IF a mix of tubes and solid-state is your thing, and you need loads of power, look no further than McIntosh Labs’ latest hybrid – the MA12000 stereo integrated amplifier, which comes fully loaded and with 350 watts of muscle per channel. Yes, it is the most powerful integrated amp the iconic brand has ever built.
This hybrid design uses four 12AX7a tubes (two per channel) in its preamp section, while the power amp section is, as you would have surmised, solid-state, via McIntosh’s familiar Autoformers that deliver equal power into 8-to-2 ohm impedances.
As for features, the MA12000 has 10 sets of analogue inputs and seven digital ones (via the on board DA2 module, which has received Roon Tested designation from Roon Labs). Yes, there are MM and MC phono inputs… no worries here about running out of source options!
According to the press release, “the top of the MA12000 is highlighted by updated industrial design elements… the Autoformers and power transformer are now contained in a new glass topped enclosure capped by a glass name-plate encircled with a decorative trim ring… key performance specifications and a detailed block diagram are printed on five glass panels.”
There are also the familiar McIntosh amp trademarks – Power Guard; Sentry Monitor; a pair of peak responding watt meters; McIntosh monogrammed heatsinks; HT PassThru; patented Solid Cinch speaker binding posts; discrete, eight-band tone control; High Drive headphone amplifier with Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD); and doubling of filter capacity compared to McIntosh’s other integrated amplifiers for better low frequency performance.
“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, illuminated logo, aluminium end caps with built-in handles and a beautiful stainless steel chassis polished to a mirror finish.”
The MA12000 will retail at US$14,000 USD… you can order it now, shipping is expected to begin for the US and Canada markets this month, and to the rest of the world a bit later.
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