$14,000 Lexicon MC12B Digital Controller Balanced v5 EQ Lexicon Flagship Processor, Buy It Now, Works Worldwide Start Price USD 0.01 Current Price USD 2,850.00 Time Left - Bid Count 14 Buy It Now Price USD 4,998.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, November 14, 2008 End Time Monday, November 24, 2008 Location Gila, New Mexico See more about '$14,000 Lexicon MC12B Digital Controller Balanced v5 EQ' Description SquareTrade © AP6.0 Platinum Powerseller This auction is for a Lexicon MC-12B Digital Controller w/ Balanced Outputs and v5 Room EQ The Lexicon MC-12 is the world's top preamp processor and this model retails for $14,000. This was Lexicon's flagship processor until the debut of the MC-12 Balanced HD EQ which also retails at $14,000. Note that our offering is the balanced version which costs thousands more than the unbalanced version. This unit has every option that was available until the new HD with the HDMI switcher. This unit has been well cared for and is fully tested and guaranteed to be in perfect working condition. The front face is excellent. It has a few mars in the finish on the case but these are indications of normal handling, barely noticeable at a glance and probably invisible in your component cabinet, rack or other installation. There is no indication of abuse or mishandling. See the photos below. You're probably aware of Lexicon's build quality, particularly on this model. If you want excellent performance and visual appeal this will be a great bargain for you. As mentioned above, this unit is fully loaded and the only thing the new model adds is an HDMI switcher. I have an MC-12B V5 EQ just like the one for sale here, identical in fact, and then I've been testing - and considering upgrading to - an MC-12B HD EQ which is the latest one with the HDMI switcher. Basically the only reason I would make the switch is to get uncompressed 5.1 signals off my Playstation 3 for some improvement in sound on some PS3 games and Blu Ray movies. But that's it. Is it worth the money to keep the new HD for myself? Tempting but nonetheless, I'll be listing the HD on eBay shortly. I'm going to keep my MC-12B V5 EQ just like the one for sale here. I think this is the best processor for the money on the market today. Of course, I made the annual pilgrimage to CES 2008 in Las Vegas earlier this year and within an hour of arriving at the High Performance Audio portion of the show at the Venetian Tower Suites, it was obvious that the biggest trend in high end audio and home theater this year would be room correction. I heard a ton of these systems at CES from a wide range of manufacturers including Rives Audio, Lyngdorf, Phase Technology, Audyssey and Copland. Lexicon pioneered this technology for home cinema and the system they offer on the MC-12 V5 EQ may still be the most sophisticated room calibration system out there. I would highly recommend to anyone who cares about great sound to look into getting one of these MC-12 systems. It may be the "soundest" investment - you'll ever make. If you're an audiophile, you probably have great gear and good cables already. As we enjoy our hobby and buy ourselves more toys, I think we often forget that the room itself is the biggest variable in audio quality - regardless of who designs or manufactures your gear and how much you spend on it. Of course, there are lots of room treatments out there that you can buy, but they are mostly ugly, have a very low WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor), require lots of expensive equipment and the knowledge of a highly trained (and highly paid!) consultant to install correctly and even at that, are you well versed enough to determine the qualifications of such a person and whether they have truly done a great job? The Lexicon EQ board WILL do a great job. In fact, the worse your room is, the MORE it will improve your sound! And if we might digress regarding WAF - or even Husband Acceptance Factor for that matter - if you've been a student of the "form follows function" school of equipment cabinetry and have your gear in a 19" rack, you might want to consider these wonderful rack / shelf units (they are not included with this listing) to tidy up your gear and create a more appealing presentation for your high end toys. They are shown here with another of our MC12Bs (again - not the one for sale in this listing) in both black and silver and are also available for a variety of odd sized or shaped units such as the Sony Play Station, Nintendo Wii and Apple TV. Look for them in our eBay Store soon. Or email us and we can create a Buy it Now listing for any custom rack shelves you might need. When I bought my identical Lexicon MC-12B and first installed it, I thought it was OK. I was replacing a $14,000 Theta Casablanca that I loved, so I already had very high quality surround sound processing in the Theta. Then, I got the Lexicon 4 mic kit and performed the room equalization. WOW! This was just mind boggling - the biggest single improvement to my system ever. I am sure I could have spent $20,000 more on speaker and electronic