I saw McIntosh for the first time at an audio salon in Salt Lake in 1959. It was love at first sight, but as a 15 year old it was completely the stuff of young audiophile dreams. I loved the look...totally unique in the audio amp industry...the feel...and the sound was so so good. After aspiring to this level of excellence for another 60 years, I finally picked up the MA5300 last year. My Mom used to say (frequently) "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." I don't know of anything I've owned in my long lifetime that fulfills that statement better. It's like having the Stradivarius of electronics. Still in love 60 years later...
Unfortunately the MA5300 doesn't have any OUTPUTS. Buyer beware if you have analog or digital recording decks that you want to connect. And don't use the preamp out with a Y-cable splitter to send signal to powered subwoofers (for instance). It sucks. IMHO, at this price point these kinds of things shouldn't have been ignored. I mean really, how much more could it possibly cost to add a couple of analog outputs?
Wow! Didnt even know yall were still in Raleigh, my hometown. Bought my first pair of Sennheiser headphones for 80bucks back in 80 something and still gottem! In Winston Salem now but will be visiting you guys soon. Hope you treat us old construction workers with more respect than I get here in Winston. Like Audio just like the rich people . Glad you guys are still here. Always got good service back in the day!
That red power button kills the looks for me. As a graphic designer, they should have used the green of the McIntosh logo so it didn't clash so much, but I digress.
There is a lot of contempt and prejudice towards this little Mac considered by some as a sub-Mac, the poor man's Mac and not as a real McIntosh because it does not have the famous Autoformers. Why so much hatred ? Is it really justified ?
@01:12 " . . . being able to repair . . ." Hmmm . . . I owned an MC2205 about 25 years ago. (Lost it in a divorce). After owning it for about 20 years, it began to run extremely hot! Something was wrong. The long and the short of it was McIntosh never even replied to my request for service. They did supply parts however. I ended up replacing all eight output transistors on my own after a local shop insisted they found nothing wrong. (They were NOT a Mac dealer). So, they are certainly "able to repair" but I don't think they are eager to actually take on repairs. My nearest Mac dealer was about 1000 miles away at the time and the MC2205 weighed 86lbs, more or less.
Terry, we are sorry you had trouble with McIntosh service, we shared your story with them and they were very surprised. They said they respond to all service requests and are happy to repair items at their facility. Do you remember the year this happened in, as it would also be odd for them to sell parts to an end user. Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice The year? It was the early 90s as best I can recall. Could have been late 80s. Unfortunately, before I had a home computer as, if I did, I would likely still have that letter requesting service advice on disk somewhere. But that is not the case. I am reasonably "handy" but an electronic repair guy? Definitely not! So, it was a stressful matter for me and I cannot recall where I even got the term "leaky transistor" from. Nor do I recall where I got the idea to replace all the power output txs on my own from. But it seemed "do-able" and a bet worth taking and, not really knowing which tx was the problem, the easiest thing was to bite the bullet and replace all eight of them. If it was unusual for Mac to send service parts to an owner, you can't prove that to me. Decades earlier I had ordered a replacement glass front panel for my C26 preamp after it became cracked in a clumsy accident. Waited months until they had one, but they did send it directly to me in Whitehorse, Yukon. That would have been in the late 60s. Anyhow, they did send the eight power output txs, I was able to replace them, and the MC2205 ran for years afterward without heating the room. May still be running for all I know . . . somewhere. There was no degradation in sound but it was so hot that an electrical smell rose in the room. Unfortunately, while there was a Mac dealer in Halifax, NS in 1976, when I traded in my MC2105 in on the MC2205, it went out of business and, some 45 years later, still no place to buy Macs in Canada east of Montreal. :( While I still miss my Macs, at this stage in life, it is unlikely I'd actually purchase one now although I still consider the MAC7200 from time to time. Anyhow, that it my tale of woe asa former Mac owner of not quite 30 years. C26, MC2105, MC2205 and a 6 channel home theatre amp whose designation I cannot recall. PS: Oh, I recall them directly sending me the incandescent bulbs for the Power Guard circuitry when one or more of mine burned out too.
@@terrydanks Terry, thanks for sharing. That would have been the Clarion years when they were owned by the car stereo company, which explains a lot, we thought this was much more recent. They also probably shipped you directly since you did not have a local dealer anywhere nearby. We are pretty impressed you were able to change all the output transistors yourself! That is not easy. And we wish we could ship to Canada when you are ready for that 7200 but we are limited to the US.
Outstanding review! Do you recommend it with a pair of Klipsch RP-500M bookshelf speakers? Just consider that everything would be in a smal room and the volume would NEVER go over 1/3 of the range. Thank you!
That is really strange. One reason we decided to bring on McIntosh is when we visited the factory, we were waiting outside early the last day to get in and two engineers were talking about how upset they were that they could not repair a preamp from the 60's. And this was August of 2019. It could be the management in the 80's was not all about customer service like they are today. They are under totally different management now. Thanks for watching
There is NO best! You buy what you like the sound of. I HAD two different Hegels. I own the MA5300, and like it much more than the Hegels. It all comes down to personal preference and associated equipment. There must be a system synergy. Not all components play well together. Enjoy the journey!
