McIntosh rarely reaches for restraint, and the MX124 A/V Processor is proof. This is a 13.4-channel monster built for what the American luxury brand calls “today’s most advanced home cinema systems” — the kind that fill a dedicated viewing room or spill across an entire house. In other words, this is not going in the spare bedroom.
The headline trick is bass. The MX124 can drive up to four subwoofers at once — twice as many as its predecessor — which opens the door to far more precise bass management and more elaborate room layouts. Its 13 audio channels support speaker configurations up to 7.4.6 or 9.4.4, so there’s plenty of scope for building a ceiling-heavy immersive rig.
Speaking of immersive, the format list is exhaustive: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro, Sony 360 Reality Audio and MPEG-H Audio are all here. Under the hood sit nine 32-bit digital-to-analog converters promising the detail, dynamic range and sonic accuracy McIntosh loves to talk up, plus old-school bass and treble controls for those who like to tinker.
Room correction is treated seriously, too. Rather than picking a side, McIntosh bundles licenses for Dirac Live Room Correction, Dirac Live Bass Control and Audyssey MultEQ XT32. Between them, they should tame just about any room’s acoustics — sorting out imaging, tonal balance and speaker integration while, McIntosh insists, keeping that signature musicality intact.
On the video side, the MX124 doesn’t skimp. You get seven HDMI inputs and three HDMI outputs, one of the outputs carrying eARC. All of them handle 4K/120Hz and 8K/60Hz, along with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG and IMAX Enhanced. Gamers are looked after with ALLM and VRR support, which is a welcome sign that this thing is built for more than just movie nights.
Streaming is baked in as well. Alongside Apple AirPlay and Bluetooth, the processor is ready for Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect and Roon, with high-resolution playback up to 32-bit/192kHz. Wired connectivity is equally generous: four digital audio inputs, one balanced and eight unbalanced analog stereo inputs, component and composite video, dual analog stereo outputs for two extra listening zones, and Bluetooth headphone support.
Custom installers get plenty to like, including web-based configuration, pre-configuration and file upload, backup and restore, RS232 and IP control, and Control4 SDDP certification — the sort of infrastructure that makes a machine like this at home in a professionally integrated system.
The McIntosh MX124 is out now, priced at £16,900 (around $23,000). No, it’s not for everyone — but it was never meant to be.
