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Once upon a time, in a world we’ll call ‘about fifteen years ago’, there was an unwritten (but keenly enforced) rule that high-end audio could not compromise in any way that might be seen to be in the name of convenience. Each piece of electronics was allocated a single task, and it did it with the focus of a seagull eyeing up a poorly guarded chippy tea. For their part, speakers were large and needed plenty of room to strut their stuff. The results were impressive, but the effort that was needed to coax out great results was considerable.
Fast-forward to the present and this hefty duo of McIntosh MSA5500 electronics and Sonus faber Sonetto V G2 speakers looks like business as usual: a hulking great box of amplification and an imposing pair of floorstanders. Dig a little deeper, though, and things aren’t quite what they appear. This might look old-school but it’s anything but. For starters, where is the source equipment?
The answer to this is that the MSA5500 is rather more than an amplifier. McIntosh calls it a ‘streaming amplifier’ but it could easily be described as an all-in-one system. It combines a hefty helping of McIntosh amplification - not quite as burly as the MA7200 or MA8950 we’ve already looked, at but still capable of delivering 100 watts into 8 ohms and 160 watts into 4 ohms. It then partners this with on-board streaming - it’s able to access content via Tidal and Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay and Chromecast, and it also plays nice with Roon streaming software. You don’t need to connect anything to the MSA5500 for it to work.
The thing is, though, the MSA5500 is still made by McIntosh - so while you don’t have to connect anything, rest assured you can if you want. You get, in no particular order, one XLR input, four RCA line inputs, a moving magnet phono stage, a USB connection, two optical and two coaxial connections, an HDMI ARC input, Bluetooth, and an example of the company’s bespoke ‘MCT’ connection for connecting certain digital sources. Be under no illusions, this is an extremely flexible bit of kit.
The Sonetto V G2’s nod towards convenience is less overt, but no less useful. It makes use of many traditional Sonus faber design elements, including a lute-shaped cabinet and a damped apex dome tweeter incorporating a mechanism to stabilise the apex of the silk dome (which ensures precise high-frequency delivery and reduced distortion). The midrange driver is a ‘Camellia’ type featuring an organic basket and a membrane inspired by the shape of the camellia flower, finished with an aluminium phase plug.
Where the Sonetto V G2 is a little different to older Sonus faber models is at the base of the cabinet. Where once the bass port was at the rear of the cabinet, requiring a hefty amount of clearance to do its best work, the V G2 has a downward-firing port acting against the baseplate. This controls the flow of air in a constant way, which means the speaker is much less sensitive to where it is placed. All of a sudden, you have a big, classically engineered floorstander that can work in spaces its ancestors simply wouldn’t.
Sound Quality
With the McIntosh being sent a signal via Roon, listening to this duo reveals that none of the basics of what a high-end system ‘should’ sound like have been compromised. In simple terms, the 100 watts of the McIntosh (a figure that feels extremely conservative, to be honest) combines with the Sonus faber’s more-than-respectable sensitivity and low-end roll off (at 35Hz) to deliver effortless heft. Bass is something you feel as well as hear with this combination, and it’s beautifully defined and controlled at the same time.
The upper registers are no less impressive. McIntosh is no stranger to digital, both in standalone devices and as digital boards in its amplifiers - and the MSA5500 is able to balance exceptional refinement with enough energy and attack to avoid sounding dull or safe. For music collections where not everything is immaculately recorded, the MSA5500 is able to gently smooth off the rough edges without the whole presentation ever becoming soporific. Even Spotify sounds genuinely good, and better-quality material becomes something very special indeed.
And then, when you want to treat the MSA5500 like an amplifier, it will rise to the occasion brilliantly. The phono stage is exceptional; combining a complete absence of background noise with plenty of gain and a tonal balance that is uncannily similar to the digital section. The real star turn, though, is that HDMI ARC connection. The combination of scale, low end heft, and the superb soundstage this system generates is enough to ensure anything you choose to watch becomes every bit as visceral and engaging an experience as music is.
