NOTHING that McIntosh makes is subtle or understated, case in point being the new MHT300 home theatre receiver. It’s a 7.2-channel system that can be expanded to a 7.2.4 set-up, and it dishes out 150 watts per channel into four-ohm loads (120W into eight ohms). Apart from including the de rigueur home theatre surround sound formats of the day, it has the Dirac Live room correction system on board. It also supports 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz video. And let’s not forget the FM tuner.
The MHT300 is the first new McIntosh AV receiver in about a decade.
“The MHT300 is an uncompromising 7.2 (or 5.2.2) channel home theatre powerhouse sure to heighten your emotional connection to what you are watching. With support for breathtaking 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz video and leading home theatre surround sound audio formats Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, plus delivering 120–150 watts of legendary McIntosh power to your speakers, the MHT300 will make your home theatre dreams come true,” the company assures AV fans.
“Don’t be fooled by high watts per channel specs listed by many other AV receivers on the market as many times the fine print will show that those power ratings only apply to just two channels driven. That may be fine for a stereo set-up, but a home theatre has a lot more than just two channels to drive.
“With the MHT300, the power ratings are for all seven channels being driven. That means every four-ohm speaker will receive 150 watts and every eight-ohm speaker will receive 120 watts of heart-pounding McIntosh power.”
Of course, room correction is becoming an increasingly important factor for home entertainment systems.
“Advanced room adjustment and correction is provided via Dirac Live, an advanced room acoustic solution that enables users to optimise their sound systems and reduce unwanted effects introduced by the room.
“Utilising purpose-built audio algorithms, Dirac Live provides world-class room correction with time domain correction by means of patented mixed-phase filter technology – something that all other solutions are missing. Dirac Live is nevertheless easy to use, with an intuitive user interface and step-by-step guidance that allows for quick setup and robust personalisation.”
Dirac Live has been finding its way to bedroom stereo set-ups, professional mixing studios, and some of the world’s most exclusive home theatres.
For connectivity, the MHT300 has four HDMI inputs and a single HDMI output. “Each HDMI port is HDCP 2.2 compliant and supports 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz. All ports have 18Gbps of bandwidth and are compatible with High Dynamic Range (HDR) formats Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG, 4:4:4 colour spacing, Rec. 2020, and 3D video pass-through.”
The MHT300 retails for US$8,000 and can be ordered now – shipping begins in March.
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