How This Vintage McIntosh Amplifier from 1968 Made Hi-Fi History

Over 55 years later, it’s considered one of the greatest amps ever built.

Published December 4, 2024

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Updated December 4, 2024

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In sports, great athletes are defined by big moments. Think back to Michael Jordan hitting “The Shot” to win the 1998 NBA Finals or Maradona scoring the “Hand of God” goal to win the 1986 World Cup.

The same could be said for the McIntosh MC3500, a single-channel vacuum tube amplifier that powered the most iconic music festival in history.

McIntosh MC3500 amplifier from 1968 — Hanley Sound, the company hired for the sound production at the first Woodstock Festival, used twenty McIntosh MC3500 amps to power the entire sound system.

The amp that powered Woodstock

Woodstock 1969 took place over four days on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York.

Truth be told, the festival actually had humble origins, as its organizers were inexperienced and initially sold very few tickets. But some of the biggest artists of the era showed up: Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, the Doobie Brothers, the Grateful Dead, John Fogerty, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Janis Joplin.

vintage McIntosh MC3500 amplifier — A photo of a vintage MC3500 from Woodstock. The photo is taken at the Bethel Woods Center, a museum for the 1969 Woodstock festival.

So did nearly half a million people, who traveled from across the country to hear them.

And while Woodstock was largely chaotic — due to the sheer number of people and weather (rain and thunderstorms) — the music held it all together. The gear responsible: twenty McIntosh MC3500 amplifiers.

350 watts, mono power

Introduced in 1968, the original McIntosh MC3500 was a single-channel vacuum tube amplifier capable of delivering over 300 watts per channel. It was priced at just over $1,000 at the time (equivalent to about $9,000, adjusting for inflation).

The McIntosh MC3500 was the amplifier chosen by Hanley Sound, the company hired for the sound production at the Woodstock Festival, because of its power, efficiency and robust design.

According to Bill Hanley, founder of Handly Sound, the MC3500 was the “best amplifier on the marketplace. It was the most reliable, and quietest, you hardly could tell it was running … it really was well designed. “

McIntosh MC3500 Mk II amplifier — The MC3500 MKII was released in 2023. It features the iconic Blue power meter that McIntosh audio components have become synonymous for.

A modern revival

Despite its fame, the original McIntosh MC3500 was produced for less than four years, from 1968 to 1971. (Though the New York hi-fi maker claims its vacuum tube design and Unity Coupled circuitry have influenced its current amplifiers and preamplifiers.)

Then, more than fifty years later, McIntosh revived the iconic amplifier in 2023. The MC3500 MKII of today features modern components and, according to the brand, delivers “an audio performance worthy of its predecessor and the legacy of their shared model number.”

The McIntosh MC3500 MKII is a 350-watt power amplifier with eight EL509S high-power output vacuum tubes. It’s a single-channel amplifier that costs $15,000, meaning you’ll have to drop $30,000 to power a stereo system.

Admittedly, the MC3500 MKII is an audio component reserved for the highest of hi-fi systems. And even though restored vintage McIntosh MC3500 amps are out there, they’re just as more expensive, if not more so.

For some diehard audiophiles, however, it’s humble price to pay for history.