MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier

[urbanluthier]

Saw the email a few days ago for the new MHA200 headphone amp. I'm wondering if anyone knows if it is fully balanced input to output (or is the balancing done by conversation circuitry). Also would be good to know what type of volume circuitry is being used. Volume pot or more sophisticated digitally controlled attenuator?

Looks like an interesting product for a desktop system's. Love the form factor - positively transportable for a Mc Amp!

[W9TR]

Originally Posted by urbanluthier

Saw the email a few days ago for the new MHA200 headphone amp. I'm wondering if anyone knows if it is fully balanced input to output (or is the balancing done by conversation circuitry). Also would be good to know what type of volume circuitry is being used. Volume pot or more sophisticated digitally controlled attenuator?



Looks like an interesting product for a desktop system's. Love the form factor - positively transportable for a Mc Amp!

It takes two valves to create a single-ended unity coupled McIntosh output stage. The 12BH7A is a dual triode, one for each channel. So the MHA 200 is not internally fully balanced.

I think that’s a don’t care. I own both fully balanced and single ended McTube amps and they all sound terrific.

Like you, I’m REALLY hoping that it uses McIntosh’s excellent solid state volume control and not a potentiometer. I think I’ve only got one piece of audio kit that still uses a manual potentiometer and I’d like that number to be zero.

I’m also guessing here that the input circuitry includes a solid state balanced input stage - I just don’t know how McIntosh would pull off gain plus balanced to unbalanced conversion in a single valve per channel.

Tom

[urbanluthier]

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[urbanluthier]

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[W9TR]

Good news on the volume control. It sounds like McIntosh’s standard implementation.