McIntosh Class D

[Fontie]

McIntosh MI502: 500-watt Digital Amplifier launched

McIntosh has launched the MI502 2-Channel Digital Amplifier, a powerful and highly versatile Class D power amp that’s set to expand the company’s uncompromising ‘Ci-Fi’ (Custom Install Fidelity)…

www.techweekmag.com

only 6 grand..

 

[TonyJZX]

£5,995

closer to $7k usd

i think reading the spiel its more geared towards in house installation... ie. you've got $50k of amps driving your mcmansion's inwalls

to me the design is kind of incongruous... why even bother with blue meters if its going to live in a wiring closet?

or you may as well go a stack of JBL or Sonance professional installation amps for less than the price of one of these

 

[ocinn]

to me the design is kind of incongruous... why even bother with blue meters if its going to live in a wiring closet?

So when you walk your rich friends around on a house tour, you can open the A/V closet and point.

https://worldofmcintosh.com/portfolio/wom-gallery/ - also judging from their demo townhouse in NYC, maybe they are trying to push the whole aesthetic art piece thing.

 

[Matias]

I wondered by the model name 502 if it uses Hypex NCore NC502MP but nothing was written if it is a 3rd party or in house designed amp.

 

[purrify]

Module looks familiar (source)

 

[voodooless]

Module looks familiar (source)

Yup, that fits:

NC500 OEM

 

[Vacceo]

Same modules they have implemented on previous class D (Hypex amps). And nothing wrong with it. Perhaps in some time they may end up updating to Nilai, or whatever Hypex names them on the OEM version.

 

[WestSideWarrior]

Yup, that fits:

View attachment 241073

NC500 OEM

Wonder where they got that top-down photo from, since it's not shown in McIntosh's official product page.
Looks a lot like the previous MI254 with only 2-channel, slightly different grille and a different SMPS.

Maybe 2x NC500 in a bridged config?

 

[wje]

£5,995

closer to $7k usd

i think reading the spiel its more geared towards in house installation... ie. you've got $50k of amps driving your mcmansion's inwalls

to me the design is kind of incongruous... why even bother with blue meters if its going to live in a wiring closet?

or you may as well go a stack of JBL or Sonance professional installation amps for less than the price of one of these

Initially, the reports on price appear to have been reported incorrectly. The US$$ cost for this amplifier is going to be $4,500.

 

[Smislov]

HiFi News 03.2023 review

 

[Papillon]

What’s the conclusion of hifi news? They liked it?

 

[DonH56]

Really wish they would proof the ad copy. Class D is not "digital".

 

[voodooless]

Really wish they would proof the ad copy. Class D is not "digital".

They’ve (most of the industry in general) been doing this for decades, ad copy is the least of their problems…

 

[sarumbear]

Really wish they would proof the ad copy. Class D is not "digital".

That train left a long time ago. Whoever assigned the letter D for the class is responsible.

 

[sarumbear]

HiFi News 03.2023 review
View attachment 264516

Sophisticated balanced input buffer is the only thing they added.

 

[Count Arthur]

That train left a long time ago. Whoever assigned the letter D for the class is responsible.

By that logic is class A "Analogue"?

And what of AB, G and H?

 

[DSJR]

Good that the ever-so-loyal Mac tribe can get a dose of state of the art if they so desire. They can afford the styling, no doubt expensive casework and good bloomin' luck to them as long as the input buffer doesn't mess things up.

Got so say that I'm more an Accuphase man meself - the looks on the current stuff is amazing to me and performance be damned I can't afford it but I can look can't I?

 

[sarumbear]

By that logic is class A "Analogue"?

And what of AB, G and H?

When the phrase “switched mode” and the letter D were used together, that was enough for our “informed” audio writers to label the class as digital.

 

[DonH56]

It was just the next letter at the time. A, B, C, then along came D as the next clearly distinguishable class. E, F, G, and H followed. Crown (?) called their scheme class I for a while but it looks like an interleaved class D topology. AFAIK it is not an official designation. G and H is flipped between USA and Europe, I think, but that again may be Marketing not Engineering.

 

[Vacceo]

Good that the ever-so-loyal Mac tribe can get a dose of state of the art if they so desire. They can afford the styling, no doubt expensive casework and good bloomin' luck to them as long as the input buffer doesn't mess things up.

Got so say that I'm more an Accuphase man meself - the looks on the current stuff is amazing to me and performance be damned I can't afford it but I can look can't I?

Westside Warrior is currently using one and he seems to be quite happy beyond the meters dancing, so we can guess they implemented the modules right.