I have owned YBA, Odyssey, Jadis, NAD and now this integrated from McIntosh. Bottomline, with previous brands the differences were minor and had led me to belong to "all amps sound the same" camp. However, this amp has chaged all that. Incredible product from an icon among audio manufacturers. Exceptional bass, midrange and clarity with wonderful soundstage. Recommended unconditionally!

Now, this is the story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air

In West Philadelphia, born and raised
On the playground is where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool
And all shootin' some B-ball outside of the school

When a couple of guys who were up to no good
Started makin' trouble in my neighborhood
I got in one little fight and my mom got scared
And said, "You're movin' with your aunty and uncle in Bel Air"

I begged and pleaded with her the other day
But she packed my suitcase and sent me on my way
She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket
I put my Walkman on and said, "I might as well kick it!"

First class, yo this is bad
Drinkin' orange juice out of a champagne glass
Is this what the people of Bel Air are livin' like
Hmmm, this might be alright

But wait, I hear they're prissy, bourgeois and all that
Is this the type of place that they should send this cool cat?
I don't think so, I'll see when I get there
I hope they're prepared for the prince of Bel Air

Well, uh, the plane landed and when I came out
There was a dude look like a cop standin' wavin' my name out
I ain't tryin' to get arrested yet, I just got here
I sprang with the quickness like lightning, disappeared

I whistled for a cab and when it came near
The license plate said fresh and had a dice in the mirror
If anything I could say that this cab was rare
But I thought, nah forget it, yo home to Bel Air

I pulled up to the house about seven or eight
And I yelled to the cabby, "Yo homes, smell you later"
Looked at my kingdom, I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the prince of Bel Air

Worst product ever

a review about reviewer. To be exact Submitted by Michael a AudioPhile and mxbishop a AudioPhile. Seems both advertising Recycled Audio.

Guys if you write fake review don't copy each others text and then say you paid same price at same location.

Very sexy and "edgy sound"
Yes Mcintosh transistor in their MA series are very edgy. (but only they can get away with this sound, without it seeming fatiguing or annoying)
closest thing I now too this is Audia. (but they are generally alot more thin and botox digital in sound)

This has the whole sound from top to bottom.
Nothing saved on materials, and you can crank the volume up to 70% without it loosing it compose or it even sweating.

It´s cool,composed,conservative and slightly warm and tube like in sound.
But the sharpness and edge and slam, won´t be acheived fully with for example the mc275.

If you want more sharp, edgy retro and midrange detailed alive cool sound then take the 6900 or even the ma7000 wich is alot more alive and neutral.

if you want a more bold and plain, round and relaxed type of sound then take the mc275.

by the way, the ma7000 sound signature is totally identical in sound signature to Mcintosh´s 1200watt monoblocks, so save some money and take the ma7000 :-)

Awesome sound, clear, true with lots of depth and a very nice image.

Remote could be nicer for the price range. Is that relevant?... not much really.

I just purchased the MA6900 to be paired with B&W703's... it's an awesome match. I researched, read about and listened to thousand options for the 703's, including Classe CAP-2100, Krell KAV-400xi, NAD Master Series M3, McIntosh MA6500, Musical Fidelity A5. At the end, I couldn't be happier with my final decision.

Right out of the box, the first thing that impressed me was the build quality, it seems as it will last forever. It's a beautiful piece of equipment and it surely sounds like such.

I hooked it up and immediately heard a big difference... sound was detailed, awesome clarity, highs are clear but not overpowering, not harsh... bass is defined, tight, solid. It's not the bass that will "hit" your chest though, but it's very defined. MIDs, however, is where I found the biggest leap... very very impressive. Smooth, sweet, real.

My favorite CD's have changed already. This thing will reveal everything... look for Chesky Records SACD's... NOW I understand why are they such good recordings. Candido & Graciela's Conga Jam, or Rossa Passos and Ron Carter "Entre Amigos". You can pinpoint every instrument.

B&W's tend to be a bit forward sounding in the high range and that's why the MAC is such a good complement to them. If you are looking for strong hitting sound, very transistor like, POP... then go for Krell. If you think music should be musical, smooth and not fatiguing, just go for the MAC.

