Introducing the McIntosh MCD85, your now and forever CD player

Audiophile auteur McIntosh has launched the MCD85, a high performance compact disc and high-resolution music player to match its recently launched MC830 solid state amplifier and C8 vacuum tube preamplifier.

Hand made at McIntosh Labs in New York, the highly stylised CD player sports a die-cast aluminium name badge either side of the chassis, not that the model could have come from any other manufacturer.

Distinctive in the extreme, the MCD85 features a black glass front panel with direct LED backlighting for improved appearance, silver trim, an illuminated logo and rotary control knobs. The front, top and rear of the player is polished to a mirror finish. 

A 2x read speed and buffer memory promise error correction and tracking. Discs sit in a die-cast tray, distinguished by a new, custom front bevelled nose which matches the angle of the chassis. 

Distinctive in the extreme, the MCD85 features a black glass front panel with direct LED backlighting…

The MCD85 plays both regular CD and high-resolution SACD discs, for those that have spent a lifetime building up their physical music collection. But it also has a USB input for high-resolution audio. It supports multiple popular file formats, up to and including DSD256 and DXD 384 kHz. Other connections include two coaxial and two optical digital inputs.

As we’d expect of McIntosh, the tech specs are high. The MCD85’s internal DAC is an advanced quad balanced, 8-channel, 32-bit/192 kHz type, with four DAC pathways dedicated to each channel.

For a seamless user experience, the player can be connected to other McIntosh family members using proprietary Power Control and Data Ports. The player offers both balanced and unbalanced fixed analogue stereo outputs. 

The MCD85 is available from march, priced at £4,995.