Acurus Act 3 vs Lexicon Processor


Looking for a processor for HT only that I will pass through my preamp into my cary cinema 5 amp. Want 0 noise. Would like to spend $500 or less so the above fit nicely. Opinions?
jamesw20
Not a problem. To each his own indeed.
However, you decide....you'll find no professional reviews that describe the Lexicon's sound as pristine, high-end, refined, audiophile-grade, or world class sonically, etc...none! You make you're own assumptions
I don't pesonallly now any high end audio/video guys in this buisiness (and I know a bunch), who sell and or can get deals on Lexicon, who actually own the processors either! There's simply much much better stuff sonically.
Hi Flrnlamb - I understand that you don't care for the Lexicon processors, and that's absolutely OK. Let's separate personal opinion from fact though.

A quick Google search finds numerous e-zine and print magazine profession reviews which describe various Lexicon models' sound quality in glowing term, despite your assertion that there are none.

You may very well not know any people "in this business" who own Lexicon, and that's OK too, but that does not mean they don't exist. I know quite a few.

Again, I respect your opinion, but let's not stray into posting our personal viewpoints as fact.
Rex,

Did you do any listening comparison's of the MC-8 versus other Prepro options before you purchased it? If so, would you mind sharing your insights?

Thanks
Bruce
Flrnlamb, Ultimate AV gives the Lexicon RV-8 its Platinum Award. You shoot your credibility to pieces when you make absolute claims like that... people know how to use the Internet.

Here's the link: http://ultimateavmag.com/avreceivers/405lexicon/

1.
"Lexicon's RV-8 is a literal monument to home theater receiver performance and functionality."

2.
"There's been a debate raging for years among audiophiles about whether one should devote more system money to speakers or amplifiers. I've been inclined to say speakers, but when I drove the (approximately) $3000 Infinity Betas using the Lexicon RV-8, it was transformed from a pleasant-sounding system to one that stepped up to almost top-shelf performance. The bass produced by the floor standing Beta 50s, which had been impressively deep but undistinguished and soft sounding, firmed up and gripped the music with a new-found rhythmic authority. The slightly metallic top end became sweeter, airier, and more extended, and most importantly, the entire sonic picture cohered, delivering overall sonic performance one usually expects from far more expensive speakers."
Did you do any listening comparison's of the MC-8 versus other Prepro options before you purchased it?

I did indeed. As I mentioned, I owned a Rotel RSP-1068 prior to the Lex (and a Rotel RSX-1055 receiver prior to that). The Lex is quieter and less clinical. I also compared to an Arcam processor (AV-8 I think it was). The Arcam sounded nice, but it was a bit closed-in sounding at frequency extremes. There was a touch of graininess via the analog passthrough.

I did an in-store comparison between the Lex and a Classe processor, and found the sound to be very similar in the demo system, but the Lex was easier to work with despite the LCD display on the Classe. In addition, the Lex is easily upgradeable.

I tried the Linn Unidisk SC, which I really wanted to like because it has nearly everything in it that I was looking for, but I found it to be lean and forward-sounding in my setup, and had no 7.1 capability.

I also tried a Meridian processor, but it was pretty much useless without other Meridian components in the stack - seemed to me that an all-Meridian system is pretty much of a necessity.