The McIntosh RS150 Wireless Loudspeaker, which will be available in February 2022, is, in my opinion, the ideal gateway drug.
When it comes to Bluetooth speakers and one-box hi-fi system solutions, coveting both heritage, legacy sound and cutting-edge wireless technology is a tricky connection to negotiate. The Sonus Faber Omnia is proof that although it is uncommon, it has been accomplished.
On the one hand, I desire quick access to the high-resolution digital file quality that distinguishes the greatest wireless speakers. On the other hand, I want the ethos to be supported by a warm, traditional analogue craftsmanship, and preferably, by important elements of the aesthetic.
Knowing that since 1949, McIntosh Labs has produced some of the most stunning, monolithic rock amplifiers I’ve ever seen and powered some of the most significant events in American history (including the 1969 Woodstock Festival), makes the Binghamton, New York audio specialist a brand I fervently desire in my life.
You can support McIntosh Labs’ legacy by spending $1200 / £1,295 (relatively, you understand; for comparison, the company’s gorgeous little MHA200 valve headphone amp is about the size of a stack of paperbacks and costs $2500 / £2795 / AU$4995) and be confident that this one-box solution will play your music without the need for any additional hi-fi separates.
A genuinely wireless speaker, the RS150 supports built-in casting from Spotify, Apple AirPlay, Tidal, and other services. Roon-ready Bluetooth 5.0 can access and deliver the digital music stream coming from your Roon Core and has aptX HD and aptX Low Latency (which is likely your NAS drive).
In my opinion, McIntosh makes fusing high-tech and hi-fi ideas look simple.
The RS150, which is also my initials, is also compatible with lossless-quality playback of up to 1,411 kbps and file streaming of 24-bit/192kHZ high-resolution music, or real lossless, high-quality sound, which made my heart beat faster.
The icing on the cake, however, is undoubtedly the recognisable digital output metre, also referred to in the industry as the McIntosh “Blue Dial,” which employs the same circuitry as McIntosh’s classic analogue models to deliver the most precise representation of the speaker’s output.
It beats pushing buttons to see LED volume indicators on even the best party speakers to see the dial turn as you turn up the level, don’t you think?
You can remove the black knit cloth grille on these speakers and view the drivers’ pulses, just like with some of the best stereo speakers currently available. You may receive complete access to the RS150’s 20mm Titanium dome fluid-filled tweeter and 5.25 x 6 inch long throw woofer, driven by a total of 120 watts of power, in place of fabric-jacketed small blobs from the likes of JBL (30 watts to the tweeter, 90 watts to woofer). And I fully support that.
I really want to hear it because I think there might be a new rival in the race for greatest wireless speakers.
