🟥McIntosh MHA200 _(Z Reviews)_ 💎U.S.A. Tubes💎

[@ZReviews]

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[@zaimkarii1756]

The Hemp is 32 ohm. All Grado headphone are 32 ohm

[@DingsGuy]

Is there a link to those hemp pads

[@ZReviews]

@@DingsGuy www.shipibo.audio/aluminum-sets

[@DingsGuy]

@@ZReviews thank you!

[@jparker818]

You need to hear the Meze Elite if you haven't 💎

[@thatchinaboi1]

The best volume knob I have ever used is the one in the Little Dot Mk2. Thing is SMOOTH and the volume creeps up as you turn it. So precise and satisfying. Want to adjust the volume by a quarter of a dB? No problem.

[@ONeillsCreationWorkshop]

Neat I guess, except for those knob issues, and as a knob man I know the joy that comes from the smooth action of twisting a quality knurled knob to full rotation and back again.

[@arancourt5623]

Are we still talking about audio gear or something else entirely? Lol

[@erickramer4005]

Giggle... knob man...

[@herseyberry4655]

I had a fairly cheap magnovox system in the 80's with smooth knobs and switches that clicked. I never should of sold. Rated at 30 watts.

[@Michaelincontext]

Purchased the MA352 about 2 years ago. Amazing. Love it. The headphone amp you reviewed was tempting but I chose the Topping A90 + D90 and xDuoo TA-20 instead. Thanks for your great reviews.

[@LyK0sa]

Swap the amp and dac for topping's 30 Pro models and that's my exact setup. Got the TA20 running brimar 6067 tubes, and it's sounding lush. I should be getting a feliks audio echo mk1 early next week, interested to see how an OTL amp compares to the hybrid TA20. If I can successfully run the echo as a preamp into the A30 pro it could end up being the best of both worlds, but that remains to be seen.

[@quikspecv4d]

I’m rockin a TA-20 too. It’s great. I’m mostly using it with vinyl so I haven’t invested much into a dac yet. Using the Topping D10s that also fibers out to my powered speakers.

[@raphaelmeillat8527]

Funny enough... I almost bought that MA-352 as well. Very nice unit. But the feel of its wobbly plastic-ish volume knob was such a turn off at this price that I ended up buying something else! I'm stunned that Mcintosh can produce great sounding and looking gears and yet the one knob we use most feels shitty!

[@Michaelincontext]

@@raphaelmeillat8527 Interesting, mine is 100% solid. And I use the remote 99% of the time so it isn't an issue. Sound is astonishing.

[@raphaelmeillat8527]

@@Michaelincontext yep, sound was great as I recall. Like I said, I would have gotten it if not for that perceived quality issue. At this price I looked for a no-compromise kinda amp. Love their tone control feature and the frequencies they choose... Enjoy your amp!

[@sakabatou]

Re: auto off (credit to warrenpchi at head-fi) Turning off the auto-off: With the MHA200 already on, hold down the power (standby) button for ~5 seconds. The tubes' green LEDs will go off and go back on three times to confirm that auto-off is now disabled. This setting will be retained through power cycles, until you turn the auto-off back on.

[@revelationsoundstudio]

The McIntosh has a standby that you can turn off by holding the power button for 5 seconds. The tubes blinks which lets you know it the bypass is off.

[@СергейТумилович-ф4щ]

Finally your face in the review) thanks for the dt 880 600 ohm plus emotiva BasX a-100, fostex t60rp argon, akg 361, blon bl-05s, koss ksc75! You were right about everything! Sorry for the grammar, I'm from Russia ...

