McIntosh Unveils MA9500 and MA8950 Integrated Amplifiers
McIntosh unveiled its MA9500 and MA8950 Integrated Amplifiers, replacing the MA9000 and MA8900. The MA9500 and MA8950 come with the McIntosh DA2 Digital Audio Module factory-installed instead of the DA1 module that came in the MA9000 and MA8900. The DA2 is powered by a Quad Balanced, eight-channel, 32-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) that improves dynamic range and total harmonic distortion compared to the DA1. The DA2 includes all the same digital inputs found on the DA1 (two coaxial, two optical, one USB and one proprietary MCT input), plus adds an audio-only HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) connection. The DA2 also features increased DSD playback support of up to DSD512 via the USB input compared to DSD256 support on the previous models.
Music is the focus of the MA9500 through its 300 watts per channel of power. It features 10 analog inputs: two balanced, six unbalanced, plus one Moving Coil and one Moving Magnet phono input that offer adjustable loading. It also includes a balanced and unbalanced output that can send the audio signal to another power amplifier.
McIntosh’s Solid Cinch speaker binding posts will securely attach the speaker cables, and the binding posts are gold-plated to prevent corrosion and ensure a quality signal is sent to the speakers. The MA9500 includes an eight-band tone control that allows for advanced manual analog adjustment of ±12dB in 2dB increments at frequencies of 25Hz, 50Hz, 100Hz, 200Hz, 400Hz, 1kHz, 2.5kH and 10kHz.
The MA8950 offers 200 Watts per channel and combines McIntosh’s amplification and preamplifier technologies into one stereo sound system component. It comes with nine analog inputs: one balanced, six unbalanced, one Moving Coil (with adjustable loading) and one Moving Magnet phono input. It also includes an unbalanced fixed output and an unbalanced variable output along with a discrete, five-band tone control that allows for advanced manual analog adjustment of ±12dB in 2dB increments at frequencies of 30Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, 2kHz and 10kHz.