McIntosh MA9500 Integrated Amplifier ... Electric glide in blue

The day this amplifier came into the shop was the day of our annual Christmas party. We plugged in this unit and played it hard. In fact it was still being blasted at 2am in the morning with a soundtrack of Madonna and Daft Punk.

In an era where so many products in consumer electronics are retro faux this is the real thing, it has a quintessential character that is true to the brands own rules with no compromise to marketing theories. It is sheer fun.

Straight out of the box, it doesn't feel tight and reserved. We've had it mainly playing on a set of Spendor D9.2 and they come alive. The bass is deep and full; bouncy and agile. There's also a consistency through the speaker and a real presence that lifts this amp above the rest.