upgrades and gotten NOWHERE CLOSE to the improvement in audio quality that the Lexicon Room EQ system gave me. It increases the performance and value of every piece of gear you have because none of them sound as good without the MC12! And now, about 18 months after I first put it in, it continues to blow me away every time I listen. I'm still knocked out by how much improvement the EQ system has brought about and it's not because of a fuzzy remembrance of how things used to be. The High End Zone staff is constantly testing new gear in our theater so my MC-12 is often pulled from the system to audition a different processor or even another MC-12 that has not been calibrated. I sometimes have a moment of cold panic when I hear the system and think, "What happened to the sound!" until I remember that my calibrated MC12 is not on line. Relax, Breathe, Exhale. As soon as it's plugged back in, Ahhhhhhh! Our main demo theater at the High End Zone features a phenomenal pair of the Revel Ultima2 Studio2 speakers, one of the best speakers you can buy at any price. We are about to upgrade even further, to the Ultima2 Salon2's in front, with an Ultima2 Voice2 center, Gem2's on the sides, and we'll be moving the Studio2's to the back for full range surrounds. That's a $56,000 set of revels counting all 7 channels. We also use a JL Audio F113 sub and will soon be adding a second one of those. And our power amplifiers are the Studio 6 amplifiers used by George Lucas, Industrial Light and Magic, Sony, Pixar, Disney and other movie studios. I feel very fortunate that business is good and that I've been able to amass a dream audio/theater system for myself. So we have a great system and the Lexicon MC-12 is at the heart of it, and it is by far the best surround processor we have ever tried (and we've tried most of them including Theta, Krell, Classe, Halcro, Arcam, Sunfire and many more). But not all our clients can afford sound gear at this level, and so we also test more affordable gear so that we can provide great advice and great systems to people on a budget. Over the last few years, I've been very impressed with a company out of Utah called Tru-Audio. Every time I heard their speakers at a trade show, I thought they sounded awesome for the money. So I bought a full set of their top of the line Tru-Cinema speakers for our demo theater. The whole set of 5 speakers finished in real wood veneers costs about $4,000. That's less than the smallest one of my Revel speakers! Well, I took those Tru-Audio speakers and I EQed the room with the Lexicon MC-12 and it was absolutely amazing how good they sounded. In fact, a lot of people would think I am totally nuts to have speakers that cost 10 times as much when the cheaper ones sound so good. You get into diminishing returns, spending 10 times as much for a little more performance. With a processor as good as the MC-12, you can do a fantastic sounding theater with some really very affordable components just because the MC-12 will do so much to make them sound great. I'm keeping all those Tru-Audios - I am trying to get my wife to let me put them in the bedroom for full on surround sound there! I still love my Revel Ultima2 system, I wouldn't give it up unless something better came along. But if you can't afford a $50,000 set of speakers, you can still get incredible sound if you spend the money wisely, and this MC-12 is a great place to start. With an MC-12 like this one, one of the Studio amps that I use, and a set of the Tussaud speakers, you could do the entire audio system for about $12,000 and have something that would blow away most movie theaters. If you'd like us to assemble a full package like that for you and list it on eBay as a Buy It Now, we'd be happy to do so! The clarity and accuracy of the surround channels is like 300% better than it used to be. I am a big admirer of Theta, and I expect to test and evaluate their processors again in the future, but for now Lexicon has leaped ahead of them as well as the other top companies in the field like Classed, Krell and Alcoa.Only Lexicon has this level of room equalization built into a top pre amp processor with this ease of implementation, and it is only available on the Lexicon MC-12s. The MC-8 and RV-8 have a less sophisticated version of auto calibration system using only 2 microphones and they certainly improve things but the MC-12 4 mice system delivers the best room equalization in the industry today. Note that to implement this outstanding feature, you need Lexicon's 4 microphone kit which is not included in this listing but we just happen to have available. The 4 mice kit lists for $1,000 and we typically sell them for $850. But if you are the winner of this listing and wish to get the 4 mice kit as well, we will offer it to you at $800 and create an eBay Buy It Now listing. Anyone who loves great sound will be blown away by this unit. My assistant had some college kids over to play the new Halo 3 in our theater and they just could not get over the sound. The money quote was,“This system is every gamer's dream.” And I would add that it's any movie