The legendary American firm McIntosh, who this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of its foundationhas just expanded its spectacular catalog of High End audiovisual components with a product in demand by many admirers of the brand: a integrated amplifier stereophonic with built-in streamer. Said and done in the form of the MSA5500, a distinguished electronic device endowed with the unmistakable aesthetics of the company based in Binghamton, in the state of New York. With compact dimensions, it combines a refined outlet section which allows you to deliver a 2×100 watt continuous power over 4 ohms or 2×160 watts over 4 ohms with wide connection possibilities by or without cable, and a network music player compatible with popular formats and platforms such as Apple AirPlay, Bluetooth (5.0 compatible with aptX HD and aptX Adaptive, among others), Google Cast (formerly Chromecast), Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect (TIDAL HiFi lossless included), all from any device smart mobile.
For their part, two Wi-Fi 6 antennas and a Bluetooth They ensure stable wireless connections, also having a Ethernet port for those who prefer wired connection. Regarding traditional connectivity, there are 7 digital and 5 analog inputsamong the first being a USB compatible with PCM files up to 32 bits/384 kHz and DSD up to DSD512 and among the second being a phono (MM capsules only). In parallel, a HDMI ARC input guarantees the owner of the MSA5500 to enjoy their favorite television programs with a true high fidelity sound (with stereo conversion of DTS and Dolby multichannel signals), while a subwoofer output It will satisfy the needs of those looking for extra bass punch.
In line with what is expected from a product signed by McIntosh, the MSA5500 houses premium elements with the aim of optimizing sound quality, including a 8 channel DAC with 32-bit arithmetic and Quad Balanced architecture whose exceptional specifications in parameters such as dynamic range and distortion make it a perfect tool to restore the most demanding “Hi-Res” recordings. To this we must add engineering solutions already classic in the New York brand, case of the widely contrasted Power Guard protection systems (against overloads) and Sentry Monitor (versus short circuits), the effective Monogrammed Heatsinks heatsinks and the connection terminals to loudspeakers Solid Cinchnot forgetting the powerful dedicated headphone amplifier with spatial enhancement technology Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD) and approval Roon Ready.
