Money no object
We like to give practical purchase advice on the latest gadgets here in Techradar. But sometimes what we even like more is to engage in the most ridiculous, high -end, advanced and advanced luxurious technology on the planet. This is what we bring to you in these silver columns without object – you can read the whole series here.
If you read this (thank you for that, by the way), you are not a beginner in the hi -fi game. You know McIntosh – you remember the integrated Ma6300 amplifier of the American specialist, from the mid -90s , noted that the Bluetooth speaker hitting the company, considered as the compact and good audiophile amplifier for the whole company with streaming and perhaps even Visited House Elite House of the Single Society. But this proposal is still new.
This is the McIntosh DS200, and this large piece of metal, buttons and elegant cases is specifically a DAC streaming. This is the separate for you if you already have a compatible power amp and a preamp (if not, can I suggest a Moon North 791 and 761 solution from Moon?) And of course speakers-here, let’s go for The focal utopia of the diva, because it is our hi-fi hedonist refuge and we can imagine what we love. Do you just have to miss the high -end streaming component to finish everything? McIntosh covered it with the DS200.
What makes a McIntosh separate? For me, sound
As you can imagine, it is compatible with the Spotify Connect wireless protocols, Tidal Connect, Apple Airplay 2 and Google Cast Plus Bluetooth. It is equipped with two Wi-Fi antennas and a Bluetooth antenna, as well as an Ethernet port for wired connections.
And the DAC? It is good: the DS200 has a digital converter with eight -channels in quad and 32 -bit, so in addition to its streaming capacities, the DS200 has a high resolution digital audio reading via its eight digital audio inputs, Y including DSD512 and DXD up to 384 kHz via USB and 24 bits / 192 kHz via coax and optics. There is also an HDMI (ARC) entry to improve your television and film experiences, which can convert Dolby and DTS multi -channel formats to two -channel audio for optimized reading on your particular system, if you wish.
The DS200 also has balanced and unbalanced analog outputs, which means that it will adapt to almost all existing audio systems. For example, it is a set of factory in fixed output mode, with an option to switch to the variable for a direct connection to a power amplifier, allowing the DS200 to control the volume in an entirely digital audio configuration.
And I cannot put an end to this piece without mentioning McIntosh’s design language. The DS200 streaming DAC is all the stroke in black glass, rotating control buttons, illuminated logo and tailor -made aluminum end caps that I like in the company.
Ready for the big question? The DS200 will be available in March through McIntosh dealers Authorized with an official price of $ 4,000 / £ 5,890 € / € 5,990, or about $ 6,302 in, if we have the figure in US dollars as a guide. Listen, I can’t afford it. But that does not mean that I would not want to buy it …
