McIntosh MHA50 Portable Headphone Amplifier

MHA50

Listen to your music with McIntosh sound quality no matter where you go. Your headphones will thank you.

Nearly everyone walks around with most if not all of their music library in their pocket or bag where it’s readily accessible via a pair of headphones. While convenient, it likely doesn’t sound as good as it could. The handheld MHA50 Portable Decoding Amplifier can make your music sound its best – and likely better than you’ve ever heard it before – through your wired headphones.

The MHA50 includes wired inputs for Apple^® iOS and Android OTG¹ devices plus Mac^® and Windows^® computers.² It can also wirelessly connect to these devices via Bluetooth^® 4.2 with support for AAC and Qualcomm^® aptX^™ - a technology that ensures you receive the highest possible sound quality from your Bluetooth source device. Featuring a high-performance 32-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), it decodes music files from almost any digital source and outputs audio that is superior to what your device alone can produce. It supports 32-bit/192kHz hi-res audio, DSD64, DSD128, DXD352.8, DXD384 files and asynchronous USB audio. Its generous 3,000 mAh rechargeable battery provides up to 6 hours of playback on a single charge when connected to a source device via Bluetooth; playback can last even longer when using the wired connections.

Comparably sized to smartphones, the MHA50 is compact and lightweight for easy portability with a beveled case that fits comfortably in your hand or pocket. Its sleek design features a glass front panel with a touch sensitive volume control knob inspired by the classic knobs found on countless McIntosh amplifiers, preamplifiers and other products. It's built primarily from durable extruded aluminum which also has some inherent noise shielding properties to help block external interference.

Two gain settings allow the MHA50 to work with all types of wired headphones from small in-ear models to large over-ear studio type designs; it can drive headphones with impedances ranging from 8-600 ohms. Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD^®) brings added dimension to your music in a natural sounding way and can be easily turned on and off depending on your preferences. All audio is output via a gold plated 3.5mm jack that connects the MHA50 to your headphones. This jack can also connect to a pair of powered desktop speakers, allowing the MHA50 to serve as a desktop DAC.

The MHA50 comes complete with a luxurious leather carrying case, a Lightning to USB-A cable for Apple devices, a USB micro-B to USB micro-B cable for Android devices, a USB micro-B to USB-C OTG cable, and a USB micro-B to USB-A cable for Mac and Windows PCs. A wall mount charger with USA plug and adapter for Europe and Japan is also included. 

1) Mobile devices must be Host or Embedded Host capable and support USB Audio Class.
2) See Downloads section for required Windows OS driver. Driver not needed for Mac OS.

“Made for iPhone” and “Made for iPad” mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPhone or iPad, respectively, and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. Please note that the use of this accessory with iPhone or iPad may affect wireless performance. iPhone and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Individual users are permitted to use iPhone and iPad for private copy and playback of non-copyrighted contents and contents whose copy and playback is permitted by law. Copyright infringement is prohibited by law.

The Bluetooth^® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by McIntosh Group, Inc. is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners. 

Qualcomm is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. aptX is a trademark of Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., registered in the United States and other countries. Qualcomm aptX is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.