McIntosh RS250 Wireless Loudspeaker System

Description

The RS250 Wireless Loudspeaker System is our most advanced and most powerful home audio wireless speaker system. Similar to the mono RS150 Wireless Loudspeaker, the stereo RS250 is a stand-alone, complete wireless speaker solution.

A variety of casting technologies are integrated into the RS250, such as Spotify^® Connect, TIDAL^® Connect, Apple^® AirPlay^® 2, Bluetooth^®, Chromecast, and Roon Ready. With all of these built-in technologies, you can easily stream to the RS250 from your smart devices. A worthy successor to the RS200 Wireless Speaker System, the RS250 does not need a special control app; instead, it can conveniently be controlled directly from your favorite streaming apps that use compatible casting technologies.

Created with streaming music in mind, the RS250 includes virtually everything you need to enjoy music streamed from your handheld devices, online music services, or a local computer. And in a case of old meets new, a turntable can be easily connected via the dedicated phono input for listening to your vinyl collection. You can even connect it to your TV for better sound performance when watching your favorite shows, movies, or sports.

The RS250 offers a sizeable 650 Watts of total power that is delivered to two 4″ x 6″ woofers, four 2″ midranges, and two 3/4″ tweeters. The midranges and tweeters are front firing, while the woofers are down firing with the sound emanating from under the main chassis just above the base plate.

The woofer enclosure has been reengineered to reduce distortion, and a more user-friendly bass control has been added that can be used to fine tune the low-end performance. To enhance low frequencies even more, the wired subwoofer output can be used to connect an external powered subwoofer.

For improving the sound from your TV better than a soundbar can, the RS250 has an audio-only HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC)¹ input that connects to ARC compatible TVs. ARC allows compatible TVs to send audio data to the RS250 via an HDMI cable, eliminating the need for a separate audio cable and making it easier to bring improved sound to your television viewing. For TVs that are not compatible with ARC, an optical input is included which can be used to connect it to the RS250.

The RS250 is compatible with TIDAL HiFi Lossless Quality playback (up to 1411 Kbps). It also supports file streaming of up to 24-bit/192kHz high-resolution digital music files. Thanks to its built-in high-resolution streaming capabilities, the RS250 is also a Roon Ready endpoint device. Roon Ready network devices have Roon’s streaming technology built in, and are certified by Roon Labs to provide the highest level of quality and performance in network streaming.

For streaming via Bluetooth, the RS250 utilizes Bluetooth 5.0. It supports both the high bitrate Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) standard as well as Qualcomm^® aptX^™ HD for hi res audio playback. It also includes Qualcomm aptX Low Latency, which improves audio transmission speed to deliver sound in sync with applicable visual media. Another included streaming option is Apple AirPlay 2, a technology designed to control home audio systems and speakers in any room – with a tap or by just asking Siri – right from an iPhone^®, iPad^®, HomePod^™, or Apple TV^®. It offers multiroom audio, Siri voice control, and enhanced playback.

To enjoy non-streaming music, the RS250 has an optical input to connect digital sources such as CD Players; a Moving Magnet phono input; and a 3.5mm AUX input for connecting various other music sources. A 1/4″ headphone jack conveniently located on the front panel permits personal listening sessions. To connect the RS250 to your network, it has a wired ethernet port and supports Wi-Fi protocols a, b, g, n, and ac. It is also Google Assistant compatible for voice control. Simply speak to your Google Assistant control device to operate your RS250.²

The RS250 includes a pair of our new, quick responding illuminated digital output meters. Exclusive to the RS150 and RS250, these meters are more than simple LED indicators. These fast-responding meters use the same trusted circuits found in our analog meters to collect and process the audio signals; they then digitize the results and output them into pulsating, gradated bars that shares the curved shape of our familiar analog meters.

The RS250 is versatile enough to accommodate the audio needs of almost any room in your home. It is designed primarily for streaming audio but has enough thoughtful features and connectivity to allow it serve as the hub of a modest home audio and home entertainment system. It features classic McIntosh design elements such as a black glass front panel, illuminated logo, and control knobs.