When it comes to high-end audio, McIntosh has been a name synonymous with excellence for decades. Their latest innovation, the MSA5500 Streaming Amplifier, brings that same legendary quality into the modern age. In this article, we’ll explore McIntosh’s storied heritage, dive into the cutting-edge technology behind the MSA5500, and highlight how its thoughtful design seamlessly integrates into any premium audio setup.

Company History

Ask any audiophile to name a brand that’s stood the test of time, and McIntosh is bound to come up. Since Frank McIntosh founded the company in 1949, it’s been a powerhouse in both home and professional audio. McIntosh isn’t just a brand; it’s a legend—responsible for some of the most iconic electronics ever made. Their impact on music history is undeniable, with highlights like the Grateful Dead’s legendary “Wall of Sound,” an all-McIntosh amplified speaker system that redefined live sound in the 1970s and is still talked about today. Known for their mastery of both tube and solid-state technology, McIntosh has earned a cult-like following for products that deliver unmatched sound quality and a build so robust, they’re often passed down through generations.

We had the privilege of visiting the McIntosh factory in Binghamton, NY, and it was an experience that left a lasting impression. Every step of their production process reflects an incredible attention to detail, from the hand-assembly of their iconic blue power meters to the rigorous testing each product undergoes before it leaves the factory. It’s clear that every McIntosh component is a labor of love, built to exceed expectations and uphold the legacy of a brand that has defined high-end audio for over seven decades.

Features & Technology

In recent years, integrated amplifiers with built-in streaming capabilities have taken the high-end audio world by storm. These all-in-one devices combine powerful amplification and streaming tech—features that used to require separate components—into one streamlined package. For many music lovers, the appeal is clear: less clutter, fewer cables, and a compact system that still delivers incredible performance. As more people gravitated toward these versatile solutions, McIntosh felt the heat from competitors offering similar products. But instead of just keeping up, McIntosh set out to redefine the category. The result? An all-in-one component that embodies the brand’s timeless aesthetic, a powerful amplifier section, seamless support for all major streaming platforms, and a top-tier DAC capable of handling today’s most demanding digital formats.

Newest Tech, Same Classic Looks

When designing the MSA5500, McIntosh set out to create an all-in-one component that retained the classic aesthetic McIntosh fans know and love. The result is a front panel that feels like a love letter to the golden age of hi-fi. It’s sleek and timeless, featuring solidly built controls for volume and input selection, a headphone jack, and the iconic red power button. A clean vacuum fluorescent display provides just the essentials—your input, volume level, and streaming service—keeping things refreshingly simple. And, of course, it wouldn’t be McIntosh without the signature blue power meters, a hallmark of their design for decades.

The panel’s elegant black finish is complemented by silver accents on the sides and chrome-detailed knobs, tying together a look that’s both modern and unmistakably McIntosh. At first glance, you might not realize this sophisticated face hides a powerhouse of streaming, amplification, and DAC technology. But for those who appreciate the brand’s heritage, the MSA5500’s understated design will feel like home.

Fully Featured Connections, Multiple Ways To Enjoy Your Music

Inputs/Outputs
The back panel of the MSA5500 is a hub of connectivity, thoughtfully laid out for easy setup. It includes four analog inputs, a set of balanced inputs, and even a moving magnet phono input for vinyl lovers (Moving Coil users will need a step-up transformer or phono preamp). You’ll also find a subwoofer output, preamp outputs, and main amplifier inputs—perfect for adding a more powerful amplifier or integrating McIntosh’s MEN220 or MQ112 for room correction.

Digital inputs are abundant, with two coaxial inputs, USB, two Toslink, and a digital MCT input. Streaming options are equally robust, offering both WiFi 6.0 and an Ethernet connection for high-performance network access. Recognizing one of the most popular demands for modern all-in-one amplifiers, McIntosh has included an HDMI ARC input, making it simple to connect your TV and even control the MSA5500’s volume with your TV remote.

In addition, two data ports can be used to output data commands to matching McIntosh CD players so that the MSA5500's remote control will operate both the amp and the CD player. There’s also an IR input, which connects to an IR receiver using a 3.5mm stereo mini phone plug cable, making remote operation simple and reliable.

Home Theater Pass-Through
One feature that often gets overlooked is the Home Theater Pass Through port. We have an entire article and video explaining how to use what’s typically called “home theater bypass” that shows you how you can integrate a 2-channel amp like the MSA5500 into your home theater setup, or vice versa, and we highly recommend checking that out for more details.

