directly decodes SACD/CD signals from an external Transport component.
The MCT Input uses a McIntosh-designed custom cable, part number 171923. This cable is only supplied with McIntosh MCT Transport products.
Optical
The two Optical Inputs allow digital sources to be connected to the MCD12000 using TOSLINK cables also known as “optical audio cables.”
Coax
The two Digital Coax (Coaxial) Inputs allow digital sources to be connected to the MCD12000 using Digital Audio RCA Coaxial Cables.

Powering on the MCD12000
To power on the MCD12000, press Standby/On Button. To power the MCD12000 off, do this again.

Using the Setup Menu

To enter the Setup Menu, push and release the Left Knob. Turning the Left Knob will scroll through the available options.
The following is a table listing the Setup Menu’s different Settings options and their available con-figurations:

1, COAX 2, OPT 1, OPT 2, USB, MCT, AES/EBU

Options for each: ON (default)

/ OFF

BAUD| 115200 (default), 9600, 19200,

38400, 57600

Factory Reset| Press and hold Left Knob to perform Factory Reset

1. Firmware Version
   Firmware is internal software that controls the MCD12000’s functionality. The version of the main firmware of the MCD12000 can be viewed by entering the Setup Menu. Enter this by pressing and releasing the Left Knob. The first setting is called MCD12000. The number to the right is the version number. For example, if the VFD displays “MCD12000 V1.01”, then the main firmware is version 1.01. There is also firmware for controlling the digital audio hardware. To see the Digital Input (DI) firmware version, enter the Setup Menu. Rotate the Left Knob until you see “DI FW”. The number following the V to the right is the Digital Input firmware version. Firmware upgrades when available can be installed by qualified technicians.

2. Serial Number
   The MCD12000’s unique serial number can be viewed by entering the Setup Menu and rotating the Left Knob until you see “S/N:”. The number (and letters) to the Right are the unit’s serial number. This number can also be found on the rear of the unit.

3. Auto-Off
   Auto-Off can be toggled On (default) or Off. Enter the Setup Menu. Select On or Off by rotating the Right Knob. When enabled, the Auto-Off feature powers off the MCD12000 when no audio input or user interaction has been detected for approximately 30 minutes. When the MCD12000 unit is in Standby (turned Off), the LED above the button will be green if Auto-Off is enabled, or red if Auto- Off is disabled. If the Power Control In port on the MCD12000 is connected to a source component, the Auto-Off feature will be disabled automatically.

4. IR Code
   The IR Code setting allows you to select an alternative set of remote control codes to use for the remote control of the MCD12000. The default is to use the Normal control codes which will be perfectly fine for the vast majority of situations. If you have another unit being controlled with the same control codes, conflicts can arise. If this is the case, change IR Code setting to “Alt”. The remote control for the MCD12000 must also be set to use the alternate codes. To set the MCD12000’s remote control to use alternate (Alt) codes, press and hold the SELECT button and press the “2” button. Hold until the two LEDs to the right of the SHIFT button flash twice. To set the MCD12000’s remote control to use normal codes, press and hold the SELECT button and press the “1” button. Hold until the two LEDs to the right of the SHIFT button flash twice.
   Front IR
   Front Panel Sensor, which receives the signals from the Remote Control, can be switched off to prevent interference when an external IR Sensor is connected. To de-activate the Front IR, enter the Setup Menu. Select On or Off by rotating the Right Knob.
   Power IR and IR Input
   The MCD12000 can be controlled by another McIntosh unit’s remote control using the DATA IN PORT. This is convenient for using commands on the other remote such as PLAY or NEXT, but it is possible that you may not want Power commands or Input commands sent by the connected unit to control the MCD12000. If you wish to disable Power Commands coming from the DATA PORT or from a connected external IR sensor connected the IR IN, enter the Setup Menu. Select On or Off by rotating the Right Knob.

Note: When AC Power is initially applied to the MCD12000, the unit will momentarily switch On and then go into the Standby Mode.