goer's or any sports fan's dream as well. No other change to my system has ever made as big a difference in one step as the Lexicon EQ system has. Now at $14,000 list, we realize this is a bit pricey for many. But our Buy It Now is way under half of that and is priced competitively with any number of, frankly, inferior processors flooding the market today. There is no way I would consider for myself any Lexicon MC-12 that does not have the EQ feature. To my mind, this is a must. However I - and most of my clients - already have Runco or other high-end scalpers to handle our video needs so there is really no compelling need for an HDMI switch in our pre amp/processor for video. The latest addition of the HDMI switcher is, IMHO, not necessarily worth the money. For HDMI switching I use a Key Digital which performs the task admirably at great savings. In our setup we send the HDMI from my PS3 and other HDMI sources to the Key Digital which then routes the video directly to my $17,000 Runco while the digital audio is directed to the MC-12 via SP/DIF on coax. You ARE using digital audio at all times whenever possible, right? Having said that, however, we also have a demo MC-12HD that we plan to list on eBay shortly, so if that's the model you'd prefer and don't want to wait for our sometimes glacial listing process, you can email us and we'll quickly create a Buy It Now listing on eBay for you. It will be a great deal but it will be more expensive than this one. As a word of caution, you should be aware that fraudulent listings for MC-12s occur on eBay more often than we would like to think. They use the same stolen photos over and over. Some of these scanners are now even accepting Paypal or credit cards. Be careful and be safe. And you are safest to buy from a Powerseller with perfect feedback and to pay by Paypal or credit card only for your protection. Check our 100% feedback, our track record for shipping promptly and safely all over the world, and bid with confidence! Lexicon is widely considered to be the #1 company in the surround sound processor business. They have been making surround processors since 1971 and they are the “gold standard” for digital surround processing not only for home theater but for musicians, producers, movie production, recording studios, and film and television post facilities. Lexicon is a part of the Harman Specialty Group, which also includes Mark Levinson and Revel Speakers. These 3 brands make much of the world's finest audio gear and are designed in the world's most sophisticated audio design facility in North ridge, California. The MC-12 is one of the few pieces of high end gear still made in the USA but it has an international flair as its power supply will accommodate 100 - 230V and 50-60 Hz power so it will work, without modification, anywhere in the world! Just replace the detachable IEC power cord with one that matches your local power outlets. Easy is good! This unit comes complete with remote, manual and power cord. Note again that while the V5 Room EQ feature is installed in this unit, it requires a 4 microphone kit which is sold separately. If you are the winner of this auction, we'd be happy to offer it to you for $800 and create an eBay Buy It Now listing at your request. Full features, specs, and a downloadable user manual are available on the Lexicon website. Here are some key points: The MC-12 has three independent zones, allowing for seamless control of multi-room systems. Because each zone is capable of routing a different input source, it is possible to watch a DVD in the home theater while listening to a CD in the kitchen and recording a program from a satellite receiver to a DVD-R. The record zone can also be used to provide audio to a third room. This is not just a 5.1 or a 7.1 processor. The MC-12B features TWELVE balanced XLR audio outputs and 12 single-ended RCA audio outputs! And all that is just for Zone 1. There are additional outputs for Zones 2 and 3. A glance at the MC-12's rear panel will show the tremendous array of inputs and outputs. Analog audio is available on stereo connectors and a 5.1-channel connector, ideal for DVD-A or SACD sources such as the RT-20 Disc Player. High resolution 24-bit/96kHz analog-to-digital converters can be used to bring these sources into the digital domain for processing or, for audio purists, a true analog bypass option is available which keeps the signal in the analog domain from input to output. Digital audio input is available on one AES/EBU, six S/PDIF coaxial, and six S/PDIF optical connectors. These signals are processed at their native sampling rates through a two stage phase lock loop, achieving remarkably low intrinsic jitter and high jitter rejection. Lexicon's proprietary auto azimuth processing corrects timing and level imbalances in stereo signals, resulting in exceptional channel separation in matrix-encoded sources. Each of the outputs uses two 24-bit/192kHz DAC's operating in dual-mono mode. This design extends the signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range, resulting in superior sound quality. High