We did not say it had imported parts. McIntosh sources as many parts as possible from local vendors or makes them in the factory, but they do not get into details on where ever single part came from. Thanks for watching
WHAT IS A MCINTOSH MA5300 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER? IS THIS A GOOD BUY TO REPLACE MY ROTEL STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER (RB-1552 MKII) AND MCINTOSH MX130 A/V TUNER CONTROL CENTER SOUND SYSTEM? CAN I GET RID OF ROTEL POWER AMP & MCINTOSH MX130 A/V TUNER CONTROL CENTER IN LIEU OF THE MA5300? APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK.
His hands move as he talks just like the meters move on the amp.
It’s because he’s using a teleprompter
Lol, that probably took a lot of training.
😂
I saw McIntosh for the first time at an audio salon in Salt Lake in 1959. It was love at first sight, but as a 15 year old it was completely the stuff of young audiophile dreams. I loved the look...totally unique in the audio amp industry...the feel...and the sound was so so good. After aspiring to this level of excellence for another 60 years, I finally picked up the MA5300 last year. My Mom used to say (frequently) "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." I don't know of anything I've owned in my long lifetime that fulfills that statement better. It's like having the Stradivarius of electronics. Still in love 60 years later...
What a great story! Thanks for sharing James!
Proud to have the MA 5200 . Almost like the newer 5300 . Excellent review.
This is what Richard Branson does when he is not building a space plane.....
Unfortunately the MA5300 doesn't have any OUTPUTS. Buyer beware if you have analog or digital recording decks that you want to connect. And don't use the preamp out with a Y-cable splitter to send signal to powered subwoofers (for instance). It sucks. IMHO, at this price point these kinds of things shouldn't have been ignored. I mean really, how much more could it possibly cost to add a couple of analog outputs?
i have one..its an amazing piece of equipment
Wow! Didnt even know yall were still in Raleigh, my hometown. Bought my first pair of Sennheiser headphones for 80bucks back in 80 something and still gottem! In Winston Salem now but will be visiting you guys soon. Hope you treat us old construction workers with more respect than I get here in Winston. Like Audio just like the rich people . Glad you guys are still here. Always got good service back in the day!
That red power button kills the looks for me. As a graphic designer, they should have used the green of the McIntosh logo so it didn't clash so much, but I digress.
That is a decent point, but that red power button as been around for decades. Thanks for watching
It’s awful. Makes it look cheap
There is a lot of contempt and prejudice towards this little Mac considered by some as a sub-Mac, the poor man's Mac and not as a real McIntosh because it does not have the famous Autoformers. Why so much hatred ? Is it really justified ?
We think it sounds great for its cost.
So beautiful 😍
Thank you. We agree.
Awesome! I’m a McIntosh gear owner and I’m proud to say so. I just ignore the haters.
I'm from Binghamton, the factory is about 10 minutes from my house. Mac makes amazing gear!
Yes they do, the factory is a great place to visit if you are a gear lover.
This isnt a review. Its an overview. i like the vid. Its Just named wrong.
@01:12 " . . . being able to repair . . ."
Hmmm . . .
I owned an MC2205 about 25 years ago. (Lost it in a divorce). After owning it for about 20 years, it began to run extremely hot! Something was wrong.
The long and the short of it was McIntosh never even replied to my request for service. They did supply parts however. I ended up replacing all eight output transistors on my own after a local shop insisted they found nothing wrong. (They were NOT a Mac dealer).
So, they are certainly "able to repair" but I don't think they are eager to actually take on repairs. My nearest Mac dealer was about 1000 miles away at the time and the MC2205 weighed 86lbs, more or less.
Terry, we are sorry you had trouble with McIntosh service, we shared your story with them and they were very surprised. They said they respond to all service requests and are happy to repair items at their facility. Do you remember the year this happened in, as it would also be odd for them to sell parts to an end user. Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice The year? It was the early 90s as best I can recall. Could have been late 80s. Unfortunately, before I had a home computer as, if I did, I would likely still have that letter requesting service advice on disk somewhere. But that is not the case.
I am reasonably "handy" but an electronic repair guy? Definitely not! So, it was a stressful matter for me and I cannot recall where I even got the term "leaky transistor" from. Nor do I recall where I got the idea to replace all the power output txs on my own from. But it seemed "do-able" and a bet worth taking and, not really knowing which tx was the problem, the easiest thing was to bite the bullet and replace all eight of them. If it was unusual for Mac to send service parts to an owner, you can't prove that to me. Decades earlier I had ordered a replacement glass front panel for my C26 preamp after it became cracked in a clumsy accident. Waited months until they had one, but they did send it directly to me in Whitehorse, Yukon. That would have been in the late 60s.
Anyhow, they did send the eight power output txs, I was able to replace them, and the MC2205 ran for years afterward without heating the room. May still be running for all I know . . . somewhere. There was no degradation in sound but it was so hot that an electrical smell rose in the room.