Input Setup
You have the ability to control which inputs appear on the display when you rotate the Input (Right) Knob. If you wish to remove an unused input or restore a previously removed input:

• Push and release the Left Knob to enter Setup
• Rotate the Left Knob until the VFD displays “Inputs (Hold)”
• Press and Hold the Left Knob for two seconds. “CD PLAYER” will appear in the VFD
• Rotate the Left Knob to select the input you wish to display or hide
• Rotate the Right Knob to select On or Off
• Press and release the Left Knob twice to exit the Setup Menu

Baud Rate Setup
The MCD12000 can be controlled remotely via the RS232 Jack. The settings for serial communications are:

• 8 bit, No parity and 1 stop bit

The speed can be adjusted from the Setup Menu.
To adjust the BAUD rate, enter the Setup Menu. Rotate the Left Knob until you reach “BAUD: …” Rotate the Right Knob to select from the following options:

• 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, and 115200 (default).

Factory Reset

Use the FACTORY RESET option if you wish to return all settings to factory defaults. All previous setup changes will be lost.
To Factory reset the MCD12000, enter the Setup Menu. Rotate the Left Knob until “FACTORY RESET” appears on the display. Hold the Left Knob down until “In Progress” appears on the screen. When the Factory reset is complete, the MCD12000 will power off.

Playing/Navigating a Disc

• Rotate the Right Knob (INPUT) until CD PLAYER appears on the Display
• Press and release the OPEN/CLOSE button to open the tray
• Place the disc, label side up, on the tray
• Press and release the OPEN/CLOSE button to close the tray
• “Reading” will appear on the Display followed by Disc information
• You may press the BACK and NEXT buttons to pick a particular track
• Press and release the PLAY/PAUSE button to Play; press again to Pause

Additional commands are available on the Remote Control. See “Navigating the Remote Control” on Page 14.
The Program Playback feature allows the playback of selected tracks in a chosen order. To use this feature, Press the SHIFT button on the Remote Control and then press the RANDOM button twice. Use the numeric buttons to enter the desired tracks. Press the PLAY button to begin playing the programmed tracks.

Navigating CD-ROMs
The Remote Control buttons 2, 4, 6 and 8 can be used for navigating up, down, left, right through tracks/folders on a CD-ROM. The 5 button can be used
to Enter the folder or Play the track shown on the Display. For navigating data discs, please see Page 12.

Using Remote for MP3/WAV, Data Play-back

Load a DATA (CD or DVD) or MP3/WAV Disc
into the MCD12000. The MCD12000 has different Operational Playback Modes when a Disc contains DATA music files. The Operational Mode Selection includes the “All Mode” and the “Folder Mode”, which are indicated by the Front Panel Display.

To check the current Operation Mode, press the MODE button on the Remote Control once. To change the current Operation Mode, press the MODE button twice, followed by pressing the PLAY button to activate the selected Operation Mode.
When conventional CD or SACD DISCs are played, all the sound tracks are sequentially numbered and are played back in that numeric order. This standard playback mode is referred to as the “All Mode” of operation.
CD Data, DVD Data, and MP3/WAV Discs are usually created on a computer, which can create multiple folders that are in a sequential order. Each folder can contain multiple sound tracks that are in a sequential order. This playback mode is referred to as the “Folder Mode” of operation. Refer to “Front Panel Display” for an example of the Front Panel Indications of the Folder Mode content.

Front Panel Display
When playing a Data CD Disc or Data DVD Disc, the MCD12000 Front Panel Information Display will also indicate the following:

• Folder or Sub-Folder Name – Music One
• Artist Name – Freddie King
• Album Name – Getting Ready
• Track Name – 09 Tore Down
• Audio Format Type and Sampling Frequency – WAV 44.1kHz

After the Folder Mode has been selected, the Front Panel Information Display will indicate the Folders, Sub Folders, and Tracks. It also indicates the Album Name, the Artist Name, the Track Name, and the Track Time, along with the Audio Format Type and Sampling Frequency. Due to the operational differences of various computers and the MCD12000, sequel listing of the Folders, Sub Folders and Tracks will usually be different. If the All Mode on the MCD12000 was selected, the sequential listing will also be different.
Display Brightness
There are three available Settings for the Front Panel Display. The choices include brightness settings of high (default setting), medium or low. To change the brightness setting perform the following steps:

1. Select CD Player/ DISC Input
2. Press the SHIFT Push button.
3. Momentarily press the 2 (DIM) button to change the current brightness setting. Repeat this until the desired brightness setting is selected.

