Everything has become more expensive, including hi-fi. But we didn’t see this one coming. McIntosh’s first subwoofer in, well, I can’t remember how long – maybe ever – is one of the coolest things we’ve seen. It’s also one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, to be launched in a very long time.
McIntosh has updated the MA9000 to the 9500, making our favourite amp more versatile, and even better.
The PS2K Powered Subwoofer is a tower containing four 13-inch woofers, each driven by a 500 W Class D amplifier with McIntosh Low Distortion High Performance (LD/HP) magnet and coil design. With a total output power of 2 kW, we reckon the subwoofer easily reaches a frequency and volume level that will scare the living daylights out of most people.
The diaphragms are made of multiple layers of carbon fibre to withstand the enormous output power when the diaphragms are pushed several cm out of the cabinet. The voice coil has a long stroke and the speakers are protected with McIntosh Power Guard, which controls the signal to avoid overdriving.
They also have a Sentry Monitor that interrupts the signal if it detects a risk of a short circuit.
Girls, don't be fooled by excuses of high fidelity, dynamic capability and linearity at the extreme ends of the frequency range. Men simply want to have bass!
The PS2K will be available from October with a starting price of USD 50,000.