McIntosh RS250 - Gloss black

Description

Eight Drivers, 650 W, Full Three-Way Stereo Architecture

The RS250's acoustic architecture is a real three-way stereo system — two full L/R acoustic paths, each with woofer, midrange, and tweeter, with passive crossover filters separating the frequency bands. Driver complement: two 20 mm titanium dome tweeters with fluid damping (the fluid mechanically damps the dome to smooth resonance peaks in the treble), four 50 mm titanium inverted-dome midranges (two per channel, mounted push-pull to increase radiating area and dynamic control in the mid), and two long-throw woofers in an oblong 4 × 6 in. format. 650 W internal bi-amplification: 400 W to the tweeters and midranges (200 W per channel for the top end), 250 W to the woofers. Crossover frequencies at 275 Hz (woofer/mid) and 4,000 Hz (mid/tweeter) — the classic three-way audiophile split. Frequency response 40 Hz - 20 kHz. Woofer enclosure redesigned versus the previous generation to reduce distortion at high volume, and a more user-friendly bass control has been added to fine-tune the low end to the room.

Native Streaming, No Proprietary App Required

Like its smaller sibling the RS150, the RS250 breaks with the "one app per speaker" model that dominates mainstream connected speakers. Every current streaming protocol is built in natively: Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, and a certified Roon Ready endpoint for integration into a multi-room Roon audiophile system. No dedicated McIntosh app is required. File streaming up to 24-bit / 192 kHz. Network connection over dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz) or the rear Ethernet port. Google Assistant compatible through a third-party voice-input device (not included, must be on the same network).

Bluetooth 5.0 With AAC, aptX HD, and aptX Low Latency

For a local Bluetooth source, the RS250 carries a Bluetooth 5.0 A2DP receiver with support for the three codecs that matter, on top of universal SBC: AAC (Apple's default codec, used by iPhone and iPad, high quality), Qualcomm aptX HD (up to 24-bit / 48 kHz for a genuine high-resolution Bluetooth stream from a compatible Android smartphone or a computer with a dongle), and Qualcomm aptX Low Latency (reduced Bluetooth transmission delay to keep audio in sync with video when the source is a TV, a video streaming tablet, or a game console). This AAC + aptX HD + aptX Low Latency trio covers the three main Bluetooth use cases — most consumer Bluetooth speakers support one or two of these codecs, rarely all three.

HDMI ARC for the TV, MM Phono for a Turntable, Subwoofer Output

The RS250 is radically different from the RS150 on the wired connectivity side — four inputs and two outputs, analog and digital, that position it as a complete living-room hub, not just a streaming speaker. Audio-only HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) input: the TV's ARC output is routed directly into the 650 W three-way stereo acoustic array. Moving Magnet (MM) phono input with a dedicated ground terminal: a McIntosh MT2, MT5, or MTI100 turntable plugs in directly with no external phono preamp. Toslink optical input and 3.5 mm AUX input for legacy digital and analog sources. On the output side: a wired mono subwoofer output for adding a powered external subwoofer, and a 1/4-inch headphone jack on the front panel for private listening. Level Adjust switches for HDMI/optical and a CEC Defeat switch on the rear panel for fine Home Theater integration.

Hand-Assembled in Binghamton, Horizontal Format, Signature Meters

Every RS250 is hand-assembled at the historic McIntosh factory in Binghamton, New York, where the company has built every product since 1949. Horizontal format: 24-13/16 × 5-3/4 × 12-5/8 in. (62.99 × 14.48 × 32 cm) width × height × depth, weight 29.5 lb (13.3 kg) net — a chassis that sits on a TV console, a media cabinet, or a bookshelf. High-gloss black finish and black knit cloth front grille. On the front panel, a pair of quick-responding illuminated digital output meters (one per channel, left and right): the segments light up in time with the instantaneous output level, with the signature McIntosh green tint that echoes the backlit logos of the brand's amplifiers and preamplifiers. A large rotary Volume knob on the right, a 1/4-inch headphone jack, and a Power/Mute button at the center.

Common Questions

What's the difference between the RS250 and the RS150?

The RS250 is the flagship integrated stereo wireless speaker; the RS150 is the compact mono speaker. The differences are substantial: the RS250 carries 650 W (versus 120 W on the RS150), 8 drivers (versus 2), two full three-way L/R acoustic paths (woofer/mid/tweeter) versus a single two-way mono path (woofer/tweeter), an HDMI ARC input for TV, an MM phono input for a turntable, a subwoofer output, and a 1/4-in. headphone jack — all absent on the RS150. Format: 63 × 14.5 × 32 cm and 13.3 kg for the RS250 (horizontal format for a TV console or a bookshelf), versus 19.5 × 36.8 × 21.9 cm and 8.4 kg for the RS150 (compact vertical format). The RS250 is the choice for a living room; the RS150 for a bedroom, an office, or a kitchen.

How does the RS250 improve TV sound?

The audio-only HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) input is built for this. The TV's ARC output sends the audio stream (Dolby Digital, DTS, PCM stereo) directly into the RS250, which decodes and distributes to its eight three-way stereo drivers driven by 650 W. The listener controls volume from the TV remote (via CEC) and the audio comes out of the RS250. Two rear-panel switches fine-tune the integration: an HDMI/optical level adjust switch (to balance the HDMI source with the other inputs) and a CEC Defeat switch (to disable CEC control if the TV sends unwanted commands).

Can I add a subwoofer to the RS250?

Yes. The rear panel includes a wired mono subwoofer output (RCA) that lets you add a powered external subwoofer — useful for a particularly large living room or for a home cinema use case where the listener wants deep bass below the 40 Hz that the RS250 alone covers. The RS250's built-in bass control also lets you adjust low-frequency level without an external subwoofer, to adapt the response to room acoustics. Note: the subwoofer output is mono — if you add a subwoofer, the left and right signals are mixed before being sent to the sub (standard behavior for a single subwoofer).

What's in the Box

McIntosh RS250 Stereo Wireless Loudspeaker System

Black knit cloth front grille

AC power cord

Documentation and owner's manual