McIntosh MA9500 - Black glass

Description

The Flagship McIntosh Solid-State Integrated Amplifier

The MA9500 is the most powerful and most fully featured solid-state integrated in McIntosh's lineup — a full-width chassis that consolidates a preamplifier with MM and MC phono inputs, the DA2 Digital Audio Module, a 300 W Autoformer™-based power amplifier, an eight-band analog equalizer, an HXD® headphone amp, and Home Theater PassThru in a single unit. It succeeds the MA9000 (SoundStage Network 2018 Integrated Amplifier of the Year, Sound + Image 2019 Stereo Amplifier Award, Stereo Sound 2017 Grand Prix) by carrying forward its proven architecture and improving what matters most in listening: doubled filter capacitance for dynamic headroom and the DA2 module replacing the DA1 for digital connectivity and DSD512 support. Built for the listener who wants a single chassis to drive demanding loudspeakers with authority — no need to step up to separates.

300 W Into 2, 4, or 8 Ohms Through Autoformer™

The MA9500 delivers 300 W per channel into 2, 4, or 8 ohms through a pair of McIntosh Autoformer™ transformers — full rated power across all common speaker impedances, no compromise. The principle: the amplifier always sees an ideal load, which lets it drive difficult loudspeakers (low impedance, low sensitivity, unruly phase response) with the same authority as conventional loads. Total harmonic distortion is rated at 0.005%, frequency response is +0/-0.5 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz (+0/-3 dB from 10 Hz to 100 kHz), damping factor is greater than 40, maximum output is 16 V balanced / 8 V unbalanced. The high-current output transistors are mounted on McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks™.

Doubled Filter Capacitance and 2.8 dB of Dynamic Headroom

A key upgrade over the MA9000: power-supply filter capacitance has been doubled, taking dynamic headroom from 1.8 dB (MA9000) to 2.8 dB (MA9500). In listening: the most demanding musical peaks reproduce with more control and less distortion, and the bass — already noted as a strong point of the MA9000 — gains further firmness and articulation. The power supply itself has been upgraded vs the MA9000 with new components that lower noise emission and add robustness under the most demanding operating conditions.

Full Analog Section: Two XLR, Six Gold-Plated RCA, Adjustable MM and MC Phono

The MA9500 carries ten analog inputs: two balanced XLR, six unbalanced RCA with premium gold-plated solid-brass connectors, one Moving Coil (MC) and one Moving Magnet (MM) phono input with separate grounding terminals for two turntables at once. Unlike the MA8950, both phono inputs on the MA9500 feature adjustable loading, letting you fine-tune each cartridge to its electrical requirements. Input impedance is 10 kohms balanced / 22 kohms unbalanced. Sensitivities: XLR 0.6 V, RCA 0.3 V, MC 0.30 mV, MM 3.0 mV. Excellent signal-to-noise ratios: 98 dB high-level, 84 dB MM phono, 82 dB MC phono, 114 dB Power Amp input. Every input can be renamed (Input Assign) and level-matched across sources (Input Level Match). Three preamplifier outputs — one balanced variable XLR, one unbalanced variable RCA, and one unbalanced fixed RCA — support bi-amping or one to two active subwoofer feeds.

DA2 Digital Audio Module With Seven Inputs Including HDMI (ARC)

The MA9500 ships from the factory with the DA2 Digital Audio Module (replacing the MA9000's DA1). The DA2 offers seven digital inputs: two coaxial, two optical, one USB, one proprietary MCT for pairing with a McIntosh SACD/CD transport (like the MCT500), and one audio-only HDMI (ARC) input to connect a compatible TV directly and route TV, cable, or streaming sound through the hi-fi system. Multichannel Dolby® and DTS® formats received over HDMI ARC are converted to stereo for playback, and the MA9500's remote can control TV power and volume via CEC. The 8-channel, 32-bit Quad Balanced DAC delivers improved dynamic range and lower total harmonic distortion vs the DA1: coaxial and optical inputs accept up to 24-bit / 192 kHz, USB accepts up to 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM and DSD up to DSD512 (DXD 352.8 and 384 kHz as well), and MCT reads DSD64 from SACD layers. The DA2 module remains replaceable for future digital standards.

