McIntosh MA252 2-Channel Integrated Amplifier

Company History & Product Overview

This article is on the incredible McIntosh Hybrid Drive MA252 integrated amp that combines the best of both worlds with tube and solid state technology.

There is probably no audio company in the world with a brand name as iconic as McIntosh . From their early days when they powered the Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound, to current times, their gear has been coveted by audio lovers for its great sound, incredibly good looks, and extreme longevity. Their factory in Binghamton, NY has been turning out equipment anyone would dream of owning for over 70 years.

When we visited the McIntosh factory in late 2018, we were amazed at how many parts they actually created themselves in-house. From their output transformers we watched being assembled from scratch to their custom glass faceplates, they are just fanatical about quality.

If you have ever experienced the sound of McIntosh, you know for yourself why musicians, music lovers, and audiophiles alike are drawn to its musical natural sound.

During this same factory tour, the McIntosh team took us over to their engineering lab where they lifted a little bit of the curtain on some upcoming products. The concept behind the McIntosh MA252 was one of the things we saw and immediately loved the idea of marrying tubes on the preamp side and their great solid-state power amp technology to drive the speakers. For decades, the audiophiles on our staff have recommended going with a tube preamp and solid-state power amp for the best choice when you want both musicality and long-term reliability.

Design & Build Quality

McIntosh components have always had a fantastic look and feel in our experience, but the MA252 just takes that McIntosh cool factor to another level. Their engineers combined some of the looks of their 70+ year old tube power amps with their more modern preamps to come up with an integrated amplifier you will certainly want to have on display. From the side it looks very similar to the classic MC275 power amp with the McIntosh logo and model number on the side. The front glass panel is all modern McIntosh with those green LED’s we all love giving you a full view of how you are controlling it. A neat touch on the heatsinks is something you may not see at first glance, but there is an “Mc” monogrammed into their design.

The four tubes used in the input stage are on full display on top of the beautifully polished stainless steel chassis with some super cool-looking covers for them. And get this, when you power it on, they glow orange until the MA252 comes out of standby where they change to green. The two controls on the front are multipurpose for inputs, volume, and trim.