On October 15, 2026, Sales Consultant Jordan Thompson unboxed the new McIntosh CS7500 Streaming Preamplifier at LMC Scottsdale — one of the first units to land in Arizona. McIntosh introduced the CS7500 on August 26, 2026, and it is the first time the company has put a full network streamer and a true McIntosh preamplifier in one chassis.
What is in the box
Out of the carton comes the signature black glass front panel, the illuminated logo and the blue McIntosh meters — hand-assembled in Binghamton, New York. Behind the glass:
- Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect (Spotify Lossless) and TIDAL Connect (TIDAL Max) built in; Roon Ready
- Apple AirPlay, Google Cast and Bluetooth
- Quad Balanced 8-channel, 32-bit DAC
- Six analog inputs — two balanced, three unbalanced, and a moving magnet or moving coil phono input for your turntable
- Seven digital inputs, including HDMI ARC for the television
- Home Theater Pass-Thru for a surround system
For the full specification — the DAC's sample rates, the phono stage gain settings, the outputs — read our launch article, McIntosh Introduces the CS7500 Streaming Preamplifier.
Why one chassis
The point of the CS7500 is not that streaming is new to McIntosh. It is that the streamer and the preamplifier stop being two boxes, two power cords and one more interconnect in the signal path — while the power amplifier stays your choice, today and whenever the system changes. With HDMI ARC, films, concerts and sports play through the same two-channel system you listen to music on, with Dolby and DTS multichannel soundtracks converted for two-channel playback.
Hear it at LMC Scottsdale
The CS7500 is on demonstration now at our Scottsdale showroom. Bring your own music — walk in during business hours, or contact us to set a room aside for an extended session with Jordan. LMC has been an authorized McIntosh dealer since 1999, and LMC is Arizona's only McIntosh displaying showroom.
Browse preamplifiers and music streamers at LMC, and subscribe to LMC Home Entertainment on YouTube for more unboxings, first looks and listening sessions from the showroom.