MC3500 mk II
It was at a 2019 event to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock where McIntosh President Charlie Randall, realizing the historical importance of the MC3500, first dreamed of bringing it back into production. That proved no easy task considering it was first designed over 50 years ago. But after more than two years of development, that dream has become reality as McIntosh is proud to announce the MC3500 Vacuum Tube Amplifier Mk II.
MC3500
1-Channel Vacuum Tube Amplifier Mk II
Inspired by the amplifier that inspired a generation.
There's no denying the historic significance of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. There had never been anything like it, and many would argue there's not been anything like it since. With an unexpected crowd of over 400,000 people, there was a lot that could have gone wrong – and some things did. But one aspect that's nearly universally agreed upon was how great all the musicians sounded. That sound quality is thanks in part to the McIntosh MC3500 Vacuum Tube Amplifiers that exclusively powered the sound system used at Woodstock.1 The MC3500 would go on to power many other influential music events.
The MC3500 Vacuum Tube Amplifier Mk II is a conservatively rated 350 Watt monoblock that takes its inspiration from the original 1968-71 MC3500 and incorporates everything we have learned about vacuum tube amplifier design since the 1960s. It has been upgraded to modern standards and with modern components to deliver an audio performance worthy of its predecessor and the legacy of their shared model number – all while adhering to the original design as much as possible. Like the original MC3500, the MC3500 Mk II uses our Unity Coupled Circuit output transformer, which allows the full 350 Watts to be safely delivered to virtually any speaker regardless if it has 2, 4 or 8-Ohm impedance.
The MC3500 Mk II is powered by eight EL509S high-power output vacuum tubes. The EL509S tube was chosen specifically due to it having many similar qualities and characteristics of the 6LQ6 "sweep tubes" used on the original MC3500. Like the 6LQ6, the EL509S is very rugged thanks to its robust cathode and associated heating element which produces a high peak plate current capability in excess of 1 Amp.
As an homage to the look of the original MC3500, the Mk II features two U-shaped siderails that wrap around the top, back, and bottom of each side. Many of original MC3500s were used on the road a lot and these siderails provided a lot of strength and durability. It is a very unique design element that we wanted to duplicate in the MC3500 Mk II. There were also four black rubber bumpers on the back of the rails that allowed the amp to be temporarily stood upright while setting up for shows; the bumpers were big enough to prevent any parts sticking off the back of the amplifier from scraping against the floor and being damaged. These bumpers have also been replicated on the MC3500 Mk II.
