McIntosh has unveiled the MC3500 Vacuum Tube Amplifier Mk II, a reworking of the original monoblock amp used to power the Woodstock ’69 sound system. The $15,000 power amp, available from December, has been recreated by McIntosh’s engineers to include modern upgrades while showcasing the company’s “commitment to technological innovations and acoustic advancements.”
The MC3500 Mk II includes 350 Watts of power and has been upgraded with modern components to mirror the performance of its predecessor. As with the original amp, McIntosh says that the new product uses the company’s own Unity Coupled Circuit output transformer, allowing 350 Watts to be safely delivered to “virtually” any speaker. A fully balanced driver section uses three 12AX7As vacuum tubes and one 12AT7, while the output is powered by eight EL509S high-power vacuum tubes chosen due to the similarity to the 6LQ6 “sweep tubes” found in the original...
