MC 3500 MK II on the way
 

Well, I couldn't resist. I ordered a pair of 3500's today. I have a good friend at Mac. He says the MK II's are the "King" of the tube amps and will do about 500 watts per channel, as opposed to the rated 350 watts. He says tube rolling will not be possible, because of the special design of the output tubes. In addition, he says that the tubes will be bias insensitive, not requiring adjustments as do many tube amps. He was very positive on the protective features. I could tell that he was extremely pleased with the new 3500, said they had a "ton of orders already" and I believe him.

All that being said, I simply can't resist owing a pair. I'm certainly keeping my 1.25KW's but this rules out the 2.1KW if it ever arrives. So I figure I saved about 40K by buying 3500's (90K-30K = 60K - 20K trade-in for my 1.25's, if I bought the 2.1's, = 40K savings). I believe the 2.1K's would be a really tight fit in my room and that I will truly enjoy owning some tubes.

My plinth/platform for my Thor has arrived at the dealer.

I believe the new amps will fit on either side of my MC 1.25 KW's and that ventilation will not be an issue. I think there will at some future time be an updated 2301 but according to him the 3500 is a much more powerful amp.

If I was ever going to listen to tubes again, this would be the amp. I haven't owned a tube amp since my MC 75 watt mono blocks that I regretted selling so much. :yes:

Best

Charles

Congratulations Charles! Looking forward to the pictures and your review. The MC3500 Mk II should really be something. Mc seems to have gotten it right, like they have with other gear (my MC275 Mk VI being a prime example) of paying some homage to their history but not making the new gear either vacuous (no pun intended) marketing drivel with something like a 'special anniversary edition', but a bona fide update to a classic.

Enjoy in good health!

Congratulations on your new inbound amps. I am interested to hear feedback about how dynamic these new amps are compared to MC2301s. I really love the organic sound of the MC2301s and with my highly efficient speakers, I rarely go past the 30 watt mark…well,sometimes, ahem some loud jam sessions between 30-300 watts, LOL.

Based on what you heard about how powerful these new amps are and the fact that they might obviate the need to swap tubes makes a case for tube amps for life. That’s what I thought with the MC2301s. Then McIntosh had to come along and develop the MC901, and now the 3500s.

How long will it take for delivery?

Ciao,
Audioquest4life

Ciao, I don't know about delivery. That's why I got my order in without too much thinking. Also, I think the price could go up. My dealer is very active regarding Mac so I would hope a month. Thank you for the congrats very much. The 2301's are great amps but I don't think they might handle my XVX. My 1.25's look massive until I look at the XVX, then they don't look so massive after all. But they can drive them superbly. They are amazing amps.

Best,

Charles

80B, thank you so much. They should have dynamic power around 900 watts. With the XVX I will need those watts to really handle the speaker, especially on motion picture BR movies like Aquaman. The amps are definitely massive but packing 500 tube watts in a space almost identical to a 1.25KW or the 2301 is amazing. I had to make careful measurements to be sure I had plenty of room. I do. If the amps had been significantly larger, I couldn't have made it work without significant rearrangement which I am not prepared to do.

One good thing. When I have people over, they often look at the XVX and head right for them, sometimes quite speedily. Then I have to rudely jump in their way and tell them not to come close to the speaker. Now with the 3500's effectively blocking the path, I can relax. No way can they get through them to get close to my speakers. The cage will never be removed.