[@revelationsoundstudio]

McIntosh makes products made in America where they provide enough wages for people to live in the area of Binghamton New York. They don't buy transformers from overseas like many companies do from the same place. McIntosh make the transformers, metal frame and glass at their factory. This is very unique and their gear have a unique character and sound. You mentiond it's rich, its warm, its wide but in such a ehh way due to the price which was disappointing. Not to mention the build quality is outstanding. I and many are happy to support and pay more money for McIntosh gear which so many love the sound and look of. The other thing is we buy things on a emotional level too which is overlooked many times. Buying a headphone amp from a Chinese factory where they don't pay them enough to barely survive. Where you don't know the working conditions vs McIntosh where you do know the conditions. They have so many tour videos of their factory for you to see. So it's not just about the value, but it's about what is behind the product

[@randomtube8226]

That's the cheapest McIntosh unit I've ever seen! They need another grand to fix the volume knob lol

[@the_nondrive_side]

That's a faulty pot.. Or digital encoder.. Because that should be a logarithmic pot and be fine.

[@dxlink]

Listening to this on my focal stelia, paired with my mcintosh mha150. With the blue meters

[@nocuh]

One shouldn’t have to modify a $2500 amp and swap out its logarithmic volume pot for a linear one 💡

[@michaelkelly2402]

I purchased this amp about a year ago and you nailed the review. I use “Clear Museum Gel” in place of your gray blob for the ridiculous volume knob. Let’s face it; one pays 15% higher price for McIntosh gear for the aesthetic and the Clear gel is, well, clear. Your shock at the cheap quality of the impedance and volume knobs is understandable. My main system is primarily Mac gear and I can tell you that the MC152 amp, C70 preamp (70th anniversary), and MCD600 CD/SACD player ALL HAVE THESE CHEAP PLASTIC KNOBS! The gear sounds fantastic, and has an otherwise beautiful aesthetic, but I cry a little inside whenever I need to tweak the knobs. Inexcusable on Macintosh’s part. Also, totally agree about the bright standby light. My Aurender A30 has the same problem. I use Blackout Stickers which are awesome thin plastic stickons of varying opacity up to complete opacity that are easily applied and nondestructive when removed. I use them on my Audioquest 3000 power conditioner, router, etc.

[@1rexrex]

You don't want 90s McIntosh. Thats when they were going bankrupt and licensed their name to Clarion to make it through the decade.

[@BobFrostV]

Omg yessss thanks for reviewing! Who ever sent this is king!!

[@pinoyxbox]

Wondering how is this compared to the woo audio wa22. They’re priced the same.

[@phrankdatank]

Meet me behinds Dennys bro lol ... Love this guy!

[@speleofool8164]

Did you try the 600 ohm Beyerdynamic 880 meme headphones? Because they're ***fantastic*** on that amp.

[@xyanide1986]

I've been drooling to try one of these for a while but now? For my money I'll stick to something like a Violectric.

[@nickn5870]

Been using the two Gungrave OSTs for test tracks for years. Great choice. Appreciate the review on all these.

[@xyanide1986]

Yo is that wallpaper by Kafun? Some fine art right there.

[@davide.s.9880]

If you goo to Japan and look at any ten two channel sound systems 8 of 10 will have McIntosh amps. Just in case you want to know.

[@matthewhilty4209]

Oh no that volume knob. It seems they just fancied up the prototype and called it done.

[@mathyoooo2]

30:25 exponential was correct, not logarithmic

[@hifitommy]

it sounds like the gain control is linear, not audio taper which is preferable. i had a ss Quatre preamp from the 70s that sounded wonderful but had a linear slider gain control that had most of its gain in the first third of travel and was hard to adjust for fine changes. ...hifitommy

[@Iron883NZ]

Thought you pushed the black part of the knob and turn it for finer control?

[@miagi1337]

So in the past, making a Tubeamp that is powerful and sounds as linear as possible was an achievement that ppl would pay good money fore. But today linear is the strength of good solid state amps, and tubes amps are about "dirty" tubes twisting the sound for fun/pleasure and there is a clear soft cap of what you need to spent to get that. The polish Miltra looks really really nice. The TA-26 is a really great product for the price and has lots of power.

[@97invaderzim]

mono 1/4 into an xlr isn't a balanced connection if I'm not mistaken. TRS 1/4 is balanced as a standalone left and or right channel connection, so think of an xlr to 1/4 TRS cable

[@edithboozy1000]

Literally Zeos if this had been sent to him by McIntosh: "Best tube amplifier I've ever heard...makes all my headphones sound fluffy."