Starting Playback

1. Use the INPUT Control or INPUT button on the Remote Control to select DISC/CD Player.
2. Using the Remote Control, press the Number 5 button to start playback.
3. If the desired track for playback is located in a different folder, press the Number 4 button first. Then, use the Number 2 (select the Upper ▲ Data Folder) or Number 8 (select the Lower ▼ Data Folder) button to select the desired folder. Select the desired Track using the Number 2 or Number 8 button. Once the Desired Track Name is indicated on the Front Panel Information Display, press the Number 5 button to start playback of the track. Note: Once the desired folder has been selected, the Remote Control NEXT button can be used to select the desired track. Then, the Remote Control PLAY Pushbutton when pushed will start playback of the track.
4. While the track just selected is playing back, the Front Panel Display may also indicate the Track Name, followed by the Artist Name and/or the Album Name by pressing the MENU/TEXT button several times.
5. Press the DISPLAY/TIME button (once or twice) to indicate on the Front Panel Display the Audio Format Type and Sampling Frequency of the track that is playing back.

Selection of a Different Sub Folder

1. Press the Number 4 button. The Front Panel Display will indicate the name of the current folder.
2. Press the Number 2 button to select an Upper▲ Data Folder or press the Number 8 button to select a Lower▼ Data Folder. Once the desired folder has been selected, push the Number 6 button once to identify the first track in the folder. Press the Number 6 button to start playing the first track from the selected folder, or press the Number 6 button a second time to start playing the second track.
3. Press the MENU/TEXT button to display the Artist Name, followed by the Album Name, and then the Track Name and Number.
4. Press the DISPLAY/TIME button to display the track number display time. Press the DISPLAY/TIME Push-button a second time to display the Audio Format Type and the Sampling Frequency.

Resetting the Microprocessor

1. In the unlikely event the MCD12000 stops function-ing properly and the Factory Reset procedure (see “FACTORY RESET” on Page 11) does not solve the issue, you can try the following procedure to reset the secondary (transport) microprocessor:
2. Power off the MCD12000
3. Remove the AC power cord from the rear of the MCD12000
4. Wait a few seconds for the standby LED to turn off
5. Push and Hold the NEXT button in while pressing and holding the STOP button
6. plug the AC power cord into the rear of the MCD12000
7. When “INITIALIZED” appears on the Display, release the NEXT button and STOP button

The MCD12000 should be reset in a few more seconds.

Navigating the Remote Control

Note: If at any time the Player seems unresponsive to the desired Remote Control Command, it may be necessary to select the color of the push-button nomenclature for the desired command. This is accomplished by first pressing the SHIFT Push-button to select gold, as indicated by the LED, and then within 3 seconds pressing (or in the case of some functions repeatedly pressing) the desired command push-button.

Changing Remote Control Batteries

Someday, the two AAA battery in the Remote Control will need to be replaced. To replace the two AAA batteries:

• Locate the battery door. Looking at the back of the remote, the battery door is in the lower part
• Slide battery door towards the bottom of the Remote Control. The battery door will slide open 1/4 inch (0.63cm)
• Lift the door up to reveal the batteries
• Remove the old batteries
• Insert two new AAA batteries noting the polarity which is printed on the bottom of the battery compartment. The spring will connect with the negative (-) part of the battery
• Place the door over the batteries leaving a 1/4 inch gap
• Slide the door up towards the top of the remote to secure

