John
Binghamton behemoth McIntosh has today announced its most powerful integrated amplifier to date in the MA12000: a hybrid design with a green-glowing quad of 12AX7A tubes in the pre-amplifier section and a 350wpc solid-state amplifier fitted out with to the company’s proprietory Autoformer technology. The Autoformers (and power transformer) are housed in a glass-topped enclosure and guarantee the amplifier’s full wattage irrespective of the attached loudspeaker’s impedance movements.
The MA12000 also goes large on connectivity, sporting ten analogue inputs – two balanced and six unbalanced – plus fully-adjustable MM and MC phono staging and McIntosh’s DA2 Digital Audio Module which adds seven digital inputs: 2 x coaxial, 2 x TOSLINK, USB, HDMI ARC and MCT (for McIntosh SACD/CD players). The DA2 is Roon Tested (not to be confused with Roon Ready) to confirm USB support for PCM up to 32bit/384khZ and DSD512. Coaxial and TOSLINK top out with PCM at 24bit/192kHz.
This beast of an integrated also features HT bypass, gold-plated patented Solic Cinch loudspeaker binding posts, an IR wand and a high-output headphone amplifier complete with crossfeed.
And it wouldn’t be a McIntosh amplifier without a pair of ‘McIntosh Blue’ watt meters (that show the amplifier’s real-time power output, “a black glass front panel, rotary control knobs, illuminated logo, aluminium end-caps with built-in handles and a beautiful stainless steel chassis, polished to a mirror finish.”
The MA12000 is handmade in New York State and will begin shipping in the USA in October and the UK/EU in November. Pricing has been set at £16,500 / US$14,000.
Further information: McIntosh
