Money no object
We love to give practical purchase advice on the latest gadgets here at Techradar. But sometimes what we love ourselves more is to pamper with the most ridiculous, advanced, groundbreaking, luxurious tech on the planet. That’s what we bring you in this money no object columns – you can read the whole series here.
If you read this (thanks for that, by the way) you are no beginner to the Hi-Fi game. You know McIntosh-You remember the American specialist’s MA6300-integrated amplifier, from the mid-noughties, noticed the company’s much newer striking Bluetooth speaker, is considered sound. But this proposal is new again.
This is the McIntosh DS200 and this large part of metal, buttons and classic Casework is specifically a streaming DAC. It’s the separate thing for you if you’ve already got a compatible power amp and preamplifier (if not, I can suggest Moon’s North 791 and 761 Solution?) And of course speakers – here let’s go for the focal diva utopia because this is our hedonistic hi-fi place of flight and we can imagine what we want. Just missing the high-end streaming component to finish it all? Mcintosh has it covered with DS200.
What makes a Mcintosh separate? For me, the sound
As you would expect, it’s compatible with wireless protocols Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Cast Plus Bluetooth. It is equipped with two Wi-Fi Antennas and a Bluetooth antenna as well as an Ethernet gate for wired connections.
What about DAC? That’s good: DS200 has a quad balanced eight-channel, 32-bit digital-to-analog Converter, so in addition to its streaming capacities, the DS200 can boast DXD up to 384 kHz via USB and 24-bit/192kHz via coax and optical ins. There is also an HDMI (ARC) input to smooth out your TV and movie audio experiences that can convert Dolby and DTS flag channel formats to two-channel audio for optimized playback on your special system if you wish.
The DS200 sports also both balanced and unbalanced analog output, which means it fits into virtually any existing sound system. For example, it is factory set in fixed output mode with the possibility of switching to variable to direct connection to a power amplifier, allowing the DS200 to control the volume in a fully digital audio setup.
And I can’t finish this piece without mentioning Mcintosh’s design language. The DS200 streaming DAC is just the black glass front plate, rotating control buttons, illuminated logo and specially machineed aluminum transmitter I love about the company.
Ready for the big question? DS200 is available in March through authorized McIntosh dealers with an official price of $ 4,000 / £ 5,890 / € 5,990, which is around AU $ 6,302 if we take the US dollars as a guide. Look, I can’t afford it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to buy it …