[@donvittoriosierra]

Zeos: All grados are 32-38 ohms so far as I know. Mentioned it since you were wondering about the hemp.

[@blech71]

Oh shit…. I have been subbed for a long time and I might have to unsub over toilet paper!’ Jk/- dood I love it! And you hit so many hood points with this video.

[@mrg1911]

Please review McIntosh MHA150….. I would love your opinion on Mac’s solid state version with a built in DAC for $5,000. Thanks!

[@carminedesanto6746]

Still loving the 604🥳

[@BlackAndWhiteBand]

Can someone tell me what that unit is to Z's right with the VU meters? Its the first thing in the rack .

[@guinicaretta]

26:34 here's why i like zeos

[@loyalopposition-us]

Yeah OK. Those cables are a little ridiculous. Looks like you could jump start a Kenworth with those things.

[@redpillcanucklofi]

Great review...very indepth! This was like reading the manual but more fun :) Do people even read manuals anymore though...lol. Great job on your video :)

[@nekolivegaming]

7:27, Fine enough, Most of my Yamaha MG16XU is color and black. But when u shine light on it, GIT GOD how dusty that thing gets after one day

[@Klutaq]

Zeos, what do you use for your media sources? My music is all from spotify with the highest audio quality available in the app. Would it be a waste of effort and money for me to run that through a tube Amp? IE, garbage in=garbage out. I don't utilize SACD or any other mega quality audio sources.

[@LeDechaine]

15:37 and that was why you chose this background

[@VintageVic93]

TP on the backside? Are you kidding me, Zeos?! Meet me in the park. At the swings. I will push you. We’ll have a jolly good time.

[@revelationsoundstudio]

You said it sounds like a Macintosh. It gets you the sound that many people love. There are a lot of tube power headphone amps, but the Mac will look and sound like a Mac. It is also cheaper than the Manley Headphone amps which is much picker with which headphones sound great in it.

[@Socdog3000]

Wow, 25K, and they were too stingy to include an Alps Blue Velvet. Good one McIntosh.

[@nabeeel1]

Kindly review BOSE 601 Series III speakers. I really want to know your take on those Omni style dual woofer 4 multi side tweeters.

[@thatchinaboi1]

If the McIntosh tubes are 7 pin and accepts 6J type tubes, then I imagine the Voskhod 6zh1p-ev tubes could be an upgrade.

[@Squilliam00]

Question for everyone :). i am looking to buy a pair of Audioengine A2+ and pair them with a Audio Pro SW-10 sub. The sub only has 1 RCA input, but the audioengines has 2 outputs. How would i connect these two? new to speakers and such :)

[@jeffspicer6093]

Would be great to see a review of the Black Ice Audio headphone amp.

[@netanahum7317]

Can you do a tor roger and tor balanced comparison

[@joeyl.3007]

That wallpaper sure has a.. *distinctive* art style! I'm sure I've seen that before. Somewhere.. Gods, that volume knob is just ridiculously stupid. I almost wonder if it's defective or something, especially since like 1/4 of it just doesn't do anything. If it's not defective, that's just.. what the actual fu-- are they thinking? I swear, when you see a product have a flaw like that, you just have to wonder, do they have anyone testing this thing before they sell it? Living with it for a while? Using it the way actual customers would? Are they just so far up their own ass, or laser focused in using it in one specific way that works okay that they just completely miss this? Maybe it's like when you write your own paper, and you reread and check over it a dozen times and it looks perfect, and then you have someone else check it and they're like "oh, you spelt 'the' wrong here in this line. And used the wrong 'they're' there."? But,.. you're f---ing McIntosh! You hire that other person to use your products and tell you if something is this stupid! That's just not acceptable on a $2500 unit. That wouldn't be acceptable to me on a $250 unit. I don't know, maybe us peasants are *supposed* to be turned away by this flaw. You see, you're *actually* just supposed to leave it locked in place, and if you want to change the volume, you ring your bell to have your butler come in and adjust the dedicated McIntosh Volume Control Unit that sits in the stack between this, the McIntosh Pre-Amp, McIntosh Pre-Pre Amp, McIntosh DAC, and McIntosh CD Player.

