McIntosh MA9000: Powerful and highly efficient integrated amplifier

The top-of-the-line MA9000 delivers 300 watts of power per channel regardless of the load, as it has two McIntosh Autoformer output stage autotransformers. The Power Guard circuit protects the device from overload, and the highly efficient High Drive amplifier allows you to work with headphones with an impedance of 20 to 600 ohms.

The exterior design of the new McIntosh MA9000 fully complies with the company’s standards. As always, the black case has a dark glass front panel with aluminum plugs on the sides. The flagship McIntosh MA9000 received a monumental two-layer stainless steel chassis, a glass front panel with fiber optic backlighting, which is combined with LED diodes, and aluminum handles for rack mounting. On the front there is a pair of pointer wattmeters, between which there are two Power Guard circuit LEDs. Below is an input selector (also used to configure other functions), 8 analog discrete equalizer controls and a volume knob (participates in other settings). At the very bottom of the front panel there is a two-line display showing the power in percent, the signal source, etc. To the left of it is a 6.3 mm headphone jack and buttons for activating the XLR and RCA preamplifier outputs, and to the right are the equalizer bypass, mute, and power/standby keys. The upper platform is occupied by the power transformer, autotransformers, and the amplifier section with cooling radiators.

An equally impressive arsenal of inputs awaits the user on the DA1 Digital Audio digital module. There are 2 coaxial, 2 optical, 1 USB and 1 proprietary MCT input to choose from. As before, one of the key advantages of the DA1 module is the possibility of future upgrades, as it is removable and can be easily replaced with a more advanced and modern model in the future. This pleasant little thing allows the amplifier not to lose its relevance for many years. The DA1 model uses a powerful 8-channel 32-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) operating in Quad Balanced mode. High-resolution formats DSD256 and DXD 384 kHz are supported via the USB input, while the coaxial and optical inputs will decode music up to 24 bit / 192 kHz. Any of the inputs can be assigned an individual name.

Similar to the recently presented MA8900 amplifier, the new MA9000 also received cooling radiators with the company’s monogram. The new radiators are made of high-quality materials and have a higher-quality surface finish. In addition to the decorative function, the radiators perfectly cope with their task of removing excess heat from the output transistors.

The McIntosh MA9000 amplifier uses more powerful control processors that improve the overall performance of the system. For maximum sound quality, a number of key components have been replaced with higher-end models. The McIntosh MA9000 received 8 gold-plated speaker terminals with an impedance of 2, 4 and 8 ohms. Its transparent, realistic sound with the correct tonal balance, excellent resolution and impressive dynamics corresponds to the signature style of McIntosh components.

McIntosh MA9000 Specifications 

Power & Performance:

• Power Output: 300 watts per channel into 2, 4, or 8 ohms
• Frequency Response:
  • 20 Hz – 20 kHz (+ 0, – 0.5 dB)
  • 10 Hz – 100 kHz (+ 0, – 3 dB)
• Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.005%
• Dynamic Headroom: 1.8 dB

Input Sensitivity:

• MM Phono Input: 3 mV
• MC Phono Input: 0.3 mV
• Unbalanced Input: 0.3 V
• Balanced Input: 0.6 V
• Power Amp Input: 1.7 V

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR):

• High Level Input: 98 dB
• Power Amp: 114 dB
• Phono:
  • MM: 84 dB
  • MC: 82 dB

Impedance:

• Input Impedance:
  • Balanced: 10 kOhm
  • Unbalanced: 20 kOhm
• Preamp Output Impedance: 220 ohms

Voltage:

• Output Voltage:
  • XLR: 3.4 V
  • RCA: 1.7 V
• Maximum Output Voltage:
  • XLR: 16 V
  • RCA: 8 V

Damping Factor:

• Damping Factor: More than 40

Features:

Equalizer:

• 8 Bands Adjustable Frequencies: 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 1000, 2500, and 10000 Hz
• Adjustment Range: ±12 dB
• Assignable/Disabling Per Input: Yes

Outputs:

• Autotransformers: 2 McIntosh Autoformer pieces
• Preamp Outputs:
  • RCA
  • Balanced (XLR)
• Additional Outputs:
  • RCA for recording
  • 6.3 mm headphone jack

Inputs:

• Analog Inputs:
  • 2 XLR
  • 6 RCA
  • 2 Phono (MM/MC cartridges)
  • RCA to Power Amp Section (jumper-connected to preamp output)
• Digital Inputs:
  • 2 Coaxial (24-bit/96 kHz)
  • 2 Optical (24-bit/96 kHz)
  • Asynchronous USB (32-bit/384 kHz)

Additional Connections:

• System Bus: Main jack for on/off control
• Trigger Jacks: 2
• DATA PORT Jacks: 6
• IR Receiver Jack: Yes
• Ground Terminals: 2
• PASSTHRU Jack: For AV processor on/off signals
• RS232-C Connector: 3.5 mm

Digital Audio:

• DAC Resolution: 32-bit/192 kHz

Headphone Amplifier:

• High Drive Technology: Supports loads from 20 to 600 ohms

Protection Systems:

• Power Guard
• Thermal Protection
• Sentry Monitor: Protects against overload, overheating, and output transistor failure

Speaker Outputs:

• 8 Gold-Plated Screw Terminals: Separate terminals for 2, 4, and 8-ohm speakers

Input Features:

• Input Reassignment: Available
• Sensitivity Adjustment: ±6 dB for each input

Power Consumption:

• Operational: 792 W (220 V, 3.6 A current)
• Standby Mode: 0.25 W

Remote Control:

• Type: Universal

Physical Characteristics:

• Dimensions (WxHxD): 445 x 240 x 559 mm
• Weight: 45.4 kg