Packing the MCD12000

Carton
the unit will likely result in damage. (The front panel| 1| 033697| Inner Box
is made of glass!) If you need any of the packing

material, you can contact McIntosh Customer Service. Use only packing material that is in good condition

| 1

4

| 033739

034670

| Poly Bag

20″ W X 10″ D X 36″ L

End Cap

and replace any material that has seen better days.| 4| 017937| Plastic Foot
It is very important that the four plastic feet are| 4| 400159| 10-32 X 3/4″ Screw
properly placed in the holes of the Foam Bottom Pad. This will ensure the proper equipment location for shipping. Failure to do this will result in shipping damage.| 4| 404080| #10-7/16″ Flat Washer

Audio Specifications

• Disc Formats
  CD, SACD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD (DATA)

• Fixed Output level
  2.0Vrms Unbalanced 4.0Vrms Balanced

• Output Impedance
  600 ohms Unbalanced and Balanced

• Frequency Response
  4Hz to 20,000Hz, ±0.5dB (CD) 4Hz to 40,000Hz, +0.5, -2dB (SACD)

• Signal to Noise Ratio
  110dB (A-weighted)

• Dynamic Range
  Better than 100dB

• Harmonic Distortion
  0.003% @ 1,000Hz

• Channel Separation
  Better than 98dB (1,000Hz)

Playable Disc Media Files

*up to 48kHz with CD-R/+RW

Digital Audio Specifications

1. Digital Input Format
   SPDIF (PCM1)

2. Digital Inputs
   Coaxial: 0.5V p-p/75 ohms
   Optical: – 15dbm to -21dbm (TOS Link)
   MCT: 0.5V p-p/75 ohms
   USB: USB 2.0 Type B Connector

3. Digital Input Sample Rate
   Coaxial: 16, 24-Bit/192kHz, Dolby Digital, DTS Optical: 16, 24-Bit/192kHz, Dolby Digital, DTS MCT: SACD, PCM: 16, 24-Bit/44.1kHz to 192kHz USB: PCM: 16, 24, 32-Bit/44.1kHz to 384kHz DXD: DXD352.8kHz, DXD384kHz DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, DSD512

4. Digital Audio Output Format Coaxial and Optical: SPDIF (PCM1), IEC958 44.1kHz to 192kHz/24Bit

5. Digital Outputs Coaxial: 0.5V p-p/75 ohms Optical: – 15dbm to -21dbm (TOS Link)

6. Digital Output Sample Rate Up to 24-Bit/192kHz for DISC Input only

General Specifications

Transport

1. Laser Type: Twin Beam
2. Laser Beam Wavelength: 650nm (SACD)/790nm (CD)
3. Laser Power: CLASS IIa/CLASS I
4. Power Requirements
5. 100 Volts, 50/60Hz at 50 watts
6. 110 Volts, 50/60Hz at 50 watts
7. 120 Volts, 50/60Hz at 50 watts
8. 127 Volts, 50/60Hz at 50 watts
9. 220 Volts, 50/60Hz at 50 watts
10. 230 Volts, 50/60Hz at 50 watts
11. 240 Volts, 50/60Hz at 50 watts
12. Standby: Less than 0.5 watt

Note: Refer to the rear panel of the MCD12000 for the correct voltage.

Overall Dimensions

1. Width is 17-1/2 inches (44.4cm)
2. Height is 7-5/8 inches (19.4cm)
3. Depth is 19 inches (48.3cm) including the Front Panel Handles and Cables

Note: When the Disc Tray is opened, the panel clearance required in front of the mounting panel is 6-3/4 inches (17.2cm).

Weight

1. 32.5 pounds (14.7Kg) net,
2. 48 pounds (21.8Kg) in the shipping carton
3. Shipping Carton Dimensions Width is 27 inches (68.6cm)
4. Depth is 25 inches (63.5cm)
5. Height is 14 inches (35.6cm)Remote Control McIntosh HR086

References

• McIntosh: Home Audio Systems for Music & Home Theater
• Patents - DTS
• McIntosh: Home Audio Systems for Music & Home Theater
• McIntosh: Home Audio Systems for Music & Home Theater

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