But here’s the short version: you can use an amp like the MSA5500 with the Home Theater Pass Through port to power your two front speakers while your home theater receiver handles the volume and powers the rest of the channels. Since the front two channels usually carry a lot of the action and mix in movies, it’s a huge advantage to have those speakers powered by a higher-quality unit instead of just relying on your receiver's internal amps. And when you want to listen to 2-channel music, the receiver is completely out of the signal path, and you can enjoy the MSA5500 by itself.

There’s more to it, of course, so we suggest watching our video or reaching out to our team of experts if you want help setting this up. But trust us, this is a feature that’s definitely worth exploring!

Finally, the back panel features McIntosh's patented Solid Cinch™ speaker binding posts, which we found to be exceptionally well-designed. The gold plating helps prevent corrosion, and the secure fit eliminates the worry of cables loosening or causing a short. During our setup, we appreciated how easy these posts made it to connect high-end cables—a small detail, but one that can make a big difference in day-to-day use. While this level of quality is expected from McIntosh, it’s still great to see the attention to detail carried through to even the smallest components.

Amplifier Technology
At the heart of the MSA5500 is a meticulously designed McIntosh Class A/B amplifier section, delivering 100 watts into 8-ohms and 160 watts into 4-ohms. That’s plenty of high-current power to drive nearly any speaker you’d pair with this all-in-one powerhouse. With impressively low distortion at just 0.005% and a dynamic headroom of 1.8dB, the MSA5500’s amplifier section is backed by the robust power supply McIntosh is renowned for.

To ensure your speakers are always protected, McIntosh includes their advanced Power Guard technology, which continuously monitors the output signal for overdriving and makes real-time micro-adjustments to prevent harsh clipping that could damage your speakers. The Sentry Monitor™ adds another layer of security, acting as a fuse-less short-circuit protection circuit that disengages the output stage before the current exceeds safe levels and resets automatically once conditions normalize.

Thermal performance is also top-notch, thanks to McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks™. These are paired with advanced high-current output transistors that reduce thermal lag, keeping the MSA5500 cool and performing at its best.

For personal listening, McIntosh includes a High Drive headphone amplifier with their innovative Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD®). This feature adds a new dimension to headphone listening, creating a more immersive soundstage. Given the growing importance of high-end headphones in today’s audio world, having a quality headphone amp built-in means you can enjoy your favorite cans for late-night or office listening sessions without sacrificing performance.

We will note here that our team has had mixed experiences with HXD. Some of us love the added dimension it brings to headphone listening, while others prefer the more traditional sound without it. Either way, it’s great that McIntosh gives you the flexibility to choose. With a simple toggle, you can enable or disable HXD based on your preferences, making it easy to tailor your listening experience to what you enjoy most.

Complete Built-In Streamer & DAC

The MSA5500 has a full-featured streamer built in that supports Apple® AirPlay®, Bluetooth®, Google Cast™ (formerly Chromecast), Spotify® Connect, and TIDAL® Connect (including TIDAL HiFi Lossless Quality). You can cast right to the built-in steamer using the connect feature with Tidal, Airplay, Spotify, and Chromecast.

To keep things simple, McIntosh has not created a specific app to control this unit. However, if you plan to use Google Cast, you will need to download their McIntosh Cast app to set that up.

The DAC built into the MSA5500 is a high-end, next-generation, Quad-Balanced, 8-channel, 32-bit DAC with a huge dynamic range and low distortion. McIntosh does not specify which DAC chip is used, but in our opinion, the implementation is much more important than the exact chip since many circuits in a DAC affect the overall sound quality. The built-in DAC supports Digital Coaxial Input Sample Rate: 24-bit/44.1kHz to 192kHz, Digital Optical Input Sample Rate: 24-bit/44.1kHz to 192kHz, Digital MCT Input Sample Rate: 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD) DSD64 (SACD), Digital USB Input Sample Rate: 32-bit/44.1kHz to 384kHz (PCM), DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, DXD352.8kHz, DXD384kHz. This means digital music in all the popular formats is supported, and support for extreme resolution formats on the USB input means that the MSA5500 will handle any future expansion into these formats.