precision crossovers and tone controls are digital to avoid the signal distortion their analog counterparts often introduce. In addition, digitally controlled analog output levels can be adjusted in 0.5dB increments. For maximum flexibility, each of the main audio outputs has independent crossover, speaker distance, and output level control. The crossovers are available in 10Hz increments from 30 to 120Hz. If the THX speaker setup is selected, a THX 80Hz crossover setting is automatically applied to all main audio outputs. The MC-12 also provides access to advanced speaker array processing and, if a THX Ultra2-certified sub woofer is present, boundary gain compensation controls. Automatic calibration of speaker distances and output levels is available using the rear panel microphone inputs and an optional Lexicon Microphone Kit. The accurate adjustment of these settings ensures that signal arrival times and levels are optimal relative to the listening position. A comprehensive bass management system helps protect the sub woofers and other loudspeakers from overloading, even with Dolby Digital and DTS sources that produce low-frequency signal peaks at much higher levels than stereo sources. Sophisticated routing automatically directs low-frequency signals to the loudspeakers most capable of reproducing them, while adjustable bass peak limiters restrict the amplitude level of low-frequency signals sent to the sub woofers and redirected to other loudspeakers. Complementing its extraordinary audio performance, the MC-12 includes two broadcast-quality video switchers. An ultra-wide bandwidth component video switcher accepts analog component video signals, including high-definition television signals, while a separate composite and S-video switcher accepts high-quality NTSC, PAL, and SECAM video signals. The MC-12 has five composite video inputs, eight S-video inputs, and four component video inputs. Enhanced versions of Lexicon's popular Nightclub, Concert Hall, Church, Cathedral, and Panorama listening modes are available, along with an impressive collection of advanced decoders, including Dolby Digital Surround EX®, Dolby Pro Logic Ix®, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6, DTS-ES (discrete and matrix),THX Ultra2, THX Surround EX, and the latest version of Lexicon's own critically acclaimed LOGIC 7. Unlike other decoders, LOGIC 7 is compatible with all input sources and requires no special encoding for playback. Applied to music recordings, it increases the sense of spaciousness in the listening area without altering the front sound stage, resulting in a more realistic recreation of the original recording. Applied to film soundtracks, LOGIC 7 expands stereo sources to 7.1 channels for a performance that rivals that of discrete multi-channel sources. LOGIC 7 also derives two additional channels from 5.1-channel sources to create a more enveloping listening experience. Most impressive about the MC-12 is its enormous array of custom processing. Four 32-bit floating-point digital signal processing (DSP) engines provide vast resources to power such proprietary features as LOGIC 7, Lexicon LIVE, Auto Azimuth, five-speaker enhancement, bass enhancement, and dialog enhancement. Lexicon's bass management system, digital crossovers and tone controls are also powered by these DSP engines. This processing is performed at sample rates up to 96kHz, with 24-bit resolution to retain top performance from all input sources. A fifth DSP engine is dedicated to decoding Dolby Digital and DTS sources. Inside and out, the MC-12 is designed to accommodate possible hardware and software advancements with internal expansion slots, a removable rear panel access plate, and additional RS-232 connector. One RS-232 connector performs flash-memory software upgrades as well as configuration downloads. A configuration tool available at www.lexicon.com can be used to send current MC-12 settings to a compatible personal computer, creating an archive of settings that can later be sent back to the MC-12 for instant reconfiguration. The MC-12 is a paragon of home theater processing. Immense power, leading-edge technological sophistication, incredible flexibility, and extensive expansion capabilities make it an indispensable addition to any high-quality home theater. All photos are of the actual item that is being offered. Place your mouse over one of the small images to see it enlarged below. This unit is in perfect working condition. The faceplate is excellent, there are no signs of abuse and only the slightest mars in the finish on other parts of the case. Welcome to our theater! Our clients certainly enjoy their home theaters. We do as well and hope you'll also take pleasure in viewing these beautiful installations. "Mouse over" the small images to see them enlarged A picture is certainly worth a thousand words but some aspects of making an informed choice in a home theater system are worth a little extra effort. We invite you to compare Runco & Vidikron projectors against any other brand and we are assured that you will recognize why they have become the industry