Description
McIntosh MHA50 headphone amplifier for digital audio sources
Listen to your music with McIntosh sound quality anywhere. Your headphones and ears will thank you.
Almost everyone these days travels with almost their entire music library. With the help of your phone in your pocket, music is available with great sound quality through headphones - if only the headphone amplifier is capable, which is unfortunately not the case with mobile devices. And how could it be - a decent amplifier circuit requires a bit of size and a high-quality power supply. The MHA50 Portable Decoding Amplifier extracts amazing sound quality from your music - probably better than you've ever heard before - through wired headphones.
The McIntosh MHA50 includes an interface for Apple® iOS and Android OTG1 devices, as well as Mac® and Windows® computers. It can also connect wirelessly to these devices via Bluetooth, supporting AAC and aptX encoding - technology that ensures high sound quality even from compatible Bluetooth sources, including modern TVs or Denon home theater amplifiers with Bluetooth audio transmission. Equipped with a high-performance 32-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the MHA50 therefore decodes music files from almost any digital source. It supports 32-bit / 192 kHz hi-res audio, DSD64, DSD128, DXD352.8, DXD384 files and asynchronous USB audio. Its ample 3000 mAh battery offers up to 6 hours of playback on a single charge when connected to a source device via Bluetooth; playback may take even longer when using fixed connections. When connected to the computer, of course, as long as there is enough power in the listener.
MHA50 is a compact and light device about the size of a smartphone, so it is easy to take with you anywhere. However, the actual idea of the MHA50 is not to be a "USB pocket DAC". Instead, the MHA50 offers full-blooded McIntosh sound quality for almost every imaginable use environment, and for many demanding listeners it can completely replace a traditional full-size headphone amplifier. The MHA50's sleek design is highlighted by a glass front panel with a touch-sensitive volume control ring inspired by the classic control knobs found on McIntosh amplifiers, preamps and more. The MHA50 is constructed primarily from durable extruded aluminum, which also has inherent shielding properties to prevent external interference.
Two gain settings optimize the MHA50 for all types of wired headphones, from small ear buds to large hi-fi models; it can drive headphones whose impedance varies between 8 and 600 Ohm without breaking a sweat. The CrossFeed Director (HXD®) feature brings more dimension to your music, more akin to the sound field heard from hi-fi speakers. The feature can be easily turned on and off according to your preferences. Headphones or active speakers are connected to the 3.5 mm gold-plated connector, a pair of active speakers can also be connected.
Manufacturer's product page (EN)
Headphone output specifications:
- Output power: 200mW
- Output impedance: 8-600 Ohms
- Harmonic Distortion: 0.005%
- Frequency response: +0, -0.5dB 20Hz to 50kHz
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 105dB
- Preamp output: 1.8V
Features:
- 3.5mm gold-plated output connection with Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD®) technology
- Digital USB input: 2 pcs (1 Type A, 1 micro B)
- Wireless connection: Bluetooth 4.2 A2DP, supports AAC and aptX
- Supported audio sources:
- Apple iOS devices; Android devices (the USB interface must support the USB On-The-Go function); MacOS & Windows computers
- The USB interface supports the following resolutions: PCM 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit to 192kHz, DSD64, DSD128, DXD352.8, DXD384
- Power supply: 5V DC, 0.7A
- Battery life: about 6 hours with a Bluetooth connection or even longer using a wired connection
Included in the package:
- 1 stylish leather case
- 1 Lightning to USB-A cable (Apple iOS)
- 1 USB micro-B to USB micro-B cable (Android)
- 1 USB micro-B - USB-C OTG cable (Android)
- 1 USB micro-B to USB-A cable (MAC and Windows)
- All cables are 20cm long
- 1 wall charger with EU, US and JP adapters included.
Dimensions (W x H x D): 7cm x 15.5cm x 1.4cm
Weight: 200 g