In today’s fast-paced world full of change, preserving traditions seems to have gotten a bit lost by some, but not at McIntosh. On the outside, the MA8000 integrated amplifier has the iconic “McIntosh Blue” Watt Meters that have become the signature image of this mythical brand since they were first created over half a century ago. However, on the inside of this new flagship model we find a 300 watt per channel amplifier combined with a full-functioned preamp in one space-saving unit as well as many modern technology innovations.

McIntosh MA8000 This classical look will never grow old

The MA8000 offers in one unit the power and functionality that normally one would only expect to find in separate components. The world famous McIntosh Autoformer guarantees the speakers will always receive the full 300 watts regardless of their impedance, while Power Guard® will prevent clipping that could damage the speakers. The new High Drive headphone amplifier features increased gain and output power, and is optimized for virtually every type of headphone between 20 and 600 ohms.

Built for the long term, the MA8000 offers a total of 15 inputs including; 6 unbalanced, 2 balanced, 2 phono in addition to 5 digital. The 5 dedicated digital inputs can decode digital music up to 32 bits and 192kHz for high resolution audio playback. For today’s often “less-than-perfect” input from sources like music downloads or streaming, the design yields very high audio performance thanks to the McIntosh Digital Engine that corrects jitter and up-converts audio data.

McIntosh MA8000 Click on the image for the complete product specs

The discrete, analogue eight band tone control is assignable by input and allows for precise, manual adjustments. The Moving Magnet and Moving Coil phono inputs feature adjustable cartridge loading and impedance matching assuring every turntable gives its optimal performance, while the Home Theater Pass Through feature allows for seamless integration into an existing multi-channel theatre system.

The MA8000 integrated amplifier is worthy to perpetuate the legacy of this brand which has been making high-performance audio equipment since 1949 when the company was founded on the vision of Frank McIntosh to build a better amplifier, that challenged what was then believed possible.

The iconic blue meters, exclusive to McIntosh audio equipment, are maybe what we notice first, but building a legend takes much more. Since its inception, McIntosh Laboratory has been powering some of the most important moments in history, music and pop culture, including President Lyndon Johnson’s inauguration speech, Woodstock, and the infamous Grateful Dead “Wall of Sound,” at the San Francisco Cow Palace where 28,800 watts of McIntosh power was used (40 years ago!) in the sound system.

McIntosh has not only witnessed history, it has shaped it.

In 1969 McIntosh Amplifiers Power Woodstock

The Grateful Dead “Wall of Sound” on March 24, 1974