New MA252 Integrated Amp
 

McIntosh MA252 Intro:

The first few MA252 integrated amplifiers have shipped. The initial reaction to the unit
has been overwhelmingly positive. It looks great, has plenty of power and can reach
customers who previously were unable to afford McIntosh.
Some observations…

Most speakers that would be paired with a $3500 integrated will be driven with
authority. I have tried it with McIntosh XR50s, Sonus Faber Olympica IIs, B&W 803s,
and even the Wilson Yvette! The McIntosh XR50s are an excellent match both price-
wise and sonically. For $7500 a customer can have high-end sound in a relatively
compact package.
The MA252 has most all of the menu adjustments of the other integrated amplifiers
including renaming the inputs and tone controls.

The MA252 uses a smaller McIntosh remote that is compatible with the remotes for our
other preamps and integrated amplifiers. If you need discrete access to the inputs you can
capture them from the remote we include with our other products.

The tube covers are not installed out of the box, but they are easily installed and
removed. This one of the few amps that I feel looks better with the tube cages in place.

We are very backordered on this unit. I would guess that an order now would ship by the
end of February. These will not be available online or at Magnolia. If a customer wants
one, they will have to wait. Please manage their expectations accordingly.

https://www.audioaficionado.org/atta...1&d=1513266883

Waiting on mine...:tears:

This should be a big seller for Mc. Plenty of power and the inputs will suffice for the intended user base. Hook up your TT, output from a DAC or other digital solution and you're set. A little more approachable than the new xrts or MC1.25kws :)

Anyone has seat time at home with this piece?

I was at Magnolia today and they will not display it, but if you want one they'll order it! This is Mcintosh going after the Prima Luna market!

How does a hybrid tube input/ss output stage McIntosh integrated go after a PrimaLuna (EL34)(KT88)(KT120)(KT150) full tube integrated? The topology is completely different. I fail to see the connection there. :scratch2:

This isn't a knock against Magnolia specifically, but what value are dealers providing when they do this? I stopped by a local Mc dealer a couple years ago to hear the XR100s, they said they don't display them anymore, but I can buy them if I want to. Great, sure, take your profit margin for doing absolutely nothing other than pushing paper. Mc really needs to get out of the dark ages and allow online sales of all their products.

Would you buy XR100 online without hearing them? :D

Nope, but I've bought other Mc gear online (mostly here) without hearing them. The point is Mc is all about making people buy at brick and mortar dealers to get better service, but if they offering NOTHING other than, "yeah we don't have that, but we'll sell it to you" what's the point? Where is the value? Why would I drive to a dealer, not hear a piece of gear, have them make profit off me for literally doing nothing other than pushing paper, then I have to drive back to pick the gear up? Versus calling up an online dealer, getting a price, saying OK, then having the box arrive at my door? This isn't to take away from Mc dealers who do provide value like in home demos and such. It just rubs me the wrong way when dealers want to make money when they do zero work.

Agreed.