There’s one other interesting detail, too. I have enjoyed McIntosh and Sonus faber combinations in the past, but haven’t always found them to be the most exciting partnership going. The result could deliver power and scale in spades, but when you wanted raw, frenetic energy, they could be found wanting. There are still rivals at this sort of price that can sound more ballistic than the MSA5500 and the Sonetto V G2 combo, but where the gap was once a gulf it’s now rather closer. When you just want to rock out, this system has your back in a way that hasn’t previously been the case.
Living with the McIntosh and Sonus faber
Let’s get one thing out of the way nice and quickly. The Sonetto V G2 is a big speaker - it’s well over a metre tall, and relatively wide and deep with it. Each cabinet weighs over 30kg (and as there is no bass port it’s a bit low on handholds too, so you will feel that weight when you try to move it about). You still need a bit of room to get the Sonus faber to deliver its best.
It manages to sit in that space and feel very special indeed though. Sonus faber has a longstanding reputation for the creation of speakers that are beautiful objects, and this one is no exception. The quality of the finish and the overall sense of proportion suggest a grasp of aesthetics that some rivals costing many times the price cannot get near. My review pair arrived in walnut, but wenge and gloss black are available too.
The MSA5500 could only be a McIntosh, and unpicking what that is takes a moment. It would be easy to describe McIntosh gear as ‘retro’ but this isn’t strictly accurate. True enough, the look was established decades ago - but it didn’t really ever look like what anyone else was doing at the time. The gothic font for the logo which glows when powered up, the sizable control knobs and the gloss front panel are determinedly at odds with almost everything else on the market.
Something sure to win you over is the standard of build and finish here - it’s a cut above even comparably priced equipment. A huge percentage of all the McIntosh stuff ever made is still working, and you begin to appreciate why when you spend time with the MSA5500.
It isn’t perfect though. That plethora of inputs can only be accessed by cycling through them one after the other, and while there are tone controls in the time- honoured McIntosh fashion, they are menu driven and quite fiddly to use. The streaming section is comprehensive in terms of how it can be accessed, but there is no dedicated streaming app and, while the USB audio input will accept DSD, the streaming board won’t - which puts it at a bit of a disadvantage compared to some rivals. This is a very flexible and capable bit of kit, but it might be fair to say the last ounce of convenience hasn’t made it all the way to the high end quite yet.
When you have the MSA5500 up and running though, most of the quirks stop mattering. It’s a joy to interact with and it manages to look and feel special in a way that even some very pricey rivals cannot easily match. I will admit to being something of a sucker for a pair of VU meters… and there is an indefinable magic to how the McIntosh makes you feel that is the distillation of the high end.
Conclusion
This is a very special partnership of devices. They deliver everything that a high-end system should in terms of how they look, feel and sound - but they combine it with a real-world user-friendliness that would have been impossible to conceive of even a decade ago. This is what the modern high end should be, and it is hugely impressive.
Listening notes
Bjørn Berge Introducing SteelFinger Slim
The Norwegian blues guitar maestro has never released a poorly recorded album and this fabulously mastered effort comes alive in the hands of the McIntosh and Sonus faber, sounding absolutely staggering
Hawksmoor Oneironautics
There was a time not that long ago that a McIntosh and Sonus faber system would have torn apart these curious ambient post-rock stylings. Now, this combination gives these fascinating compositions the space and richness they need to shine.
Billy Paul When Love is New
A classic from the golden era of mastering and production that allows the McIntosh and Sonus fabers to deliver the sort of ‘in the studio’ sensation that has you winding volume on and grinning like an idiot while you do so.
If you have been using a ‘just add speakers’ style all-in-one at a more sensible price point, this system will give you the same breadth of convenience and flexibility as what you’re used to - but with a level of performance and presence that is beyond anything you’ll have experienced before.
