Short answer
Both are desktop amplifiers, $2499 against $3000.
The iFi Pro iCAN Signature reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the McIntosh MHA200 on 566.
| Specification | iFi Pro iCAN Signature | McIntosh MHA200 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 2.4 W | 500 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 512 mW | 475 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 256 mW | 485 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 128 mW | 500 mW |
| Output impedance | not published | not published |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Price | $2499 | $3000 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | 566 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | iFi Pro iCAN Signature | McIntosh MHA200 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | XLR4 + 4.4mm + dual XLR3 | no separate rating |
| Power into 32Ω | 7.0 W derived | — |
| Power into 300Ω | 747 mW derived | — |
| Output impedance | not published | — |
| Output noise | not published | — |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | — |
Only the iFi Pro iCAN Signature has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here. The McIntosh MHA200 may still have a balanced socket — its spec sheet simply gives no figure for one, so there is nothing to put beside it. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.
| Load | iFi Pro iCAN Signature | McIntosh MHA200 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Derived | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Published |
Only one of these two columns starts from a power rating. McIntosh MHA200 publishes one at 32 Ω and at 600 Ω; iFi Pro iCAN Signature publishes none at any of these four loads, so its column is worked out from power it published at other loads. Both are arithmetic on a maker’s own figures rather than guesses, and the method used for the iFi Pro iCAN Signature understates rather than flatters — but at 32 Ω and at 600 Ω are the only loads here at which its maker can be held to a figure.
1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the iFi Pro iCAN Signature but not on the McIntosh MHA200 — Symphonium Titan.
566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the Shure SE846: iFi Pro iCAN Signature has +48 dB of headroom there against +35 dB. 13 dB is about 19 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for iFi Pro iCAN Signature and McIntosh MHA200 because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | iFi Pro iCAN Signature headroom | McIntosh MHA200 headroom | iFi Pro iCAN Signature hiss | McIntosh MHA200 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +48 dB | +35 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +28 dB | +15 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +31 dB | +28 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +27 dB | +29 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +26 dB | +17 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +20 dB | +25 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +16 dB | +19 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +14 dB | +10 dB | not published | not published |
The McIntosh MHA200 costs $501 more than the iFi Pro iCAN Signature, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the McIntosh MHA200 handles and the iFi Pro iCAN Signature does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper iFi Pro iCAN Signature drives one model to 100 dB that the McIntosh MHA200 does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: iFi Pro iCAN Signature and McIntosh MHA200.