01 · MA8950
Two hundred Autoformer watts
The full 200-watt-per-channel rating is available through dedicated 2-, 4-, and 8-ohm connections.
Swipe or use the previous and next buttons to browse. Select an image to open a magnified view.
The MA8950 delivers 200 watts per channel through McIntosh Autoformers, with the full rating available at 2, 4, or 8 ohms. It retains the familiar illuminated meters and substantial solid-state authority while occupying a lower chassis than the MA9500 and MA12000.
Eight analog inputs include one balanced, six unbalanced, one adjustable moving-coil phono input, and one fixed-load moving-magnet phono input. Seven DA2 digital inputs add USB, MCT, HDMI ARC, coaxial, and optical connections.
Talk with Pearl Audio
No appointment or hold begins until Pearl Audio confirms it.
The 200-watt Autoformer sweet spot
The MA8950 delivers 200 watts per channel through McIntosh Autoformers, with the full rating available at 2, 4, or 8 ohms. It retains the familiar illuminated meters and substantial solid-state authority while occupying a lower chassis than the MA9500 and MA12000.
Eight analog inputs include one balanced, six unbalanced, one adjustable moving-coil phono input, and one fixed-load moving-magnet phono input. Seven DA2 digital inputs add USB, MCT, HDMI ARC, coaxial, and optical connections.
Five-band analog equalization, Home Theater PassThru, two variable outputs, and an HXD headphone output give the MA8950 enough flexibility to remain the center of a system as sources and loudspeakers change.
A perspective from Pearl Audio
The MA8950 may be the easiest integrated in the McIntosh line to recommend: Two hundred watts per channel is a serious amount of power, the Autoformers make loudspeaker matching straightforward, and the DA2 gives the digital side of the system the same directness as the analog inputs.
It does not have the MA9500’s eight-band equalizer or the MA12000’s tube preamplifier, but that is part of its appeal. Five bands are enough to make useful corrections, two phono inputs cover the cartridges most people actually own, and the chassis still looks and feels unmistakably McIntosh. This is the range’s balance point for many systems.
Three things to know
The full 200-watt-per-channel rating is available through dedicated 2-, 4-, and 8-ohm connections.
HDMI ARC, MCT, USB, coaxial, and optical sources are selected from the same front panel and remote as the analog inputs.
The moving-coil input provides adjustable loading; the moving-magnet input uses fixed loading.
The McIntosh difference
McIntosh gives its technologies names because each solves a specific problem. Here is what each one does, why it matters in a system, and what you may notice when listening.
On the MA8950
On the MA8950
On the MA8950
On the MA8950
On the MA8950
C55 OUT → MC462 IN · Explore the demonstration →
On the MA8950
Component H × W × D: 7 5/8 H × 17 1/2 W × 18 3/4 D inches Packaged H × W × D: 17 H × 29 1/2 W × 29 D inches
It is rated at 200 watts per channel into 2, 4, or 8 ohms through its Autoformer speaker connections.
The moving-coil input provides adjustable cartridge loading. The moving-magnet input uses fixed loading.
Yes. The DA2 includes HDMI ARC for audio from a compatible television, with HDMI control available for everyday power and volume operation.
Yes. A compatible McIntosh transport connects to the MCT input, which carries conventional CD audio and the DSD64 stereo layer from SACD.
Yes. A selected analog input can operate at a fixed gain under the control of a compatible theater processor.
Yes. The five-band equalizer can be used for adjustment or bypassed.
No. The DA2 provides digital inputs and conversion, but network playback requires a separate streamer connected to an appropriate digital or analog input.
With a compatible HDMI ARC television and HDMI control enabled, the television remote can coordinate ordinary power and volume operation.
Yes. Two unbalanced variable outputs let the MA8950 continue as the system’s preamplifier and source center while an external amplifier is added.
The Autoformers provide a dedicated connection for each of those nominal loudspeaker impedances while preserving the full 200-watt-per-channel rating. Pearl Audio will select the appropriate tap for the loudspeaker.
Allow open space around the component, keep ventilation openings clear, and leave additional room behind it for terminated speaker cables, source connections, control cables, and the power cord. Pearl Audio will confirm support and clearance during system planning.
Use the Audition control on this page, call Pearl Audio, or email us. We will confirm a private listening appointment and prepare a system appropriate for the MA8950.
The MA8950 weighs 75 lbs. McIntosh purchases begin with a Pearl Audio consultation so we can confirm loudspeaker matching, source connections, placement, ventilation, and system control.
Arrangements may be completed at the store or later by phone or email, with pickup at Pearl Audio or local delivery and installation within the Portland, Oregon service area.
The Pearl Audio Experience
A high-end audio system should be heard, thoughtfully matched, and properly set up. Pearl Audio stays involved from the first audition through installation and long-term ownership.
Hear the MA8950 by appointment in one of Pearl Audio’s two professionally designed demonstration rooms, with time to compare and ask questions.
Portland-area delivery and installation help ensure that placement, connections, ventilation, and system configuration are handled with care.
Pearl Audio supports everything we sell for as long as you own it—whether the answer comes by phone, in your home, or through factory service.
Trade-in assistance and qualifying 100% Trade-Up options give you flexibility when your listening priorities or system change.
