Iconic audiophile brands McIntosh and Sonus faber have announced their latest collaboration with Wally Yachts, a famed Ferretti Group brand. This collaboration marks the first high-performance custom installation system offered by the brands for the marine market, according to the companies.

As the McIntosh Group notes, McIntosh, Sonus faber and Wally are known for their aspirational performance, product quality, design, technological advancement, consumer experience and craftsmanship. The custom systems resulting from this collaboration will premiere on Wally Yachts, specifically tuned by McIntosh and Sonus faber’s audio experts by ear, starting this year with the wallywhy200 (see details below) for the Italian ship maker.

Why Did McIntosh Group Partner with a Yacht Company?

“Entering the marine industry has been top of mind for us for quite some time,” says Fiore Cappelletto, vice president and general manager of Automotive and Marine at McIntosh Group. “After gaining experience in the automotive industry, paired with our company’s consistent development of quality performance custom installation audio (as we lovingly call ‘Ci-Fi’), the time felt right to enter the exhilarating market, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have found a perfect ally in Wally.”

Bringing high-performance Hi-Fi beyond the home audio market is something McIntosh has veered into recently, as Cappelletto notes. The company commenced a partnership with Jeep a couple of years ago that has produced luxury audio systems for its models such as the Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee.

Integrators on the coasts, especially in Florida and California, have been engaged in “smart yachts” as a potentially profitable market with its affluent clientele for years. It seemed a natural progression for McIntosh Group. Now Wally customers may be able to expand their smart yachts into audiophile yachts too.

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“We are very excited to unveil our latest collaboration with Sonus faber and McIntosh. Our goal is to provide our owners with the best innovative solutions on board, to ensure maximum comfort and pleasure. I am sure that the incomparable quality standards offered by Wally together with the ultimate experience provided by McIntosh and Sonus faber can fully achieve our ambitious goal,” says Stefano de Vivo, managing director at Wally Yachts.

“At Wally, we are always very selective about the companies with whom we choose to work, but with these two brands, it was a total no-brainer, thanks to our shared obsession with achieving perfection and the highest possible technical standards. As a result, there is a real, tangible synergy between our companies, and I can’t wait to show the results onboard the wallywhy200.”

McIntosh, Sonus faber Systems Finely Tuned Aboard wallywhy200

With performance as the top priority throughout the product development process, all brands placed a an emphasis on developing technical solutions that combine form and function, while further ensuring an elevated aesthetic for the discerning clientele, according to McIntosh. Each of the yacht systems are customized to fit the acoustics of its installation area.

“The concept is to transfer all the audio knowledge of McIntosh Labs and Sonus faber onboard, giving the customers the unique opportunity to live the excitement of a movie theater on their yacht and be fully immersed in the heart of the action,” says Roberto Gamba, Business Developer CI at McIntosh Group.

“Our real challenge was to create something truly unique, so we integrated the audio system seamlessly into custom furniture, walls, and cabinets, specifically tailored to meet Wally’s vision. We look forward to customers experiencing the exceptional sound quality that this collaboration has brought to life.”

The systems are fueled by Sonus faber’s D.A.D. Tweeter Damped Apex Dome, Paracross Topology, and McIntosh’s Power Guard and TripleView Power Output Meters. The audio brands performed extensive stress tests, product validation processes, custom tuning, and calibrations on each system to deliver natural sound within the yacht’s environment.

Here’s an overview of the McIntosh, Sonus faber and Wally Yachts system for the wallywhy200:

• Main Deck Salon: Features 2x Sonus faber custom speakers with black leather box, stainless steel frames. With aluminum dust caps and black paper cones, this custom 3.5-way system incorporates the company’s new Phase Coherent Philosophy to ensure a realistic soundstage and builds upon the acoustic research conducted for the new Homage and Arena collections. This is said to create a 3D soundstage without a physical center channel and with a wide distance between the left and right channel. There’s also 4x Sonus faber Custom Active Sub-woofers (2x 12’’ and 2x 10’’) and 4x Sonus faber Palladio PC683 in-ceiling systems, all seamlessly integrated into the yacht’s design. The audio is driven by two McIntosh amplifiers, including the MC255 5-channel solid state amplifier and MC312 2-channel solid state amp, plus the advanced McIntosh MX170 AV processor.
• Master Cabin: Guests can enjoy 5x Sonus faber Palladio PC662 in-ceiling systems, 1x Sonus faber 12’’ Custom Active Subwoofer, powered by the McIntosh MX123 AV processor and the McIntosh MI347 7-channel digital amplifier.
• Upper Deck Salon: The Upper Deck Salon is equipped with 5x Sonus faber Palladio 2-way in-ceiling PC662, 1x 12’’ Sonus faber Custom active sub-woofer, 1x McIntosh MX123 A/V Processor and 1x McIntosh MI347 – 7 channel digital amplifier.

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