McIntosh MA6500 Integrated amp

I own a MA6450 and have since auditioned speakers at the same dealer with a MA6500. The sound is pure McIntosh. Nice full bloom sound which I find very enjoyable. I think the sound is a little more detailed than my 6450. The 6500 has more power and the autoformers (nice), not to mention a headphone jack and phono, which I now wish I had. But, I couldn't spend the extra $$$ at the time. I love my Mac and I don't think you can go wrong with one, but I know others will have their opinions. Plus those meters late at night are wonderful! I've seen them going for around $2200 on ebay and audiogon, so hopefully your dealer will work out a good price for you (nice to buy new with a warranty). Also, if you haven't discovered this yet, check out Roger Russell's site on McIntosh==> http://www.sundial.net/~rogerr/aboutmc.htm

Really a nice guy. He used to work for them in their speaker division.

Best of luck!

There is no better amp in this price range. I auditioned many for over a year before I made my decision. I have mine tied to a pair of JM Lab Electra 915.5's which are biwired with double runs of Tara Labs RSC Prime 500. The sound is really undescribable. All I can say is you won't be disappointed with this amp if paired with the right speakers. One bit of advice. Buy it new from a dealer with warranty if you have the funds. As well built as McIntosh gear is, they can still break and are very expensive to get fixed. Mine lost an output meter at six months old. The company takes excellent care of their customers and needless to say, mine is back and good as new again. Enjoy!

I had the MA6500 and traded up for the MA6900. The MA6900 is the version with the autoformers. They both sound wonderful, but ultimately the MA6900 sounded that much better to me, particularly with acoustic music and voice. They just make good music. Last night I was playing some Keb Mo pretty loud and the amp handled it smoothly. I have the amp paired with Tannoy speakers. I don't normally play music loud and I find the McIntosh amps are very good at low volume as well. They also have some nice features that are hard to find these days, like tone controls, loudness compensation and a headphone jack. And they're beautiful to loook at too. I plan to keep this amp for a very long time.

I sold my MA6450 (also a fine unit) and upgraded to the MA6500. Holy Smokes! What a great amp. I love the power, build, sonic qualities, and seductive looks.

I have had some very well regarded separates and integrateds, but this wipes out everything I have ever owned. Expensive and worth every penny!

Best Regards and Happy Listening
hififile