[@jeffreyrodas2699]

Do you know the artist?

[@joeyl.3007]

@@jeffreyrodas2699 Asanagi

[@ethr95awd]

knob is a deal breaker

[@jaymacdonnell4730]

If I had a nickel…

[@the_wau_]

28:32 i thought that u were reading from the product page :/

[@flamespire2235]

Hey Z, I got a quick question, first of all thanks for all your great reviews, your guide to audio fidelity gamer guide is what introduced me to the world of audio and I am now pursuing my education in this field. Enough about that, I upgraded from Hyperx Cloud 2s (yes IK) to AKG K612 three years ago, with them I got a fiio e10k (all of this was before I found you). I'm currently looking to upgrade my setup and am hesitating between the AKG K-712 pro (200 euros), the Senheiser HD660s (400 euros), or maybe even the BT-1990 pro, I'm an avid gamer (though more casual then competitive), and spend long hours with my headphones on watching videos, listening to audiobooks, music, etc... I'm also considering upgrading to a shiit stack, what do you think ?

[@thatchinaboi1]

Never thought I would see Z reveal his face on KZbin.

[@bradyreid9270]

Paul from PS Audio pretty much broke the mystique when he showed Z on one of his videos. It was not malicious...but since it happened, Z is less of a "stickler" about avoiding it.

[@dudexyt]

You can find him as himself on really old audiophile videos. And search engines.

[@clickbaitcrill3394]

When do you think you'll makes the sivga SV021 review

[@edwilliams3321]

Ah ha but Zeos how do they sound when you cast off the $1millon DAC and feed using a temperamental analog source such as THAT turntable? The combination that will provide the greatest variance at any given moment. You know you want to step into that realm. The Alfa Romeo of the hifi world a dangerous love affair.

[@josexavierjr.5633]

Oh well, at least their still in Binghamton, NY. They should do better. I still love my XDUOO MT-602 with my 600 ohm AKG K240F cans, among others.................thanks Zeos!

[@thatchinaboi1]

My Xduoo MT-602 is being used as a preamp for my midfield living room system with a matched pair of Voskhod 6zh1p-ev Tubes.

[@kamsole]

I’m new to ‘audiophile’ scene and I’m just curious as to what headphones to pair with my ZenDac v2. The 2020 Sundaras or the Harmonicdyne Zeus??? I’ll use them mainly for gaming and just listening to music. Anyone pls give me some recommendations!

[@jonassegura]

It depends: Sundara, if: You have an amp with a balanced output. Otherwise IMO, they don’t shine. Also are best for analytical proposes. Zeus if you don’t care about resolution and your priority is enjoy music in a smooth and buttery way.

[@kamsole]

@@jonassegura well isnt the zendac v2 a dacamp? also it has a balance output

[@jonassegura]

Right. It might work fine with the sundara.

[@cavalry1213]

I used to sell McIntosh at work and customers I had who owned them in the past did say they fell from grace.

[@scottbogfoot]

Hey Z, I just watched some guy from Boston build a tube amp kit, could you do something like that and talk and or learn about everything as you go

[@phalanger1]

There was a time where McIntosh was my dream brand. This was after having seen up close a number of amps from their golden era. Ever since they started putting colored LEDs under their tubes like chinese ebay tube amps do, but kept the ugly things from the old design to create one of the most tacky designs money can buy. Somehow they went from stunning to ugly and carnavalesque without changing much, quite the feat. If I ever do buy one, it will be an old model, zero interest in their stuff made after the 1980s

[@LeDechaine]

What are these Grado pads?

[@oopsalldrip1376]

Oh yeah, time to get the popcorn out.

