McIntosh MB20 Bluetooth Transceiver

MB20 by McIntosh Labs can quickly turn a vintage system that you’ve treasured for decades – or a family heirloom system that you’ve inherited – into a modern home music system capable of playing the digital music stored on your phone, in your cloud accounts, or from your preferred streaming services. MD20 is a small (not much bigger than a smartphone), stand-alone, complete Bluetooth streaming solution that does not require any third-party apps to use.

As a transmitter/receiver, MB20 has been designed to provide superior Bluetooth connections to audio equipment that lacks Bluetooth connectivity. As such, it has been engineered as a Class 1 Bluetooth device. Class 1 devices can typically operate at a range of up to 150 feet (45.7 meters)1 in ideal conditions with limited obstructions.

As a Receiver, MB20 employs an extremely sensitive receiver for better reception, even from Class 2 devices, with the maximum range determined by the capabilities of both actively paired devices. An external antenna helps maximize its range for better performance. As a Transmitter, it has a range 10x greater than that of a typical Class 2 Bluetooth device.

The compact MB20 comes with a variety of analog and digital inputs and outputs to connect it to your home audio system – most notably amongst them being balanced inputs and outputs, making it one of the only Bluetooth transmitter receivers to offer these superior audio connections that help deliver top-quality audio performance.

For connecting it to your system via analog cables, it includes 1 stereo set of both balanced and unbalanced inputs, along with a stereo set of balanced and unbalanced outputs. For digitally connecting it to your system, such as for use with an outboard Digital-to-Analog Convertor (DAC), it has 1 each of both coaxial and optical inputs and outputs.

MB20 uses Bluetooth 5.0 with support for both the high bitrate Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) standard as well as Qualcomm® aptX™ HD for hi res audio playback. It also features Qualcomm aptX Low Latency for improved audio transmission speed to deliver sound in sync with applicable visual media.

When used as a Receiver, the MB20 uses a high-performance 32-bit DAC with 192kHz internal processing for optimum sound quality; when used in combination with a separate outboard DAC, the MB20’s digital output is fixed at 96kHz to be compatible with most third-party DACs in order to maximize performance and maintain audio signal integrity. When in Transmitter mode, it uses an equally capable high-performance Analog-to-Digital Convertor (ADC) with 110dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR).

Features

• Easy way to stream to a McIntosh or non-McIntosh system of any era.
• Bluetooth 5.0, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Qualcomm aptX HD and Low Latency.
• Use as either a transmitter or receiver.
• Analog and digital inputs and outputs – including balanced connections.
• Small footprint – not much bigger than a smartphone.

Specifications

• Total Harmonic Distortion: < 0.005%
• Frequency Response: +/- 0.5 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz
• Maximum Volts Out (Balanced / Unbalanced): 5 / 2.5 V RMS
• Signal To Noise Ratio: > 100 dB
• Output Impedance: 500 Ohms Minimum Load
• Balanced Input: 1
• Balanced Output: 1
• Unbalanced Input: 1
• Unbalanced Output: 1
• Digital Coaxial Input: 1
• Digital Coaxial Output: 1
• Digital Optical Input: 1
• Digital Optical Output: 1
• Digital Input Format: PCM
• Digital Input Sample Rate: Up to 24-Bit / 192 kHz
• Digital Output Format: 24-Bit / 96 kHz
• Digital Output Sample Rate: 96 kHz
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 24 cm x 6.35 cm (antenna in upright position adds additional 3.43 cm) x 10.01 cm
• Unit Weight: 1.2 kg
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 kg

Included

• Wall-Mount Charger
• Multi-Region Power Adaptors

More Information

• McIntosh Labs MB20 Bluetooth Transceiver