The word that keeps appearing in my listening notes for the Lexicon is
sophisticated. The MC-8’s adjustability means that it can sound pretty much like anything you want, and when set up correctly, it becomes astonishingly transparent to the source. At one point when I felt things were sounding just a little thick, I found that with just a slight tweak to the subwoofer level the pristine window would quickly return. Although it seems that the Outlaw 770 might just outrun the LX-7 in the brute-force control contest, there’s no question that the Lexicon moves ahead a couple of notches under normal conditions with its amazing level of refinement.
They say you get what you pay for, and although we haven’t rewritten the rule book, it’s impressive how good reasonably priced electronics can get, at a fraction of the price of the very best. All of these systems would be hard to beat at their respective price levels and can be heartily
recommended.
Photography by John Phillip
Description: TX-SR701 A/V receiver
Contact: Onkyo USA Corp.
800.229.1687
www.onkyousa.com
Price: $800
Description:
Model 950 A/V preamp/processor;
Model 770 seven-channel amplifier