8-Band Analog Equalizer, HXD® Headphone Amp and Home Theater PassThru

The MA9500 features a front-panel eight-band analog equalizer — the finest tone-shaping resolution in the McIntosh integrated lineup, shared with the flagship hybrid MA12000. Each band offers ±12 dB of manual adjustment in 2 dB steps at 25 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 400 Hz, 1 kHz, 2.5 kHz, and 10 kHz. That distribution — four bands in the bass and lower midrange and four in the upper midrange and treble — allows much finer correction than the five-band equalizer of the MA8950. Tone Bypass removes the equalizer entirely from the signal path for the purest possible listening. A dedicated High Drive headphone amplifier with McIntosh's patented Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD®) sits behind the 1/4-inch front-panel jack. Home Theater PassThru integrates the MA9500 into a multichannel home theater system: the front-channel signals from the AV processor pass through the MA9500 power stage at unity gain, letting you share the main speakers between pure stereo and home theater with no cable repatching.

Hand-Assembled in Binghamton and Award-Winning

Every MA9500 is hand-assembled at the McIntosh factory in Binghamton, New York, in an unbroken tradition since 1949. The dual-layer chassis combines polished mirror-finish stainless steel with black-painted steel, topped with the signature black glass front panel with fiber-optic backlighting and illuminated logo, a pair of peak-responding blue Watt Output meters, rotary control knobs, and aluminum end caps with built-in handles for moving a chassis that weighs 101 lb (45.8 kg). Patented gold-plated Solid Cinch™ speaker binding posts — the exclusive McIntosh design that clamps the speaker cable securely to prevent accidental shorts. Four rear-panel Data Ports for controlling connected McIntosh sources, an RS-232 port for custom integration, one Main Power Control output and two trigger outputs.

Common Questions

What's the difference between the MA9500 and the MA9000 it replaces?

The MA9500 brings two main upgrades vs the MA9000 (SoundStage Network 2018 Integrated Amplifier of the Year). First, power-supply filter capacitor capacity has been doubled, taking dynamic headroom from 1.8 dB to 2.8 dB — the amplifier handles musical transients with more authority, and the bass (already regarded as a strong point of the MA9000) gains further firmness and articulation. Second, the DA1 Digital Audio Module in the MA9000 is replaced by the DA2, which adds an HDMI (ARC) input for direct TV connection, improves DAC dynamic range and distortion, and extends USB DSD support from DSD256 to DSD512. The power supply itself has been upgraded as well for lower noise.

Which speaker binding post tap should I use (2, 4, or 8 ohms)?

Connect the speaker cables to the Solid Cinch™ binding post that matches the speaker's nominal impedance as rated by the manufacturer (2, 4, or 8 ohms). Thanks to the McIntosh Autoformer™ output transformers, the MA9500 delivers its full 300 W on any of these three taps — the amplifier always sees an ideal load and drives even difficult speakers with the same authority.

Can I use the MA9500 in a home theater setup?

Yes, through the built-in Home Theater PassThru feature. Once assigned to an input, the surround processor's front-left and front-right channel signals pass directly through the MA9500's power stage at unity gain, which lets you share the main speakers between pure stereo listening and multichannel home theater without repatching speaker cables.

Which sources and loudspeakers pair well with the MA9500?

As an integrated amplifier, the MA9500 needs no external preamplifier or power amp. McIntosh's suggested partners include the DS200 streaming DAC, the MCD600 SACD/CD player, the MCT500 SACD/CD transport (via the proprietary MCT input), the MT10 turntable, the MR89 AM/FM tuner, the MB25 Bluetooth Transceiver, the MEN220 Room Correction System, the MPC1500 power controller, and on the loudspeaker side the ML1 Mk II bookshelf and the XR100 floor-standing loudspeaker.

What's in the Box

McIntosh MA9500 integrated amplifier

Remote control

AC power cord

Owner's manual