I often rely on analogies to help develop my thoughts. This is a great way to take a known experience that I am relatively more familiar with to draw out the nuance of a less known experience – of course at some point all analogies fall apart and, therefore, they can only get us so far. I bring this up because I admit, when it comes to audio equipment that I enjoy listening to, I have a pretty sound understanding of my aural predilections. That was until I heard the McIntosh MSA5500 Streaming Integrated Amplifier – I now have a resolute understanding of my sonic tastes. While listening to the MSA5500, the analogy that came to mind was founded in my enthusiasm for cycling. Most of you are likely familiar with the fact that there are road bikes and mountain bikes. I posit that Mc’s first foray into creating a streaming integrated has resulted in something analogous to a mountain bike. Based on the body types trotting around AXPONA, the Venn diagram of audiophiles and cyclist has little overlap, so I’ll keep this succinct. On the farthest reaches of the road bike end of the spectrum, we have race bikes; designed to transfer power from rider to road as efficiently as possible, rider comfort – while considered – doesn’t top the list of priorities. Think, CH Precision 10 Series. Conversely, on the opposite end of the spectrum we have downhill bikes. Often incorporating suspension travel nearing 8 inches, rider comfort nears the top of the priority list hear if only to ensure rider and bike make it to the bottom of the mountain with one accord as quickly as possible. Think Dumbleland – and nobody could send that baby headlong down a mountain as well as Stevie Ray Vaughn. I’m going to let that analogy marinate for a bit while I touch on the specs and user experience with the MSA5500. Esthetically speaking let’s just say, if you lost your ability to see in 1975, even you know what this amp looks like. That is, Mc developed a design that connected with consumers decades ago and has leveraged that design to this day to remain one of the top selling brands in the industry. The MSA5500 is by no means a compact amp at roughly 18” wide, 6” high and nearly 19” deep. Coming in at 38 pounds, this Mc – like its siblings – is bound to make a statement. Okay, so this is McIntosh’s first attempt at an ‘all-in-one’ box and up until 4 weeks ago, I would have ignorantly said the only real difference between streamers is their software and how the unit displays “Now Playing” information. Two areas where McIntosh didn’t seem to devote much time when developing the MSA5500. It shares the same dot matrix LED display panel as just about every other Mc product – again if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – and relies on Connect services from the likes of Tidal or Spotify for software. Another option here is to connect via a Roon server – this is what I opted for when listening. The Mc specific software that did exist – both as a web app and mobile device app – offered nothing more than the ability to enable Google Cast and to change the network name of the device. These two setting, along with a handful of others, were also available within the units own 2-dial settings interface. In the past, the sonic difference between entry-level streamers that I was familiar with was quite small and difficult to articulate. That was until I heard the Antipodes Kala 50 that Tom had in his listening room – that listening session was seriously revelatory. Not all streamers are created equal. All of this to say, when I noticed the absence of a high-resolution color display on this streaming amp, I was hopeful McIntosh went the route of focusing on the sonic characteristics of the streaming DAC module. In an effort to approach this more scientifically, I enlisted the help of a Wiim Pro Plus streaming DAC. I first listened with the digital out from the Wiim in an attempt to mark the characteristic of the DAC in with the Mc. Then I switched to analog out using the single ended connections offered on the Pro Plus – bypassing the MSA5500’s streaming DAC altogether. I rounded out my experiment streaming directly from the Mc. I was a bit disappointed that the differences weren’t more than subtle. Especially seeing as how the McIntosh is an $8,000 US piece of equipment. But, McIntosh is primarily an amp manufacturer so enough with the potatoes and beans let’s get to the meat. At risk of being too vulnerable, this amplifier had me tearing up and feeling a bit nostalgic. Let me set the stage. I started down my typical path of analytical listening using familiar test tracks to really draw out what this amplifier had to offer, and I wasn’t initially impressed. I was trying to contrast this feeling with the understanding that there are a great number of audiophiles who hold McIntosh in high regard and – certainly – they can’t all be wrong, so I put my nose down and dug in to figure out what I was missing. After noticing subtle distortions in otherwise clear and detailed recordings, I began to think what if distortion was the name of the game and thought of 70’s rock. I had to go back and tap the annals of my childhood and was brought back to sitting in the child car seat in the back of my parents car in the early to mid-90s. At that time, my parents listened to the oldies station in our town and on that station: a lot of 70’s rock. So, I queued up some Boston and I was immediately transported back in time. I think this was the first time since I began listening to high-end gear that this genre sounded so right. The big sound of the 70s; meters waving away; this amp rocks! Brad Delp screaming away; Tom and Sib rocking out; A truly energetic and engaging performance. After wiping my tears of anamnesis, I returned to my familiar playlist of test tracks – music with breath, openness, and minute detail – to develop a clearer understanding of what the MSA5500 has to offer. This is where I return to my analogy; the MSA5500 is like a cross-country mountain bike which has suspension with minimal travel and wider tires to absorb some of the bumps along the way. It’s certainly more forgiving than the road race bike, but not so mushy gushy that you’ll wanna send it careening down the side of a mountain. This also means that if you just want a little easy listening in the back, the MSA5500 puts on quite a detailed and balanced sonic performance – the amp sounds well composed. It’s when you give the volume knob a twist that it begins to color the music a little more, favoring energy in the bottom end. For instance, on Tu Con El from Rauw Alejandro’s 2024 album Cosa Nuestra. Alexis Perez’s snaps on her upright bass are presented with force. This bump in bass energy left for relaxed and sustainable listening even if it didn’t offer the greatest fidelity. This favoring of the bottom end tends to leave the upper octaves sounding ever so subtly dissonant. That said, I feel this may we well judged by McIntosh as often listeners find equipment that more transparent in the upper half of the frequency spectrum to be fatiguing – although I argue this doesn’t have to be the case. With 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms, dynamically rich recordings are no trouble for the MSA5500. The Audiophile Society’s recording of the Czech National Symphony performing Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra is just one example of this. Many of you are likely familiar with this piece and this particular recording presents Strauss’ work in all its dynamic glory. I was blown away at how effortlessly the Mc rendered this and, again, a dramatic performance from the meters. With its gently juicy sound and powerful dynamic punch, this amp is likely to impress. If you’re more of an analytical listener who wishes to queue up an aria from an 18th century opera and settle in with a glass of wine, there’s equipment on the market that will certainly please you – this isn’t it. However, if you’re more inclined to grab some beers and rock out with some buddies while going hand after hand in poker or covering each other’s back in Call of Duty, look no further than the McIntosh MSA5500 Streaming Integrated Amplifier. And don’t forget to make listing fun again! The post McIntosh MSA5500 Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review appeared first on The Absolute Sound.