McIntosh Unveils Another Big One, Adds the XRT1.1K to Its Large Tower Collection

McIntosh Unveils Another Big One, Adds the XRT1.1K to Its Large Tower Collection​

(McIntosh)(November 27, 2018) Last year McIntosh unveiled its NBA-sized XRT2.1K loudspeaker, proclaiming it to be “the next evolution of McIntosh home audio.” Standing 7 feet tall and weighing some 354 pounds, the XRT2.1K truly is a beastly flagship design. So, how to follow it up? Perhaps a slightly smaller version?

Enter the all new XRT1.1K. As compared to its older brother, the XRT1.1K shaves off a full 14 inches and drops its weight by that of a modestly sized adult human. The result is a speaker package that McIntosh says was created to “more comfortably fit in a wider variety of home environments.” But don’t be fooled. This new "second in line" is still a true audio specimen.

The XRT1.1K has serious strength, boasting a robust 1,200 watts power to push its 4-way line array design. The impressive ported cabinet houses a total of 70 – yes, seventy – individual drivers. For those of you counting, there are four 6.5” woofers, two 6.5” low frequency midranges, 24 2” upper frequency midranges, and 40 ¾” tweeters. And there’s lots of trickle down happening between the XRT2.1K and this new design, as all of the drivers made their debuts on the larger flagship model.

The speaker’s cabinet, which houses the woofer and midrange drivers in a bass enclosure behind the line array, is finished with seven layers of piano gloss paint for an exquisite glossy finish. And the line array, itself, carries tremendous visual appeal with a black surface that’s framed by silver trim. Of course, nothing is complete without a proper speaker grille, which features black cloth and more metal.

The entire cabinet structure sits on a base plate made of machined aluminum and glass. It features the McIntosh logo, which can be illuminated that unmistakable McIntosh green if desired.

Naturally, the XRT1.1K’s “Solid Cinch” gold plated speaker posts ooze quality and tie the entire package together. According to McIntosh, separate pairs of posts are available for each division of bass drivers.

If you’re interested in the XRT1.1K, just visit your local authorized McIntosh dealer. You can expect to pay somewhere in the realm of $60K per pair, which is a bargain considering the XRT2.1K will set you back more than twice as much. Shipping now.

 

[tripplej]

Wow, impressive. Looking forward to any review on this unit.

 

[Todd Anderson]

That review wouldn’t be coming from this guy. I nominate @tesseract

 

[Matthew J Poes]

That review wouldn’t be coming from this guy. I nominate @tesseract

Hah I want to see the unboxing video and the video of Dennis moving them into place!

I grew up near their headquarters and have heard most of their linearrays. I really think they are under-appreciated speakers. You don’t hear much about McIntosh as. Speaker company, but they have made some great speakers over the years.

Their current flagship is actually one of the best sounding speakers I’ve ever heard in my life. I don’t like to say that outloud because it’s just too expensive.

I heard a previous line array design of there’s in a 5.0 setup for surround music about a decade ago. It was all powered by McIntosh monoblocks. A mix of their 500 watt and 1000 watt models. If I recall, someone bought it all, paid for it, and a year later had never come to get it. They set it up in the shop as demo equipment. I think @Kal Rubinson would approve of this setup.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Matt, you’re making a good case for running the review. Experience, appreciation, hints of an unboxing vid.

Maybe we need to toss McIntosh a request for a demo pair!

 

[tesseract]

I had a listen and it was my favorite room of the 2018 RMAF. Dream array, but well out of my reach. I'd definitely need a bigger room to review it. I felt the show room was a bit too small. Gotta give arrays some space.

https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/r...st-2018-official-show-report.3446/#post-28181

 

[Matthew J Poes]

Matt, you’re making a good case for running the review. Experience, appreciation, hints of an unboxing vid.

Maybe we need to toss McIntosh a request for a demo pair!

Hah if they include concierge service that includes setting them up, maybe. Those speakers are seriously heavy. I’d love them in my listening room, but can’t imaging getting them in place.

 

[tesseract]

Their current flagship is actually one of the best sounding speakers I’ve ever heard in my life. I don’t like to say that outloud because it’s just too expensive.

I'll second the first impression, they are one of my top loudspeaker experiences, too. The second sentiment I share as well, it is just so expensive like my previous favorite, the Radialstrahler mbl 101 X-treme.

People often ask me if a $5k or $20k, etc. speaker is worth it. Yeah, sometimes the performance justifies the cost.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I had a listen and it was my favorite room of the 2018 RMAF. Dream array, but well out of my reach. I'd definitely need a bigger room to review it. I felt the show room was a bit too small. Gotta give arrays some space.

https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/r...st-2018-official-show-report.3446/#post-28181

I completely forgot about your coverage of that room... pretty cool that you heard the prototypes in action! I guess these speakers are $60K legit!

See Dennis, you're halfway there!!

 

[tesseract]

Ha! I'll be all of the way there when I get a dedicated listening room.

Yeah, I absolutely hated leaving that McIntosh showroom. I've always loved a well-sorted array and those would be what I'd buy if money were no object.

 

[Peter Loeser]

Always wanted to hear some McIntosh speakers but haven't had an opportunity. I have owned some amps and pre-amps in the past and they're tough to beat.

 

[AudiocRaver]

I have heard McIntosh speakers at audio shows before and they never quite did it for me. I strongly suspect that improper setup was at least part of the problem. I would like to hear them in a better setting.

 

[AudiocRaver]

Hah if they include concierge service that includes setting them up, maybe. Those speakers are seriously heavy. I’d love them in my listening room, but can’t imaging getting them in place.

Calls for the invention of an easily-to-move-them-around-then-you-can-test-them-without-disrupting-the-imaging-then-easy-to-remove-it-altogether speaker cart.