McIntosh’s New Home Theater Component Is for Serious Audiophiles Only

Bring elite surround sound and McIntosh’s signature green glow to your home theater.

Published August 8, 2024

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McIntosh is one of the biggest names in luxury hi-fi. Its high-end audio components — everything from turntables to amplifiers, wireless speakers to receivers — are immediately recognizable for their jet-black glass front panel and signature green illuminated logo. And yeah, they’re anything but cheap.

The New York-based audio company’s newest component follows that same ethos but, admittedly, is a step outside the norm — it’s for your home theater. The McIntosh MX200 is an AV processor designed for serious home theater enthusiasts with some seriously deep pockets.

McIntosh MX200 AV Processor

$6,000 at McIntosh

Serious Surround Sound

If you don’t know, an AV processor is essentially an AV receiver without a built-in power amplifier. It does all the digital signal processing necessary for a multi-channel home theater system, but gives you the freedom to choose the amplifier(s) you want to power your speakers.

Naturally, an AV processor works in tandem with other components (streamers, amplifiers, speakers, subwoofers) — all of which are quite expensive — and thus is a pretty niche component reserved for those who want complete control over their home theater’s surround sound system.

The MX200 is far from McIntosh’s first go at an AV processor. In fact, it’i’s a new-and-improved version of the company’s 2020-released MX1000. It looks almost identical and works almost exactly the same, but has a few modern upgrades.

McIntosh MX2000 AV processor — The MX200 has four HDMI inputs, one HDMI output and can support a surround sound system with up to 11.2 channels.

Home Theater Upgrades

Like its predecessor, the MX200 has seven 32-bit digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that are capable of deliver 11.2 channels of immersive audio. It can support a variety of surround sound setups — any configuration from 5.1 to 7.2.4 — with support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content. And it has four HDMI inputs for connecting your various media players and consoles.

There are a couple of notable differences, of course. The MX200 supports higher resolution video up to 8K (at 60Hz) as well as 4K (at 120Hz) like its predecessor. Importantly, it now supports Dirac Live, so owners can use this advanced room correction technology to fine-tune their sound further. It even has phono input (MM) for those who want to connect their turntable.

Obviously, the AV processor is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to building a high-end home theater system. McIntosh recommends pairing it with one of its home theater amplifiers like the five-channel MC255 ($8,500) or seven-channel MC257 ($11,000). If you’re using ceiling or surround sound speakers, you’ll need separate amplifiers for those, too.

Price and Availability

The McIntosh MX200 AV processor is available now — you can purchase it through an authorized McIntosh dealer. It costs $6,000, which is significantly more expensive than most home theater systems.

That said, if you’re in the market for an AV processor like the MX200, it’s probably going to be one of the more affordable components in your home theater.