Joseph Palenchar On Jan 28 2013 - 1:00am

McIntosh Unveils 7 New Two-Channel Audio Components

LAS VEGAS — McIntosh unveiled its first products since its purchase last fall by Fine Sounds from D+M Group.

The seven new products are two-channel audio electronics components, including three integrated amps, the company’s first stereo receiver in about 20 years, a tube preamp, a turntable and a digital preamp with five built-in DACs.

All but the turntable feature three digital inputs — USB audio, digital coax and digital Toslink — whereas models that had predecessors lacked these inputs, said sales director Marc Lamb. All are tentatively scheduled to ship at the end of the first quarter.

The lineup starts with the brand’s most affordable preamp ever, the $2,500-suggested D100 with five 32-bit/192kHz DACs, digital inputs, headphone output and no analog inputs. It’s designed for consumers who have only digital-output sources, but it can be used to add digital-output sources to legacy components with only analog inputs.

The company’s other stereo preamps start at $4,500 and run to about $30,000.

A new two-channel integrated amp, the 2x100-watt MA5200 at a tentative suggested $4,500, replaces a model that lacked digital inputs. The addition of DACs, a USB audio port, and digital coax input, and digital Toslink input to the new model reflects in part the growth of PCs as music sources.

The MAC6700 stereo receiver mates the company’s standalone AM/FM HD Radio tuner with a two-channel integrated amp rated at 2x200 watts. It offers the same digital inputs as the MA5200 integrated amp and is tentatively priced at a suggested $6,500.

The 2x200-watt MA-7900 integrated amp adds the coax, Toslink and USB audio inputs that its predecessor lacked and includes a five-band graphic EQ. The tentative suggested retail is around $7,000.

At a tentative $6,500, the two-channel C2500 tube preamp also adds coax, Toslink and USB audio inputs.