McIntosh Laboratory introduces the MXA70 – a luxury all-in-one system giving music lovers authentic McIntosh sound quality in a compact and stylish package. (£5,995)
McIntosh Laboratory, the global leader in high-performance home entertainment systems for over 75 years, has launched an all-in-one system of unrivalled ability. The new MXA70, which comes complete with speakers, takes full advantage of the latest McIntosh technologies and gives space-tight consumers the best possible listening experience. The MXA70 is a highly versatile high-performance audio system that’s hand-built in McIntosh’s Binghamton (NY) factory. It contains an advanced 50-watt McIntosh amplifier, in-house aluminium loudspeakers and a dedicated headphone amp. Also included is a high- quality McIntosh DAC with four digital inputs, bringing the famous McIntosh sound quality to a wide range of digitally connected devices.
The speakers, finished in a luxurious high-gloss piano-black, have been skilfully designed in- house to complement the electronics. Featuring carefully selected driver components housed in a lavish custom-cast vibration-controlling aluminium cabinet, the wide-bandwidth speakers boast a 19mm titanium-dome tweeter with a 100mm treated-paper bass/midrange unit. The speakers are rear-ported to further augment the low frequencies and have an impressive operating range of 60Hz-45kHz.
The speaker cabinets can be angled upwards by 10 degrees to best suit their environment and for extra depth, connections for a powered subwoofer are available from the main unit. The MXA70 includes the same high-quality dedicated headphone amplifier found in the recently launched MHA100 head amp. The system employs a new adaptation of McIntosh’s unique autoformer technology, which offers three selectable headphone impedance ranges: 8-40; 40-150 and 150-600 ohms. This flexibility enables every headphone, from ear-buds to studio-quality cans, to deliver optimal McIntosh quality.
The MXA70 also features McIntosh’s new Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD) technology, which allows high-quality recordings played through headphones to image like conventional speakers, bringing new depth and spatiality to personal listening. HXD improves the sound localisation for headphone listening and restores the directionality component of the spatial sound stage normally experienced with loudspeaker listening.
The MXA70 is perfectly suited to today’s wide variety of digital source components. The internal McIntosh Digital Engine offers four digital inputs (coaxial, optical, balanced digital AES/EBU and USB), allowing decoding at up to 32-bit/ 192kHz resolution for maximum analogue fidelity. The MXA70 upsamples digital signals to 192kHz with 32-bit resolution, before the D/A process begins. Two analogue inputs (including balanced) have also been In addition to complementing existing high-quality audio systems in the home, the MXA70 is also perfectly suited to computer-based audio and desktop working. Compared to McIntosh’s conventional sources, amplifiers and speakers, the MXA70 is considerably more compact and fits neatly on a desk, bringing the legendary McIntosh sound quality to a wide range of domestic source material. Its smaller size gives additional flexibility to locate the The amplifier is a Class A/B complimentary-symmetry design featuring ThermalTrakTM output transistors. The transistors feature precise bias current control for ultra-low crossover distortion and cool operation.
Further features include tone controls for greater flexibility across a range of source material, plus McIntosh’s Power Guard® technology: a waveform-comparison circuit that continuously monitors both input and output signals, dynamically adjusting them when necessary, in order to avoid potentially damaging clipping. The MXA70 proudly retains McIntosh’s legendary 1950s styling and world-class sound quality. The entire unit is housed in a beautiful stainless steel chassis that not only compliments the famous fibre-optic-illuminated McIntosh glass front-panel, retro knobs and brushed aluminum end caps, but also any room decor.
The new MXA70 is perfectly suited to deliver the full potential of today’s high-quality music files, while enabling the legendary McIntosh sound quality from a wide number of source components. Like all McIntosh products, the MXA70 is carefully handcrafted, tested and packaged in the Binghamton (NY) factory, and boasts classic 1950s styling with contemporary features and technology.
