Premium audio specialists McIntosh have just unleashed two new amplifiers that pretty much personify audio perfection.
The MA 8950 and MA 9500 have stepped in for the MA8900 and MA9000, so they need to have some muscle, and there’s plenty of that.
These new kids on the block offer a 50 per cent increase in dynamic headroom which will further reduce distortion while delivering better bass performance.
These new models also put out an upgraded power supply, as well as the newest McIntosh DA2 Digital Audio Module, designed to pump up dynamic range.
The module also has a premium eight-channel, 32-bit DAC, plus an audio-only HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) connection, which lets the amp connect to ARC-equipped televisions so you can level up the sound by going through your hi-fi.
The boss-level $29,000 MA9500 puts out 300W per channel, and packs 10 analog inputs – two balanced, six unbalanced, with an MM/MC input with adjustable loading. There’s also eight-band tone control so you can tweak frequencies by +/- 12 db.
The MA 8500 – at $24,000 – puts out 200W per channel with a bunch of analog inputs, one balanced, six unbalanced, plus MC with adjustable loading and an MM phono input.
You’ll then find five-band tone control capable of +/- 12 db adjustments.
Besides coming with sound that makes your ears happy to be on the side of your head, both of these new models are steeped in McIntosh’s signature industrial chic design aesthetic, with the New York company ‘s trademark McIntosh Blue watt meters to show power output in real time.
