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McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor – New 16-Channel AV Processor

Delivering exceptional performance for the home theater of today and tomorrow is the new McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor, according to McIntosh Laboratory Inc. They promise advanced customization and processing capabilities for full enjoyment of today’s 4K video and tomorrow’s 8K content.

McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor is the latest product from McIntosh Laboratory Inc., which the company is now promoting as a solution for state-of-the-art home cinema systems. This solution is equipped for everything that is relevant to standards these days, and the McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor is also ready for future developments in the field of home cinema.

The playback of content in 4K or already 8K with support for HDR, Dynamic HDR, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision is thus just as much a part of the basic equipment as the processing of Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro and Auro-3D as a 16-channel system. Numerous interfaces, including seven HDMI ports alone, as well as RoomPerfect Room Correction can also be credited to the new McIntosh MX180 A/V processor.

McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor – For the home cinema of today and tomorrow

The US high-end hi-fi manufacturer McIntosh Laboratory Inc. is convinced that more and more users are setting the highest standards for their home cinema solutions. This is primarily due to the fact that more and more content is actually consumed at home rather than in the cinema, a development that is primarily fueled by streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Disney+.

Streaming content in the best quality therefore also requires corresponding electronic solutions, and the new McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor is supposed to be one of them.

Best picture in all formats

The new McIntosh MX180 A/V processor supports 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz on all seven Ultra High Speed HDMI ports, five of which are inputs, and two of which are outputs. Each supports HDCP 2.3, 4:4:4, BT.2020, dynamic lip sync, Quick Media Switching (QMS), which eliminates the delay that can cause blank screens before content is displayed, and 3D video pass-through.

The HDMI outputs can either output the same source material to two separate screens simultaneously, or output different content from two different sources to two separate screens simultaneously.

To produce the most lifelike and realistic picture possible, the McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor supports a variety of High Dynamic Range formats, including HDR, Dynamic HDR, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision. These technologies ensure that every moment of video is rendered with the ideal levels of depth, detail, brightness, contrast and color, scene by scene or even frame by frame, according to the manufacturer’s promise.

  • Foto © McIntosh Laboratory Inc. | McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor
  • Foto © McIntosh Laboratory Inc. | McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor
  • Foto © McIntosh Laboratory Inc. | McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor

Outstanding sound

As well-equipped as the Mcintosh MX180 A/V Processor is in terms of picture, it is also versatile in terms of sound, as it is supposed to be able to play back all leading 3D surround sound formats. Besides Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Pro, Auro-3D is also supported.

An HDMI output offers both Audio Return Channel (ARC) functionality and eARC, which is an enhanced Audio Return Channel. The more advanced eARC offers a wider bandwidth so that higher-resolution audio formats such as DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos can be sent over the HDMI cable, essential features especially when interacting with streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Disney+.

The new McIntosh MX180 A/V processor is designed as a 16-channel surround processor, whereby analog audio is output via balanced outputs to corresponding power amplifiers, and configurations up to 15.1 or 9.1.6 surround sound are possible.

The manufacturer explicitly notes that the McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor is designed to accommodate a variety of home theater speakers to create a comprehensive, cinematic sound image. Depending on your speaker setup, four of the outputs can be used to bi-amp some of the speakers or drive additional subwoofers.

To ensure the best results at all times, optimally matched to the individual room and speaker systems in use, the advanced RoomPerfect room correction technology is here to measure and adjust the audio output to compensate for the specific acoustic characteristics of your room. The necessary calibration microphone, including a stand, is included.

Numerous interfaces

In addition to the HDMI interfaces already mentioned, the AV processor offers numerous other inputs and outputs. The new McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor has four optical and three coaxial S/PDIF interfaces, one AES/EBU and one USB port, all of which can process signals at up to 24-bit and 192 kHz.

There are also a number of analog audio inputs, consisting of two balanced and four unbalanced inputs, even a phono preamplifier is available, although this is reserved solely for drives equipped with MM cartridge systems. The unbalanced 7.1 multi-channel input should also be mentioned, and of course the system offers numerous trigger connections and an RS232 interface.

Network integration is also possible via an RJ45 Ethernet interface, so that the processor can be controlled via a web interface or IP control.

Individually configurable

All analog and digital inputs can be individually named to keep track and simplify operation. Volume can be adjusted to avoid annoying volume fluctuations when switching sources. Bass and treble controls allow further fine-tuning of the sound. The McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor also features a two-channel Zone B output to send stereo audio to a second zone in the home.

Pricing and Availability

While the new McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor is expected to be available soon, unfortunately we do not have a suggested retail price for the local market as of yet.

Getting to the point

An AV processor that should satisfy even the highest demands, and that is well equipped not only for the current state of the art in home cinema, but also for the developments of the coming years, is supposed to be available with the new McIntosh MX180 A/V Processor. In fact, this new solution from McIntosh Laboratory Inc. proves to be a true AV behemoth that seems to lack nothing.

PRODUCTMCINTOSH MX180 A/V PROCESSOR
PriceN/A
BrandMcIntosh
ManufacturerMcIntosh Laboratory Inc.
Distribution Audio Components GmbH
More about this manufacturer at HiFi BLOG
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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