[@sebastianrosenbach7873]

Official face reveal! 🎉

[@KindredGh0st]

I know I can't afford that amp. Can I get a link to that screwdriver though?

[@a.a1001]

Would those pads that you have on the Hemps fit on a KPH30i?

[@IgorPetruk1989]

Z, can you finally pls get Bottlehead from somebody. Crack+Speedball or Mainline are most interesting to hear about

[@mmmadog]

So the point of the video is to bash Mcintosh??

[@conniggit]

Leaving the dishwasher open AND backwards toilet paper!!! WaaaaaatF!

[@Nearest_Neighbor]

How does it compare to an iPhone?

[@scottbogfoot]

Z, I have a legitimately good question!! 😅 would it be a bad idea to blow dust off a warm tube amp using compressed air? Due to the coolness of the compressed air and hot tubes,, would bad shit happen? 🤔

[@jamesrobinson9176]

Like out of an aerosol can? Yes that's a bad idea.

[@yesjo1456]

hey z reviews you should listen to Grimm audio ls1 sometime (on like a convention)

[@justintoso]

I want to see the Quark gathering DAC review ASAP.

[@arancourt5623]

Zeos, I can't believe I have to say this, but there is only one proper way to hang your toilet paper, and that's whatever f@cking way you like it. Anyone else can piss off.

[@endrizo]

wtf green tubes...tubes MUST be orange warm... those green ones look ill

[@ubacow7109]

Can you send out the McIntosh for ASR to finally review a McIntosh product?

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

what a beauty

[@jamesrobinson9176]

Review the Manley if you want hifi.

[@FreakPC]

9:01 : please link to said safety wad, all hail wad #safetywad

[@spewp]

You can now buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a McIntosh sound system. Biggest indicator their best years are behind them.

[@scottbogfoot]

12:50 knobs look like walmart amfm radio knobs too, whilst trying to look retro hifi

[@word2RG]

plus, w over the front, your cat will empty the entire roll onto the bathroom floor.

[@vadoc2009]

I want roller skates for my birthday 😂

[@mirzaangon]

The amount of unintentional face reveals in this video, and zeos not giving a shit about it…

[@jaykabel]

Do the Pathos Inpol Ear please!

[@doosworld1901]

That's a 10lb unit?

[@yuribezminov2825]

Ok I'm gonna piss someone off but the XDUOO ta26 is an amazing amp for the dt880 600ohm.

[@fascinatedbyeverything]

Wow, it really is just a GoPro strapped to his head.

[@DaedalianAbilon]

basically it looks really really nice.

[@Shrebina-kq4cs]

Yes, most americans would ask the same. "where even is that?"

[@farhanakhtar8252]

I wish I wasn’t broke so I could experience some of this XD

[@billharmond]

A drive-by review, Zeos.

[@lyledurand]

Please make a tp video Zeos!

[@michaellynn8]

@7.04 Matt Patricia reveal.

[@xerosphoenix]

Thanks Zeos! this review told me nothing.....

[@diudiamoustache7765]

Zeos, put a putty over the whole front panel next time - I saw your face mirrored in the unit.

[@AdrianBond]

Love McIntosh the ol' classic stuff...but have no idea what they were thinking with the design of this thing. It's literally atrocious. Chrome? Fail. Tubes on one side? Fail. That black block on the left? Fail. Volume knob jiggly and logarithmic? Fail. Green LED lights under the tubes? WTF - FAIL.

[@herseyberry4655]

I saw a guy review this amp after he bought it. He was coming over it.

[@philbarone4603]

Oh I like this guy, he reminds me of me. Nice to see an honest reviewer. He must be from New York.

[@ChrisStoneinator]

This guy is as dishonest as it gets, he trades entirely on hype

[@toastytek6251]

Need to add face reveal to the titles as well!!! :P

[@EdreiZahari]

With toilet paper at the back, I thought its because you have Chewbs? I mean If it's in the front, you'll have TP all over the floor. If it's at the back, the cat can spin it over and over again and it'll still be in its roll.