Best,

Charles

____________________
Charles Updated System: Wilson McIntosh Audioquest
New gear on order: Plinth of X material built by Wilson with rubber cushions or cushions of V material to get my Thor off the floor. Plinth supported by Wilson Acoustic Diodes. McIntosh MC3500 MK II mono power amp, one per channel
Most recent updates: AQ Diamond USB replaces AQ Coffee; Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx replaced by Wilson Audio Specialties XVX Chronosonic; new subwoofer crossover; new Galaxy Grey Thors Hammer; Wilson Pedestals; heating and cooling completely reworked and reinsulated resulting in a much quieter, cooler, and more efficient room (cost about 10,000.00). McIntosh MCT 500 SACD/CD transport. Wilson Audio Acoustic Diode for XVX Chronosonic. WEL Signature digital Coaxial cable for MVP 881/D1100 digital connection replacing the optical connection.
Amps: McIntosh 1.25KW’s (3) set on floor on custom made cultured marble slabs
Preamp and DAC: McIntosh D1100
Sources: McIntosh MCT 500 SACD/CD Transport, MVP881 BR player, MVP851 DVD player, MR87 tuner, Marantz 510LV Laser Disc player, ASUS laptop USB (JRiver Media Center 23)
Speakers: Wilson Audio Specialties XVX Chronosonic
Sub-woofer: Wilson Audio Specialties Thor’s Hammer (1) horizontal lie and Wilson Watch Controller (abbr: WC)
Cables main system: Audioquest WEL Signature speaker cables and balanced IC (preamp to amps); WEL Signature AES/EBU balanced digital IC for CD playback; WEL Signature digital coaxial cable for MVP 881/D1100 digital connection; Audioquest Diamond optical (1) for tuner, (1) for MVP 851 DVD player, and (1) for LD player for total of (3); Audioquest Diamond USB cable; McIntosh MCT cable for SACD playback; Dragon power cords (5 HC cords and 3 source cords for total of 8); Thunder HC power cord for MR87 tuner
Cables subwoofer system: Audioquest Redwood speaker cable (1); Wolf balanced subwoofer IC from WC to amp; Wind balanced IC from preamp to WC; Hurricane HC (2) and Dragon HC (1) power cords
Power conditioners: Audioquest Niagara 7000 (1) and Niagara 5000 (3); (4) dedicated 20-amp lines with no. 10 wire straight out of fuse box
Isolation: Wilson Pedestals for D1100; MVP 881 BR player; MCT 500 transport; MVP 851 DVD player
Cabinet: Double Custom Woodwork & Design (CWD) solid walnut cabinet on large casters; holds all sources and preamp; also, Niagara 7000; 11 feet minimum distance from speakers
Acoustic Treatments: Room and Echo Tunes
AC: Dedicated to this room only, an ultra-high efficiency and quiet recently installed Ruud split system 3-ton heat pump.
Room (mancave): 40’L x 15.5’W A-frame; max ceiling height 8’ min 5’; wall within wall construction built of 2 x 6’s; built over garage with custom hardwood floor with gym seal with over 40 Lowes stiffened wooden I-beams supporting floor; complete isolation from rest of house.

Congrats, I think we're all looking forward to hearing what you think.

Also, only on AA can buying $30,000 worth of tube amps be considered "saving" $40,000 :)

"What this country needs is a really good five-watt amplifier."

:laughin:

Charles… Huge Congrats! :banana:

Buffalo Bill, Thank you so much. Think about this: 18" x 21.625" x 11.825" (W x D x H) = 500 continuous watts and 900 dynamic watts. My friend says (and believe me he knows) with a 2301 you get 300 watts continuous in a slightly larger space (slightly larger dimensions) but no more. And that's with a fan! The 3500 has no fan! It is extremely compact coming in at net 121 lbs. He says the old 3500 would do 550 watts! He's not sure if the new one will be as powerful as the old one.

If the amp had been any larger or must require a fan, no way I would have bought one. My available space on either end of my 1.25's is quite limited and I had to make careful measurements. I'm not going to stuff the amps into too small a space and too close to the XVX. I'm not prepared to do a complete rearrangement, no way. I must be able to get to the rear of my system safely and I don't want the amps sticking way out in my floor. But because of their amazing compactness my speaker cables and IC's which total about 68K (WEL Signatures, 3 meters and 24' balanced respectively) will easily reach.

The new 3500 is about as close to Tony Stark's Arc Reactor as it gets in real life. For its size it is incredibly powerful. :yes:

p.s. the old 3500 needed a fan to obtain its massive power output of 550 watts.