THE ‘WOODSTOCK’ MCINTOSH

McIntosh says that its latest valve amplifier, the 350-watt per channel monophonic MC3500 MkII, was inspired by the original MC3500 amplifiers that were used to power the sound system at 1969’s legendary Woodstock Festival. “The McIntosh MC3500 was the amplifier that inspired a generation of musicians and music fans,’ says Philip Sawyer, of Synergy Audio Visual, which distributes McIntosh in Australia. “The massive 350-watt output is generated by no fewer than eight EL509S high-power output valves that were specifically chosen due to their similarity with the 6LQ6 valves found in the original MC3500.”

As in the original, the MC3500 MkII uses McIntosh’s Unity Coupled Circuit output transformer, allowing the full 350 watts to be safely delivered to virtually any speaker. It also has a fully balanced driver section that uses three 12AX7A valves and one 12AT7. Other features incorporated into the new model include McIntosh’s ‘Power Guard Screen Grid Sensor’ technology which it says “prevents premature vacuum tube failure”, Sentry Monitor technology that actively monitors output current to ensure operation within safe limits, and both balanced and unbalanced line-level inputs.

In homage to the original, the MkII includes U-shaped side-rails, a unique feature that provided strength and durability when the original amps were used on the road.

The MkII also has the black rubber bumpers that were on the original amps that allowed them to be temporarily sit upright for shows and were big enough to prevent the model from being damaged during set-up at concerts. The front panel is machined aluminium with a bead blast finish and gold anodizing that emulates the original MC3500.

One major difference is the power output meter, which is a different design to the original, and positioned differently on the front panel. The larger, more modern meter on the MC3500 MkII (a variation of McIntosh’s ‘DualView’ power output meter, with the top scale showing the power output in both watts and decibels, while the bottom scale shows the amplifier’s warm-up time) is positioned right in the middle of the front panel, rather than off to one side, as in the original version.

The new ‘Woodstock’ McIntosh MC3500 MkII is scheduled to go on sale in Australia in January, 2022, for $29,995 (RRP).

For more information, contact Synergy Audio Visual on (03) 9459 7474 or at www.synergyaudio.com