[TSAVJason]

Hi @TSAVJason I have a quick question.
While I was connecting mha to my turntable sources thru balance input and leaving unbalanced input unoccupied, I get a certain volume level. However, when I plugged in IC cables to unbalanced for my dac, I noticed my volume gets a bit lower right away (the volume knob not moving and the dac is not even turned on!). Is mha suppose to behave like this? As in I could only ‘plug’ one input source at a time? Thanks

If I understand correctly yes you can only use 1 source unless you add a preamp that allows input switching

 

[TSAVJason]

Would the MHA 250 be a successor to the 150 (SS) or the 200 (tube)? Or even better a hybrid?

I’m not sure which way they’ll go. The McIntosh Group is under new ownership so predicting new products is not as easy as it once was. There is a prototype that is 100% tube but other than that I don’t know the future of it yet.

 

[drc73rp]

I’m not sure which way they’ll go. The McIntosh Group is under new ownership so predicting new products is not as easy as it once was. There is a prototype that is 100% tube but other than that I don’t know the future of it yet.

If it's only a slight variation of the MHA200 as was the MHA150 to the MHA100, for me it's not exactly a development worth watching out for, even if it fixes the unity gain issue. I really hope it's a hybrid following their more recent integrateds MA252 and 352.

 

[gonzalo05]

If it's only a slight variation of the MHA200 as was the MHA150 to the MHA100, for me it's not exactly a development worth watching out for, even if it fixes the unity gain issue. I really hope it's a hybrid following their more recent integrateds MA252 and 352.

A mini MA 252

 

[drc73rp]

A mini MA 252

and with autoformers!

 

[pongiverse]

If I understand correctly yes you can only use 1 source unless you add a preamp that allows input switching

Thanks for the clarification, Jason.

 

[funkyfish]

I listened to the MHA200 at The Source AV for a while, mainly with my HD650, a little bit with the Audeze LCD-2, for a very brief moment with the Meze 109 Pro (couldn't stand their treble peak) and just shortly with the DCA ÆON 2 Noire (I think, forgot to ask haha). I don't have a lot of experience yet with auditioning headphones and amps, so bear with me!

Biggest takeaway for me was the extreme tight and punchy bass on the HD650. Never heard them like this before. Sounded really good, but it was also to an extent that it could be easily too much for some. This punchy bass made it fun listen to, but at the same time it was still very enjoyable, not fatiguing. On the HD650 as well as the LCD-2 it sounded like I could listen to it for hours. Especially the LCD-2 sounded just right (neither too much nor too little of anything). However, I missed the "magic" a little bit, just something that made me go from "oh, nice!" to "oh, wow!"

After listening to the MHA200 I shortly listened to the Woo Audio WA5 (no fair comparison of course, the WA5 is double the price) which gave me this wow effect… It felt more airy, more space between the instruments. At least that's how I experienced it — there were a few minutes between listening to both amps, so might not be totally accurate. But that's basically what was missing for me on the MHA200. Still, very nice sound though!

Interestingly, two weeks after I wrote this, I think much more about the MHA200 than the WA5. Yes, the WA5 sounded more magical in that moment and I was missing something in the MHA200, but I now barely remember the sound of the WA5. Instead the engaging and effortless sound of the MHA200 is what is stuck in my head. I am wondering if my memory is playing tricks on me or if it is actually better to let some time pass when making purchase decisions.

 

[pongiverse]

Interestingly, two weeks after I wrote this, I think much more about the MHA200 than the WA5. Yes, the WA5 sounded more magical in that moment and I was missing something in the MHA200, but I now barely remember the sound of the WA5. Instead the engaging and effortless sound of the MHA200 is what is stuck in my head. I am wondering if my memory is playing tricks on me or if it is actually better to let some time pass when making purchase decisions.

Must be that McIntosh magic lol. The reason I’m hanging on to it is not only the wonderful sounds but it also looks great on my desk

 

[Puroplatino]

Interestingly, two weeks after I wrote this, I think much more about the MHA200 than the WA5. Yes, the WA5 sounded more magical in that moment and I was missing something in the MHA200, but I now barely remember the sound of the WA5. Instead the engaging and effortless sound of the MHA200 is what is stuck in my head. I am wondering if my memory is playing tricks on me or if it is actually better to let some time pass when making purchase decisions.

With all McIntosh equipment you only really get to know it after six months to a year because it’s not as in your face dynamic or transparently neutral but if you live with a MAC and then make a change you will miss the MAC.

 

[yaps66]

The sound is just magic!

 

[cerebralwaves]

Hey all, I bought an MHA200 a few weeks ago. After about a week, it started to develop an increasingly loud transfomer hum. I brought it back to the shop and they confirmed that the noise was louder than the demo model they had out and gave me a new one. The new one, right out of the box, also has a hum that's just a bit quieter than my last one. I hear the hum on my 20 ohm LCD i3's at every impedance setting, and on my Focal Elear's at any setting above 32 ohms. It's present with nothing playing and through quieter music passages, which has been surprising given how so many reviews mention how quiet it is. I've rolled both the 12AT7's and 12BH7A's for NOS tubes and allowed burn-in, but that hasn't changed the noise at all, so I believe it's related to the transformer. I've also tried moving the amp to different rooms and using different outlets—still the same noise and loudness. Do you all hear a hum in your amp? It gets louder as I turn up the impedance dial.

 

[pongiverse]

Hey all, I bought an MHA200 a few weeks ago. After about a week, it started to develop an increasingly loud transfomer hum. I brought it back to the shop and they confirmed that the noise was louder than the demo model they had out and gave me a new one. The new one, right out of the box, also has a hum that's just a bit quieter than my last one. I hear the hum on my 20 ohm LCD i3's at every impedance setting, and on my Focal Elear's at any setting above 32 ohms. It's present with nothing playing and through quieter music passages, which has been surprising given how so many reviews mention how quiet it is. I've rolled both the 12AT7's and 12BH7A's for NOS tubes and allowed burn-in, but that hasn't changed the noise at all, so I believe it's related to the transformer. I've also tried moving the amp to different rooms and using different outlets—still the same noise and loudness. Do you all hear a hum in your amp? It gets louder as I turn up the impedance dial.

Try “flip” the ac plug in the back of the unit. In my case that helped with ground loop.

 

[cerebralwaves]

Try “flip” the ac plug in the back of the unit. In my case that helped with ground loop.

Thanks for the reply! Just tried this, but the hum persists both ways.

 

[pongiverse]

Which input are you using?

 

[cerebralwaves]

Which input are you using?

rca input, hum is present with my dac connected or not. hum is also present through both balanced and se outputs