If it’s good enough for The Grateful Dead, it should be more than adequate for most enthusiastic Classic Drivers, riding along in their automobiles. The legendary rock group from the San Francisco Bay area used the company’s amps extensively while touring, and on McIntosh’s website a b/w photograph shows a 28,800 Watt amp in all its glory. You can only imagine the sound produced.

The new radio has a simple, traditional look and would be at home in any classic car as a useful alternative to the similar product from Becker (which does benefit from an integrated satellite navigation system, it’s true). The typically solid, metal construction of the MX406 means that extraneous noise can be minimised and the purest sound delivered to the speakers. A digital/analogue converter with a 24-bit digital signal processor ensures the very finest output from compact discs.

The glass-like controls are warm to the touch and the operating lights glow with a hint of times gone by, belying the latest electronics hidden in the casing. At present, the McIntosh MX406 is only available in the North American market.

Photo: McIntosh