McIntosh MA12000AC Integrated Amplifier

Primus inter Pares

The McIntosh MA12000 AC is an ultimate integrated amplifier statement and a product of uncompromising audio technology with the most perfect workmanship. Never before has McIntosh built an integrated amplifier that delivers 350 watts of power per channel and combines the best of two worlds: the warm nuances of a tube preamp with the speed and performance of high-performance transistors in the power amp. There are also state-of-the-art digital audio functions and a large number of analogue audio inputs.

The MA12000 AC features a hybrid design. Four 12AX7A vacuum tubes work in the preamplifier, the signal from which is passed on to a transistor-equipped power amplifier, which can also serve power-hungry loudspeakers with its unyielding power. Regardless of whether they have an impedance of two, four or eight ohms thanks to McIntosh Autoformer technology.

The MA12000 AC has ten analog inputs, consisting of two balanced and six unbalanced inputs as well as a moving coil and moving magnet input.

The two phono inputs can be adjusted for MM/MC pickups with regard to their electrical values. A coaxial and an XLR output are available for connecting an additional power amplifier.

The MA12000 AC is once again the embodiment of the timeless McIntosh aesthetic, with large VU meters, black glass faceplate, illuminated McIntosh logo, aluminum finishing strips and beautifully polished stainless steel chassis.

The exclusive McIntosh features in the MA12000AC

PowerGuard®
Monitors signal levels at the speed of light and adjusts them as needed to rule out speaker damage in the event of high levels of distortion and clipping.

Sentry Monitor™
McIntosh's short circuit protection circuit which shuts off the power amp before current exceeds regular operating levels and automatically resets when operating conditions return to normal.

Home Theater PassThru,
which enables seamless integration into a home theater system. This turns the MA9000 AC into a pure power amplifier, the volume of which is controlled by the AV processor or AV receiver.

High Drive Headphone Amplifier
with Crossfeed Director (HXD®), which can give the headphones an additional sound dimension.

Discrete, 8-band tone control (equalizer)
which enables a manual-analogue setting of the favorite recordings

Corrosion-resistant, gold-plated speaker terminals
which ensure that a high-quality signal is always sent to the loudspeakers

McIntosh Autoformer

A transistor amplifier works best at an impedance that is optimal for it. In some cases, this impedance can vary greatly from speaker to speaker. In several cases speakers can go below 2 ohms in impedance. If a power amplifier is connected to an impedance that is below its optimal impedance, more output current is required, which also has an effect on increased temperature. The Autoformer creates an ideal connection between amplifier and loudspeaker. In terms of measurement, there are no quality limitations for the McIntosh Autoformer. The frequency response corresponds exactly to that of the output stage. The distortions are so low that they cannot be displayed using any measuring device. In some cases, the autoformers can even protect your speakers from significant damage. The special McIntosh Autoformers, with which McIntosh has more than 60 years of experience, are an essential building block of the famous McIntosh sound.

Technical specifications

Power output:
350 watts per channel

Total Harmonic Distortion:
Preamp: 0.03%
Amplifiers: 0.005%
Both maximum from 20Hz to 20kHz

Tone controls:
8-band analog tone controls

Headphone Amplifiers:
1/4” High Drive with Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD®). Powers all headphones from 20 to 600 ohms.

Analog inputs:
6 Unbalanced
2 balanced
1 moving coil (adjustable)
1 moving magnet (adjustable)

Digital inputs:
2 coaxes
2 Optical
1 usb
1 MCT (used with McIntosh
SACD/CD Transport)
1 HDMI (ARC)
All digital inputs are housed in
DA2 digital audio module.

Home Theater PassThru:
Allows for seamless interfacing with a Home Theater system.

Overall Dimensions (W x H x D):
44.5cm x 24cm x 55.88cm
including knobs, connectors and cables

Weight:
48.9kg net,
63.9kg in shipping carton