One important note... make sure you hook the 6900 at the right impedance level. Even though 703's specs say they run at 8ohms, the truth is that they go down significantly. At 8, the amp overheats and tries to clip. At 4, it works beautifully.

Highly detailed audio amplification. Extremely low-noise. Extremely easy to use, and includes a well-thought-out, illuminated remote. Plenty of power to drive almost all speakers types. Superior build quality to nearly all competing products. Beautiful presentation, including glass front panel with green-illuminated lettering, and large blue-illuminated power meters. For an audiophile - this the MA6900 is the definition of joy.

Amp does get very warm when playing bass-heavy music. Be sure to use the correct speaker taps (8, 4, or 2 ohms) that best match the type of speakers you are connecting to, or risk potential thermal shutdown. Also, be careful using the XLR input. McIntosh got it right - but some consumer audio companies that provide XLR outputs on their CD players (i.e., my Sony XA77ES) wired the XLR conductors according to an obsolete European standard - hence, I have to use the "unbalanced" line-outputs from the Sony into the McIntosh.

The McIntosh MA6900 is the top-end McIntosh integrated amplifier. It replaces the MA6800 and MA6850 models. I purchased this unit new and have owned it for approximately 1 year. I have it mated to a pair of B&W 703 speakers using the 4 ohm taps from the amp. My source is the Sony XA77ES CD player.

The MA6900 is a marvelous piece of audio engineering. Build quality is second to none, and the visual presentation is nothing short of stunning. It's really a statement piece - and you will not want to put this gear into some hidden equipment rack where it cannot be seen or appreciated. Once you get this piece set up - you should plan to never move it. It weighs 75 pounds, but feels much heavier than that when you are trying to position it.

The audio is fabulous, of course - at low and high volumes. Music comes across as detailed, highly present, and captivating. For critical 2-channel listening, this is my "go-to" system, and it gets turned on several times during a given week. The only way to improve on this system is by going to separate amp / pre-amp solutions.

The unit is expensive - but it helps to consider the long-lasting value you are buying. If you're serious about 2-channel audio - the MA6900 deserves an audition.

Customer Service

Excellent.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer SX-1250, Sansui 9090DB.

Highly detailed audio amplification. Extremely low-noise. Extremely easy to use, and includes a well-thought-out, illuminated remote. Plenty of power to drive almost all speakers types. Superior build quality to nearly all competing products. Beautiful presentation, including glass front panel with green-illuminated lettering, and large blue-illuminated power meters. For an audiophile - this the MA6900 is the definition of joy.

Amp does get very warm when playing bass-heavy music. Be sure to use the correct speaker taps (8, 4, or 2 ohms) that best match the type of speakers you are connecting to, or risk potential thermal shutdown. Also, be careful using the XLR input. McIntosh got it right - but some consumer audio companies that provide XLR outputs on their CD players (i.e., my Sony XA77ES) wired the XLR conductors according to an obsolete European standard - hence, I have to use the "unbalanced" line-outputs from the Sony into the McIntosh.

The McIntosh MA6900 is the top-end McIntosh integrated amplifier. It replaces the MA6800 and MA6850 models. I purchased this unit new and have owned it for approximately 1 year. I have it mated to a pair of B&W 703 speakers using the 4 ohm taps from the amp. My source is the Sony XA77ES CD player.

The MA6900 is a marvelous piece of audio engineering. Build quality is second to none, and the visual presentation is nothing short of stunning. It's really a statement piece - and you will not want to put this gear into some hidden equipment rack where it cannot be seen or appreciated. Once you get this piece set up - you should plan to never move it. It weighs 75 pounds, but feels much heavier than that when you are trying to position it.

The audio is fabulous, of course - at low and high volumes. Music comes across as detailed, highly present, and captivating. For critical 2-channel listening, this is my "go-to" system, and it gets turned on several times during a given week. The only way to improve on this system is by going to separate amp / pre-amp solutions.

The unit is expensive - but it helps to consider the long-lasting value you are buying. If you're serious about 2-channel audio - the MA6900 deserves an audition.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer SX-1250, Sansui 9090DB.