Unfortunately, while there was a Mac dealer in Halifax, NS in 1976, when I traded in my MC2105 in on the MC2205, it went out of business and, some 45 years later, still no place to buy Macs in Canada east of Montreal. :( While I still miss my Macs, at this stage in life, it is unlikely I'd actually purchase one now although I still consider the MAC7200 from time to time.
Anyhow, that it my tale of woe asa former Mac owner of not quite 30 years. C26, MC2105, MC2205 and a 6 channel home theatre amp whose designation I cannot recall.
PS: Oh, I recall them directly sending me the incandescent bulbs for the Power Guard circuitry when one or more of mine burned out too.
@@terrydanks Terry, thanks for sharing. That would have been the Clarion years when they were owned by the car stereo company, which explains a lot, we thought this was much more recent. They also probably shipped you directly since you did not have a local dealer anywhere nearby. We are pretty impressed you were able to change all the output transistors yourself! That is not easy. And we wish we could ship to Canada when you are ready for that 7200 but we are limited to the US.
did this guy even listen to the product?
I'm very new to this and really appreciate your thorough explanations of features and technologies.
Outstanding review! Do you recommend it with a pair of Klipsch RP-500M bookshelf speakers? Just consider that everything would be in a smal room and the volume would NEVER go over 1/3 of the range. Thank you!
Reach out to our experts at audioadvice.com and they can help decide what's best for you!
"Recent history"? They basically invented HIFI audio.
Ate this rack brackets removable?
It does not have rack brackets. Those pieces on each end are part of the unit. Thanks for watching
Has anybody run this with a pair of Klipsch LaScala AL5's? Wonder how that combo would sound.....
We have installed a couple in systems with LaScalas and had great results
I bought one and had to send it back. Having to use Y connectors for sub is unacceptable. Lot better choices at this price point
Fair enough. Thanks for sharing.
Bought an MA 5100 in the late 60s. Mid 80s it blew an output transistor. Macintosh declined to repair it. They lost me then.
That is really strange. One reason we decided to bring on McIntosh is when we visited the factory, we were waiting outside early the last day to get in and two engineers were talking about how upset they were that they could not repair a preamp from the 60's. And this was August of 2019. It could be the management in the 80's was not all about customer service like they are today. They are under totally different management now. Thanks for watching
if I didnt know better...which I dont, I would say this is a advert for Mcintosh
We are a McIntosh dealer and we like to produce videos on components we think people should know about. Thanks for watching
Great review. Impressive.
Thanks, Mike!
A detailed review. Thanks!
Great Explanation... Subscribed!
Sounds like a manufactory presentation, not a reveiw.
does anyone can tell how the good is the headphone section of this amp, if given a rate 1 to 10 compare to mha150 would it justfy the extra cost
Which one did you end up getting?
Proud owner of a MA5300, love it.
Great product, thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for the information 👍👍
What speakers would you pair with it ?
Chat or call with our experts at audioadvice.com and they can help you with pairing options!
I’m looking at this or a Hegel, I’m poor so what would be best??
Please reach out to our team at www.audioadvice.com so they can learn more about your system and make the best recommendation. Thanks for watching
There is NO best! You buy what you like the sound of. I HAD two different Hegels. I own the MA5300, and like it much more than the Hegels. It all comes down to personal preference and associated equipment. There must be a system synergy. Not all components play well together. Enjoy the journey!
C32, MC2155, and an MR78 tuner - amazing classic combo!
Yes, that is a great set up. Thanks for watching!
Where are the imported parts from off this amplifier? and what are those!?
We did not say it had imported parts. McIntosh sources as many parts as possible from local vendors or makes them in the factory, but they do not get into details on where ever single part came from. Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice You did not say but i just asked by watching this thing written at back of the amp. Welcome.
@@md.muradhussainkhan592 Yes, the parts disclosure thanks-you have good eyes! It is likely the chips for the digital section.
I'd sell my mother to get one of these, have wanted one since the 70s , but not the pocket ..as if yet..
I live in Syracuse. I don't think I've ever heard it mentioned in a TH-cam video haha!
More of a geography lesson
How much are those amps?
www.audioadvice.com/mcintosh-ma5300-100-watt-integrated-amplifier Thanks for watching
zzzzzzzz
Great video
Excellent review keep it up!
WHAT IS A MCINTOSH MA5300 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER? IS THIS A GOOD BUY TO REPLACE MY ROTEL STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER (RB-1552 MKII) AND MCINTOSH MX130 A/V TUNER CONTROL CENTER SOUND SYSTEM? CAN I GET RID OF ROTEL POWER AMP & MCINTOSH MX130 A/V TUNER CONTROL CENTER IN LIEU OF THE MA5300? APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK.
great revie btw..i did not know power guard,,good t know..
Any amp, regardless of make and/or price, is only as good as the speakers connected to it.
Streamer? Come lo connetto?
Chat or call audioadvice.com and we can help you find some good sources!