MC 3500 Mark II

[Msegal]

No one’s discussing the new beast from New York State?

It’s on their website.

Is this replacing the 2301?
It does not seem to be quad balanced but is unity coupled.
Mc claims it’s balanced but is that only the input or is the output also balanced?

I’m surprised they didn’t call it the “Jerry Garcia “ and set an insane price. Well it is $15K.

Okay.

Mike S.

[Fbgbill]

I am sure it is a nice amp if you want tubes but you need two of them. One cost as much as both of my 611's.

[benmoree]

I’ve been thinking about upgrading to some 2301s for a bit. I would be interested in listening to these now to compare, although I prefer the style of the 2301 much more.

[80B]

Originally Posted by benmoree

I’ve been thinking about upgrading to some 2301s for a bit. I would be interested in listening to these now to compare, although I prefer the style of the 2301 much more.

+1. That said, it would be interesting to hear a pair of both in a comparison. With different tubes but a similar output level (300 vs. 350 WPC) I'm kind of curious. Maybe something for someone with a really strong back!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by benmoree

I’ve been thinking about upgrading to some 2301s for a bit. I would be interested in listening to these now to compare, although I prefer the style of the 2301 much more.

I think the 3500's beautiful. It's an iconic look, unmistakable. I like the warming feature very much. It appears very different in design from the 2301. It is balanced but not not quad balanced but compared to the 2301, it has a significantly better S/N ratio (3 dB) and lower distortion (.3% vs .5%). Better damping factor > 25 vs. >15 and very importantly much more dynamic headroom 2.4 dB vs 1.2 dB. It is significantly more powerful than the 2301.

If I were interested in a tube amp, it would be the one I would buy. It appears that Mac put a tremendous effort into this design because of the history behind this amp. I believe, like the 2301, it will be in production for a very long time. I envy in a good way whoever buys one.

Best

Charles

[audioquest4life]

The specs are great as stated. But, I wonder how much an influence that the quad coupled former circuits of the 2301 have on its sound qualities verse the lack of quad circuits in the newer 3500. 50 watts more to me are meaningless with my 101db efficient speakers…however, that does not dissuade me from lusting for any new tubed McIntosh amplifier, ��

It would be hard to do an A/B shoot out in the house, they are even heavier than the 2301 by a few pounds.

[W9TR]

It's an interesting intro for sure. I really like the fact they eliminated the fan. Hate fans.
50 wpc more output than the 2301 but more dynamic headroom so more powerful. Not quad balanced. Uses tubes from only one supplier JJ, and a problematic supplier at that. So that's a negative compared to KT-88's available from multiple suppliers. The proof's in the listening, it will be fun to compare.

[Charles]

I believe 50 tube watts is quite important. Taken along with twice the dynamic headroom this is extremely impressive power and current. As far as the availability of replacement tubes, I would be extremely surprised if Mac has not procured an adequate supply for the future. These output tubes are extremely high current and very special. Experimentation with other brands of tubes would not be an option. I like this feature very much.

I think my XVX would do quite well with this amp. But I really like the 1.25 KW's. I would run the 3500's off the 4 ohm tap. In 1969 there were no reliable SS amps. The original 3500 stood up rock solid and made McIntosh a legend. I don't like tubes because I don't believe them reliable and I'm not into tube rolling. However, with these amps tube rolling is not an option.

These amps will be extremely reliable and rugged in the tradition of the original 3500's. While not everyone's cup of tea they would be mine.

Best

Charles

[JBT]

It's a great looking amp that's for sure.


https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2021/...ube-amplifier/

[JWJW]

Originally Posted by JBT

It's a great looking amp that's for sure.


https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2021/...ube-amplifier/

Agree. Pretty spectacular.