McIntosh Labs MHA100 Headphone/Audio Component Amplifier, Black

Yes, I suppose the McIntosh Labs MHA100 is relatively expensive. A 20-foot run of speaker cables can cost twice as much (over $9,000), and for stereo, nearly $20,000; I use UL-certified lamp cord. All my adult life (I'm 72) I've desired McIntosh equipment; this MHA 100 is my first but won't be my last.Can I hear a significant difference, compared to equipment that's half the price? If I say it sounds better, I'm being purely subjective, yet a very subjective reason for my purchase involves my vanity and wish fulfillment. Sure, at 72 my hearing has declined, much like my body's muscle mass; but I can lift this relatively light-weight headphone/integrated amplifier (Me to John, the UPS guy: "Ahh, my pair of flat bowling balls!").Also subjective, but empirically deductive: I hear more (and better) according to audio frequency tests I took. My experimental trials consisted of testing my ability to hear and discern audio frequencies across the range of human hearing, from around 20 Hz to 20 KHz, or 20 cps to 20,000 cps (cycles per second). The audio frequency test is at <http://blog.naxos.com/2012/02/dude-wheres-my-frequencies>. A few years ago I tested with a NAD 1050 DAC/Headphone amp, using Sennheiser HD 650 headphones (USB from MacBook Pro to NAD). My hearing topped out just below 10 Khz. (As a practical matter, that means I would never 'objectively' benefit from digital codecs higher than around a 320-bit sample rate, although I absolutely hear more and better at higher rates, or I think I do.) Last December I got much better headphones (Enigmacoustics Dharma 1000) and could hear up to around 10.3 Khz. Now, with the MHA 100 I can hear up to 11.2 Khz. I don't voluntarily listen to anything loud, and I wonder if I pushed the volume more during the test if I would hear slightly higher frequencies, but why bother? The evidence already satisfies me.The McIntosh MHA 100 normally powers my small Harbeth loudspeakers and connects to a powered subwoofer since the Harbeths won't push frequencies below 80 Hz, and I need to be able to hear those bass drum exclamations in Pucinni's "Un bel di" aria. I use headphones for an hour or so every day while on my noisy treadmill.Alas, "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:/ Its loveliness increases, it will never/ Pass into nothingness ..." (Keats).

The McIntosh Headphone Amplifier is a 50W/channel integrated amplifier with a headphone output. It continues the McIntosh tradition of glass front panels with blue illumination. It also continues the use of dual output transformers which will protect expensive loudspeakers from DC power should a short occur in a semiconductor output stage or other location. It is laden with capabilities but the one capability that stands out is the bass boost function. It has a maximum boost of +12.5 dB @40Hz in 2.5 dB steps. McIntosh apparently recognizes that the best sounding headphones since the 1960's have all required bass boost and that bass boost does not muddy up their midrange sound. There is also a Dynamic Crossfield function. I would never use that as it would reduce the amount of detail that I would be able to hear. As to how the MHA100 sounds ... it sounds perfect.Professional musicians, that is those who are good enough to be paid, who perform on acoustic instruments have a high degree of depth of perception. It is not a sensitive or golden ear thing, but a developed mental skill that allows them to hear their performance with greater detail than their listeners. If their performance sounds really good to them then it should sound perfect to their listeners. Headphones that should sound best to them or anyone who can listen with a high degree of perceptive depth are the open back Beyerdynamic T1 (original) and the closed back Beyerdynamic T70. The T1 (original) is the version with the permanent cord - not the detachable cord. Both headphones need +5.0 dB bass boost and up to +10.0 dB boost for recordings with very weak bass.The Beyerdynamic T70's transparency (clarity) compared to that of the Beyerdynamic T1's (original) is slightly compromised by enclosure sound. So, for the McIntosh MHA100 owner who wants the ultimate headphone for their MHA100 investment, the open back T1 (original) is the best choice.For the MHA100 owner who needs a lush sound and doesn't mind a small lost in transparency, the Abyss AB-1266 would be the best option.

I bought this amp for my boat due to its heft and small size. It will not jostle around in rough seas. The quality? Stunning! There is no higher quality head phone amplifier on the market! As usual, McIntosh does not disappoint.

Unbelievable !