McIntosh Labs MA12000 – 2-Channel Hybrid Integrated Amplifier

Description

McIntosh Labs produces some of the most impressive, most powerful, and most sought after amplifiers in the world. Since 1949, McIntosh has been designing and building handcrafted stereo equipment in their workrooms in Binghamton, NY. And set a very high bar for quality sound reproduction, performance, and reliability.

A new McIntosh model takes many months and often years to progress from concept to production. New ideas receive meticulous engineering and continuous refinement until meeting the exacting standards for which McIntosh is known. Their team then apply their handcraftsmanship and proven manufacturing capabilities to transform designs into revered home audio products.

The newest addition to the McIntosh product family is the MA12000 hybrid integrated amplifier, a product of uncompromising audio engineering. The MA12000 is the most powerful integrated amplifier McIntosh has ever produced, offering 350 watts per channel of the clean, high-performance power for which McIntosh is known.

The MA12000 delivers the warm nuances of a vacuum tube preamplifier (also known as a valve preamplifier) combined with the speed and raw power of a solid-state amplifier, state-of-the-art digital audio capabilities, and enough analog audio connections for virtually any home music system.

What is a hybrid design?

An integrated amplifier takes several component audio pieces. It combines them into one unit, usually a combination of power amplifier and preamplifier. Still, some modern integrated amps also incorporate a phono stage and various home theater or streaming functions.

For many audiophiles, an amplifier relying on vacuum tubes is the only way to achieve an authentic analog sound, which is warm and clean. But a solid-state design offers durability and reliability advantages.

The MA12000 is a hybrid design with the preamplifier section powered by (4) 12AX7A vacuum tubes (2 tubes per audio channel), while the 350 Watt power amplifier section employs a solid-state design. It incorporates McIntosh’s Autoformer™ technology, which guarantees your speakers will always be capable of receiving that full 350 Watts, whether they have 2, 4, or 8 Ohm impedance.

There are ten analog inputs on the MA12000. These consist of 2 balanced and six unbalanced inputs plus 1 Moving Coil and 1 Moving Magnet input for connecting a turntable. Both phono inputs feature adjustable loading for fine-tuning the MA12000 to your specific turntable configuration. Constructed from gold-plated brass, the unbalanced analog connectors provide superior signal handling and grounding. The MA12000 also has one balanced and one unbalanced output if you ever want to connect to an additional amplifier used in a different part of your residence.

For digital music, the MA12000 comes with McIntosh’s DA2 Digital Audio Module factory installed. Located in the DA2 are seven digital audio inputs: 2 coaxial, two optical, 1 USB and 1 MCT (for use with their MCT series of SACD/CD Transports), and one audio-only HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC)1 connection. Power for the DA2 comes from a next-generation, Quad Balanced, 8-channel, 32-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). This audiophile-grade DAC features improved dynamic range and improved total harmonic distortion. The DA2 supports high resolution digital audio playback, as the USB input supports native playback of up to DSD512 and DXD up to 384kHz. The coax and optical inputs can decode digital music up to 24-bit/192kHz.

The HDMI (ARC) input allows TVs with a compatible HDMI (ARC) output to connect to the MA12000 and your home stereo system to bring a new audio performance level to your TV and movie watching that TV speakers or soundbars can’t provide. Popular multi-channel audio formats from Dolby® and DTS® are supported and converted to 2-channel audio for proper playback. With CEC communication enabled in both the MA12000 and your TV, your TV remote can control the power and volume of the MA12000. The DA2 can be replaced by future modules to keep your MA12000 up to date as new digital audio formats and technologies develop.

The DA2 has received Roon Tested designation from Roon Labs. Roon is especially useful if you have an extensive library of digital music. Roon will recognize it and send it audio optimized for its capabilities. Roon Tested devices are automatically identified and configured out of the box for a superior experience.

Other MA12000 features include:

• McIntosh’s Power Guard® that monitors the output signal for overdriving and makes real-time micro-adjustments to the input signal to prevent harsh sounding clipping that could potentially damage your speakers
• A fuse-less short-circuit protection circuit Sentry Monitor™ that disengages the output stage before the current exceeds safe operating levels and then resets automatically when running conditions return to normal
• A pair of peak responding, trademarked “McIntosh Blue” Wattmeters that indicate the real-time power output of each audio channel
• Connected to advanced high current output transistors, McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks™ minimize thermal equilibrium lag (or warm-up) time and help keep the MA12000 running cool
• Home Theater PassThru that allows for seamless integration into a home theater system
• McIntosh’s patented Solid Cinch™ speaker binding posts that easily but securely attach the speaker cables to prevent them from coming loose and possibly causing a short; the binding posts are also gold-plated to avoid corrosion and to ensure a quality signal travels to your speaker cables and ultimately to your speakers
• A discrete, eight-band tone control that allows for advanced manual analog adjustment of your favorite recordings
• High Drive headphone amplifier with Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD®) which can bring an added dimension to headphone listening
• Power Control to send power on/off signals to connected McIntosh components for effortless system power up and shutdown
• Doubling of filter capacity compared to our other integrated amplifiers for even better low-frequency performance
• The latest audio-grade circuit components to deliver the best sound possible
• Powerful control microprocessors to improve overall system operation
• Easy operation via front panel controls or the included comprehensive remote control

The entire unit is “wrapped” in the classic McIntosh aesthetic with a pair of blue watt meters, a black glass front panel, rotary control knobs, an illuminated logo, aluminum end caps with built-in handles, and a beautiful stainless steel chassis polished to a mirror finish. Audio Video Synergy has many turntables, CD players, music streamers, and speakers that are ideally compatible with the MA12000.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Power Output per Channel: 350 Watts across two channels
• Speaker Impedance: 2, 4, or 8 Ohms
• Rated Power Band: 20Hz to 20kHz
• Total Harmonic Distortion: Preamplifier: 0.03%
• Amplifier: 0.005%
• Dynamic Headroom: 1.5dB
• Frequency Response +0,-0.5dB: 20Hz to 20kHz
• Frequency Response, +0, -3dB: 10Hz to 100kHz
• Sensitivity Phono (Moving Coil): 0.30mV
• Sensitivity Phono (Moving Magnet): 3.0mV
• Sensitivity High Level (Balanced / Unbalanced): 600mV/300mV
• Sensitivity (Power Amp input): 1.7V
• Signal to Noise Ratio (Moving Coil): 75dB
• Signal to Noise Ratio (Moving Magnet): 77dB
• Signal to Noise Ratio (High Level): 95dB
• Signal to Noise Ratio (Power Amp input): 114dB
• Input Impedance (Balanced / Unbalanced): 44K/22K
• Damping Factor: >40
• Maximum Output (Balanced / Unbalanced): 8V Unbalanced | 16V Balanced

The MA12000 weights 108 lbs, so many racks will be unable to accommodate it. Our installation experts can help you with proper placement and setup. Available only in-store.