Performance

McIntosh has made streamers and integrated amplifiers, but putting them together in one enclosure is new to them. So, as a brand-new product for McIntosh, we were eager to put the MSA5500 to the test and see if it lived up to the brand’s legendary reputation. During our conversations with McIntosh’s team and engineers, it became clear just how much care and precision went into the design of this amplifier. They emphasized how critical it was to ensure the streaming capabilities didn’t compromise the sound quality, flexibility, or overall performance—a challenge they approached with meticulous attention to detail. After all, even with all the great specs the 5500 has on paper, if they aren’t implemented correctly, you won’t have good sound.

So, we set up the MSA5500 in our test lab and a few other locations with some Sonus Faber and McIntosh speakers. Before pressing play on a single song, we have to say that given McIntosh’s track record, our expectations were super high. So, we went into our testing expecting spectacular sound, just like all other McIntosh products. To cut to the chase here, we were not disappointed.

Connecting the McIntosh XR100 tower speaker to the MSA5500 is a good test of the quality of the amplifier. The XR100 has a sensitivity of 87dB and 13 total drivers to power, so it will test an amplifier's ability. The MSA5500's ability to power the XR100 was very impressive, only being beaten in this regard by McIntosh’s other more powerful stand-alone amplifiers. The sound was warm but not dark or opaque, a hallmark of McIntosh’s sound. Let’s take a look at a few cuts we played that we really enjoyed on this system.

Lucinda Williams Sings the Beatles From Abby Road is a new album recorded at the famous Abby Road Studio. It is a great-sounding album. It has a firm but detailed bass line that was easily produced with detail on the MSA5500. Lucinda’s vocals came through with utmost detail and had a warmth and soul that many amplifiers can’t reproduce without stripping out the soul. The MSA5500 is like other McIntosh amplifiers that keep the music's soul intact while being good technically. The treble had good detail without being the least bit fatiguing. Cymbals and hi-hats sounded realistic and full-bodied while keeping the lower treble instrumentation natural. The midrange was solid and detailed, with a good lower midrange body. Imaging and soundstaging were excellent for an integrated product at this price, and they show that McIntosh wants this product to stand with some of their best amplifiers.

Tori Amos’s Diving Deep Live 2024 is another excellent album recorded live and done well. The MSA5500 allowed the live aspect of this recording to shine and took the realism up a notch from your standard studio recording. Tori’s voice is crisp while having good body. Instruments had excellent separation, allowing each instrument to have its own space on the stage. The bass was as powerful as the recording would allow, and the soundstage allowed us to get the maximum live experience the recording permitted. We had a tough time stopping this excellent recording and let all of the tracks play in their full glory. You know you have a quality amplifier and speaker combination when you want to keep listening for hours. In fact, we had times when we forgot we were testing a new piece of gear and just enjoyed the performance!

Overall, we really just enjoyed the simplicity of the MSA5500. The app is so easy to use and we love that you can use any streaming service you want and cast directly to the unit, making it super simple to play your music.

We liked the simplicity of the streamer in the MSA5500, which allowed us to play from our favorite streaming service without having to navigate a lot of menus or setup options to get there. This is an excellent decision as many McIntosh fans are music first and don’t want complexity keeping them from their favorite tracks. We did connect the moving magnet phono input to a turntable with a moving magnet cartridge and thought it sounded excellent for an inboard streaming amplifier. This means that the phono input sounds good and is serviceable for most folks if you have a good turntable. Users of high-end turntables listening primarily to vinyl might want a better outboard phono stage that offers moving coil loading and a little better sound quality and features. Still, these folks most likely already know this fact.

Overall Recommendation

The new McIntosh MSA5500 impressed us with its features and simplicity of operation. This means that music-first listeners can get to their favorite music without the seemingly endless menu options of some streamers on the market. The front panel keeps the classic McIntosh aesthetic with the special vintage-looking knobs and blue power meters. The rear panel is well-marked and straightforward to connect with all the connections today’s streaming music lovers need. The amplifier section of the MSA5500 is robust enough for about any speaker likely to be paired with it. It also offers preamp outputs and a subwoofer output should your needs change and you need more power or add a subwoofer for even better sound. If you are like many music lovers and want high-end sound but with a smaller footprint and fewer cables, we feel the MSA5500 is made just for you. If you are in the market for a full-featured streaming integrated amplifier, call, email, or chat on our website to see if the new McIntosh MSA5500 is right for you.

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