standard and the marques against which all others are measured. Here is the shipping info for the Lexicon MC-12B Digital Controller Mw/ Balanced Outputs and v5 Room EQ Weight: 48 lbs Size: 24" x 20" x 14" Origin: We ship from Gila, NM 88038 / USA Please note: In order to provide a higher level of service to our clients worldwide, we have begun the transition to FedEx Express and FedEx Ground for both domestic and international shipping. Our experience is that with the fragile and high value electronics that we offer, FedEx has proven safer, more reliable and more convenient. eBay provides a UPS calculator but not one for FedEx. As shipping is very competitive and shipping options are very similar, our concern in changing had less to do with shipping costs and more to do with quality of service. Therefore, we will continue to use the eBay UPS calculator and charge UPS rates even if, on occasion, the FedEx rate is a bit more or less. See below to see the corresponding FedEx Express and Ground services that we will offer if you select a UPS service when you pay your eBay invoice: Domestic Shipping (including Alaska and Hawaii)   UPS Ground FedEx Ground or FedEx Home Delivery UPS 2 Day Air FedEx 2Day UPS Overnight FedEx Priority Overnight International Shipping   UPS Standard to Canada FedEx Ground UPS Worldwide Expedited FedEx International Economy Also note that in some areas, FedEx Ground packages are delivered by FedEx Home Delivery service which works Tuesday through Saturday instead of Monday through Friday. In some cases this will mean that a package that otherwise would have come on a Monday will come on a Saturday or a Tuesday instead. Most people find this convenient, but if you do not then you can request another service instead. Commercial deliveries are always Monday-Friday. If you prefer that we use UPS for your shipment, just send an email to sales@highendzone.com right after you pay for your item requesting that and we will honor your request. And since we often pack your shipment within minutes of receiving payment, please make any special shipping request immediately after you send payment. We will continue to offer US Post Office Express Mail International. The reason we cannot offer US Post Office Priority Mail International is because there is no online tracking possible with that service and Paypal requires that the shipping services we offer allow online tracking. And finally, FedEx requires a phone number for the destination. Please provide your phone number in the comments section when you make you payment via PayPal. Thank you for your interest and good luck in your bidding! We thank you for your interest in our auctions and hope that you will visit our eBay Store where you can purchase a variety of the highest quality cables, Runco bulbs and accessories, and other equipment and accessories at any time. We offer the world's best video and home theater equipment from the top manufacturers including Runco, Mark Levinson, Lexicon, Revel, Krell and many more. You can purchase with confidence knowing we are among the top eBay Powersellers and we are ID verified and take credit cards and Paypal. You can call us up and talk to a real live human any time! When sellers do not accept credit cards, it may be because they sell faulty goods and don't want you to have the leverage the credit card company gives you to get a refund or exchange if the item is not as advertised. When I buy from a new seller, I ALWAYS pay by credit card over Paypal for safety. And when you see sellers of high-end merchandise who don't have their names and phone numbers in the listing, beware. We want to talk to our customers. Scanners don't. Buying from High End Zone is a cut above most other eBay sources including those offering high-end audio and video equipment. Others may offer items with flaws that were not disclosed in the auction. They may resist giving exchanges or refunds if they sell a flawed item. That does not happen when you buy from High End Zone. You get guaranteed quality, professional packing, fast, reliable shipping, and a level of service to rival any high-end audio/video store. Click here to see our other auctions. And please add us to your eBay Favorites List! Our items are guaranteed to work properly and be in the condition we describe. If we make a mistake, if an item does not work properly, or if the item description is inaccurate, we'll offer you a full and prompt refund or exchange and issue return shipping labels at our expense. Returns due to reasons other than some deficiency on our part are subject to a 15% restocking fee. Please check your purchases promptly upon arrival. A client purchased speakers from us and didn't open them for 6 months, then found that some parts were missing. We are doing our best to get those parts for him at no charge from the manufacturer but it would have been a LOT easier if he'd examined them upon receipt. We are at your service to help you design a top-notch home theater for less! We offer free system design and free tech support. If you need advice on your audio, video and home entertainment