reviewed: audiophile quality on the go with the superb mcintosh mha50 headphone amplifier

How important is your hobby or passion for you?
I was always surprised when some people heard the price of a great audio device or a very good pair of headphones.
However, the same person may spend a lot of money on a new camera, a sports car, or follow a football team across the country.
We are all interested and we may spend more money than we should, but there is very little passion to catch the eye
Scroll when you mention the price of an audio device.
This week, I\'m reviewing a piece of equipment that, on paper, sounds like a lot of money and is bound to trigger a reaction: \"How much?
Some people say.
But anyone who knows something about the iconic American audio brand Mackintosh knows that anything with the Gothic Mackintosh logo is not cheap.
However, as my late father always said: \"You got what you paid!
The mcchrmha50 is a \"portable decoding amplifier,\" in the language of most others the headphone amp and DAC.
The MHA50 is designed to take digital audio signals from any smartphone, tablet or computer and convert them into the most exquisite music that can be listened to through a wired headset.
It is definitely for audio purists and may attract audio lovers who refuse to compromise on sound quality.
There is no doubt that they are the kind of people who have expensive audio systems at home and want the same high quality when traveling from home.
MHA50 enables them to do this and is perfect for listening to hi-
Res music stored on your phone, or played from a music service like Tidal, where you can listen to CD-quality albums over the Internet.
The first thing you notice about Mackintosh MHA50 is its large size.
Almost no pocket size.
I think it\'s about the size of a thick piece of Swiss chocolate, which weighs 200 grams.
That said, it should be in the pocket, not the shirt pocket.
The front of the unit is the classic Mackintosh with a black glass front board, a silver Mackintosh logo and a small status light that changes color according to its state.
The front is a big round touch.
Sensitive volume ring with backup power button in the middle.
This is a sensitive volume control, but the level of control over the volume is very good.
The top of the MHA50 has a sliding switch that moves between low gain and high gain depending on the resistance of the headset the user is listening.
In addition, there is a standard 3.
5mm stereo headphone socket.
Next is a button that puts the MHS50 in Bluetooth mode so that the device can receive music from the smartphone via Bluetooth.
MHA supports all codecs including AAC and aptX.
Finally, there is a sliding switch marked with HDX.
This represents the \"head of the headphone crossover feed\", which Mackintosh claims will improve the localized sound that the headset listens.
This actually means that the HDX switch makes the sound more like a pair of speakers, and the sound is less separate than the exaggerated sound stage created by the headset.
I\'ll be honest when I say I prefer to turn it off, but it may depend on the recording being listened to because some people do turn the stereo to ridiculous length.
At the bottom of the MHA50 there is a power switch with three positions.
The first is \"off\", the second is an iOS device, and the third is any device that is not iOS.
In addition to this, there is a usb B port that connects to the iOS device using the Apple Lightning cable provided;
For anyone using the latest ipad or iphone, there is also a usb c cable.
Finally, there is a micro USB port that connects Android devices using OTG (On The Go)
Cable and computers running Windows or Apple OS operating systems.
The micro USB port is also the port to connect the MHA50 to the supplied power adapter, which can power the MHA50 or charge its lithium battery
Provide ion batteries for at least 6 hours of play time.
By the way, the box provides all the cables needed to connect the MHA50 to an iPhone, Android device, or computer, except for the leather slip case and the power adapter with US and European plugs . . . . . . But not Britain or Australia.
If you are using a Windows computer, you may need to download the driver for MHA50, but this is a simple job.
We have a high here-
End headphone amplifier for driving wired headphones.
The input source that drives MHA50 in Mackintosh can go from Apple\'s iphone and iPads to Android phones and tablets, as well as any computer running Windows or Apple\'s operating system.
The music files that the MHA50 can handle are almost unlimited, supporting all formats up to PCM 192 kHz, 32-bit resolution.
Dsd28, dxd352 are also supported. 8 and DXD 384.
I tested the Mackintosh MHA50 using my Apple iPhone 6 s, but the process is the same for any iOS device, a bit unusual.
To use the MHA50, the iPhone needs to be turned off first.
Then plug it into the charged MHA50 using the supplied Apple Lightning cable and slide the power switch to \"iOS \".
This will start the iPhone.
So all you have to do is unlock your iPhone or iPad with your six
Then you start working.
For my review, I used Tidal and its hi-
Streaming services to ensure that MHA has the highest quality source possible.
I press play to adjust the volume using the big silver touch ring on the front of the device.
The result is that I hear very little about warmth, depth and detail.
I\'m starting to suspect that mcchrystone, due to the cost of equipment, is almost
For me, the religious enthusiasm of fans of the brand always seems to be a little \"beyond \".
This was the first Mackintosh gear I was loaned to review, so I was a newbie to Mackintosh.
The MHA50 is a gorgeous headphone amp and DAC that can squeeze the last drop of detail and character out of the music.
There are a lot of details on it, there are sweet high tones and a lot of channel separation. The mid-
Rangeis\'s tone is perfect, combining the whole soundfield, and everything is supported by a large and wide bass, but never sounds low or overwhelming.
Considering that there is no EQ control, the sounds offered by Mackintosh MHA50 are almost perfect in terms of tone.
If you ever hear a very tall
You will know that when the design is correct, they do not need tone control at all due to the perfect shape of the sound.
The same is true of this pocket miracle in Mackintosh.
No matter what music I listen to through MHA50, it rewards me because it offers rich, detailed, refined music and is very musical in terms of rhythm.
I think I might be a convert to Mackintosh.
Next, I try to use the Bluetooth feature of themha50.
All I have to do is press the Bluetooth button at the top of the device and connect with my iPhone.
Music is wirelessly transferred from my iPhone to mha50.
Thanks to the AAC codec that supports my iPhone 6 s use, the quality is very good.
I\'m a little confused about why McIntosh didn\'t choose to support Qualcomm\'s aptX HD codec, but if they use Qualcomm\'s csr87 65 chip, it could have been added via a firmware update.
I did test the aptX support using my Mac Powerbook Pro and the sound was really good as I expected.
Unfortunately, for some reason it only knows, Apple supports aptX on Mac series computers running Apple\'s operating system, but stubbornly refuses to do so on iOS devices.
Conclusion: Mackintosh MHA50 \"portable decoding amplifier\" is one of the best
Headphone amp I \'ve heard.
The size in hand is a bit large, but it\'s not too much trouble for listening in a hotel room or at a desk.
The startup process is a bit strange, I prefer a pluginand-
Play options, but I can forgive all of this as this stylish unit produces amazing sounds.
The lack of AptX HD codecs and the relatively mild battery life may be unpleasant for some, but the superior sound of the mha50 is more important than those negatives.
Listening to MHA50 in Mackintosh is like putting my home audio in my pocket.
For people who love music like me, this is a very good selling point.
The MHA50 is expensive, but as my dad used to say. . .
\"You got what you paid.
\"If you are passionate about music, you will love it very much . \"
The sound of the kit.