MHA200 Named Headphone Amplifier of The Year by HiFi+ Magazine
"The MHA200 is a hell of a headphone amplifier."
For headphone listeners who demand nothing but the best from their assortment of cans, we are proud to offer our MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier. It has a versatile set of connectivity options, including balanced inputs and outputs, allowing nearly all headphone types to enjoy an extraordinary personal listening experience.
After listening to various headphones and music on the MHA200, Simon Lucas of HiFi+ Magazine called it "a hell of a headphone amplifier." He stated that The Ray Charlies Story vol. 1 on vinyl has always been a gift that keeps on giving great music, but when listing to it through the MHA200 the record "sprouts wings and takes flight… There’s an effortlessness to the McIntosh’s sound that suits this material down to the ground." It rolls along while keeping "an extremely close eye on the detail and nuance" in Charles' voice, and "smoothly integrates the scant backing elements into the picture at a respectful distance."
Kraftwerk's Computerwelt on CD furthered the case for the MHA200. "The open, silent spaces of the recording are given just as much importance as the sounds," Lucas said "and the remarkable variation in tonality and texture is expressed torrentially… the MHA200 has momentum to its presentation that makes even the chilliest, most carefully mechanised rhythm utterly danceable."
Lucas said the MHA200 offers "considerable" low frequency but with "little of the heat or sponginess" that might be associated with a valve headphone amplifier. Highs are treated with "good taste and decorum," while the "midrange balance and detail retrieval is as impressive as you’ll hear from any alternative headphone amplifier at any price."
"The MHA200 will impress, entertain and impress again indefinitely," Lucas stated. With the MHA200, "you can enjoy as good a headphone experience as is currently available."
Click here to read the full review.
(Excerpts taken from original review by Simon Lucas / HiFi+ Magazine / July 2021 / Issue 197; named Headphone Amplifier of The Year in December 2021 / Issue 202)