choices - determining screen size, screen type, calculating throw distance, selecting and installing movie and music servers, whole house audio, control systems, or anything else, feel free to call - we are happy to help. We are constantly seeking the best new equipment so if you don't see an item listed now in an auction or in our eBay Store, please call or send me an email and I will try to set up a listing for you. We are available days or evenings at 575.535.2280 or email us. My name is Stefan Fuegi and I am the owner of the company. Our part of New Mexico is undergoing an area code change from 505 to 575 so you may see it written either way. Please don't be alarmed or confused - both numbers are valid and will work until the final changeover expected in October 2008 when the 575 area code must be used. If you email a question, we usually respond within minutes. If you don't get a reply within 12 hours, PLEASE give us a call or check your spam folder to see if your spam blocker or other filtering has not allowed our reply to reach you. This is a constant problem! Also, we have equipment coming in constantly and I might send an under bidder a second chance offer. But do be aware that scanners may send fake offers pretending to have these items to sell. Please don't fall for any such fraud! If you are in any doubt as to whether an email is real or from me, please call or email us. High End Zone is a Platinum Level eBay Powerseller, eBay ID verified, and Square Trade Verified Seller, which means that we meet the highest standard of business practices, including mediation in the event of dispute. In order to merit these certifications, our track record was closely reviewed and our identity and address were confirmed. You can see from this and my 100% positive feedback record for 10 years that fair and honest trading is very important to us. I have been on eBay almost since it began and even novice eBayers quickly come to recognize that a perfect feedback record by a seller over many years is the surest proof of honesty and fair dealing. In short, it is "gold" and rare. We're not like some of the sellers you see who can barely maintain the 98% rating required for Powerseller status and who buy themselves 50 cheap items to get good feedback on those to offset the negatives they get when they sell. All or nearly all our feedback is from selling, and our customers are genuinely satisfied. Buyer must contact us within 48 hours of auction end. Payment must be received within 5 days of auction end. From time to time fraudulent bidders who have no intent to pay will bid on our auctions. These people usually won't contact us, so we want to quickly be able to offer the item to another bidder or realist it. We accept Paypal, Cashiers Checks and Postal Money Orders from buyers in the USA and Canada. I also accept credit cards directly from customers in the US and Canada. Outside the US and Canada, I accept payment by Paypal or bank wire transfer only unless a prior arrangement is made. If you want to pay by other means and you are not in the US or Canada, please call or email me first for approval. If you have a high positive feedback score, it should be fine. I will also accept escrow if buyer pays the fee. If you are in the United States or Canada and pay by Paypal, I can ONLY ship your order to your confirmed Paypal address so please be sure to confirm your address with Paypal. The buyer pays shipping and insurance. We include a UPS shipping calculator on every auction page that provides rates for domestic and international shipping at different levels of service - ground, overnight, etc. While we are always happy to answer your questions regarding the items we offer, PLEASE try the eBay shipping calculator on the before emailing us for shipping charges. This insures that we can devote our energies to providing better prices and service. Occasionally, the calculator may malfunction and not give you a quote. In that case please DO email us for a shipping quote. Also, for our international customers, we can often provide you a much better shipping price if you buy several items. Please email us for more info. We air freight shipments all over the world every week, and if you buy several things we may be able to have them freighted to an airport near you for you to pickup at a price that is close to what UPS or FedEx charge for shipping a much smaller weight. About half our sales are international. We are very experienced shipping all over the world, and we'd like to earn your business. Often a high-end system bought entirely from us will save you many thousands over buying the same items in your country. We have systems in most of the world's major cities and all continents except Antarctica. If you live in Antarctica, please buy something so I can honestly say I have shipped to every continent! Remember, a bid is a contract. Please do not bid unless you intend to buy. On Nov-14-08 at 19:28:02 PST, seller added the following information: Sellers: Get your own map today. Click here now. Simple." SquareTrade © squaretrade warranty v2.0 Place a Bid!