COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 143 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 143 AUDIO ANTHROPOLOGY

Big Macs

Big Macs

More rarities from The Audio Classics Collection: a pair and a spare of McIntosh MC 3500 hybrid mono power amps, atop a pair of McIntosh ML4C loudspeakers. Not only were the amps good enough for home use, they were fit to be used by the Grateful Dead in live performances. The 5-way ML4C has four 12-inch woofers, an 8-inch lower-midrange driver, two 1-1/2-inch soft-dome midrange units and two 2-1/4-inch tweeters. It needed an MQ101 or MQ102 equalizer for flat low-frequency response.

 

A close up of one of the MC 3500 amps. 125 pounds of sonic brawn with 350 watts continuous power output and a stated output impedance capability down to 1 ohm.

 

We’ll bet this didn’t win any graphic design awards. Elektra Records catalog insert, 1958 – 1959, featuring artists from Theodore Bikel and Josh White to…Gene and Francesca?

 

I never did this. I mean, who listened to Mantovani back then? Pioneer ad, circa late 1970s.

 

We suppose “depth” is relative. From the Columbia “Listening in Depth” series of ads, 1957 – 1958.

More from Issue 143

View All Articles in Issue 143

Search Copper Magazine

#234 A Life in High-End Audio: The Roy Hall Interview, Part One by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 Jason Greenlaw Offers His Personal Perspective on Jazz Guitar in Vantage Point by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 Transcendent Phoenix: Lucina Yue Brings the Ancient Konghou Into Modern Times by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 We Must All Follow Our Bliss by B. Jan Montana Sep 07, 2026 #234 How to Play in a Rock Band, 27: Leveling Up by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 Ross Valory: Traveling Into New Musical Territory With All of the Above by Ray Chelstowski Sep 07, 2026 #234 Singer/Songwriter John David Schrader: On the Need to Create by Joe Caplan Sep 07, 2026 #234 The People Who Make Audio Happen: More From T.H.E. Show SoCal 2026 by Harris Fogel Sep 07, 2026 #234 The Vinyl Beat Digs Into the Gadget Box by Rudy Radelic Sep 07, 2026 #234 The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues Spoken Loud by Wayne Robins Sep 07, 2026 #234 Musical Moments by Rich Isaacs Sep 07, 2026 #234 Rags for Solo Piano and a Dog: David Chesky's Ragtime Music for the Modern Age by Frankly Speaking Sep 07, 2026 #234 HIGH END 2026, Vienna: Here to Stay by Carsten Barnbeck Sep 07, 2026 #234 From The Audiophile’s Guide: The Two Main Types of Loudpeakers – Box and Panel by Paul McGowan Sep 07, 2026 #234 Letting it Slide by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Sep 07, 2026 #234 Long Playing by Peter Xeni Sep 07, 2026 #234 La Mer by B. Jan Montana Sep 07, 2026 #233 A Report From The Total Hi-Fi Experience Show SoCal 2026 by B. Jan Montana Aug 03, 2026 #233 Bluegrass Meets Country, Folk, Jazz and More in All That We Carried by The Squid City Slingers by Frank Doris Aug 03, 2026 #233 Corey Glover and One Tribe Nation: A Variegated Musical Collective by Ray Chelstowski Aug 03, 2026 #233 Excursions with Clive: The Late Clive Davis, A Personal History by Wayne Robins Aug 03, 2026 #233 AI, Art, and Music: A Conversation With Synthography Art by Joe Caplan Aug 03, 2026 #233 New American Symphonies: A Rediscovered Gem and a Vital Contemporary Work by Frank Doris Aug 03, 2026 #233 The Vinyl Beat: Genesis, the Dave Clark Five, Antonio Carlos Jobim and More by Rudy Radelic Aug 03, 2026 #233 How to Play in a Rock Band, 26: When It's Time to Record Your Music by Frank Doris Aug 03, 2026 #233 More From T.H.E. Show 2026, and the People Who Made it Happen by Harris Fogel Aug 03, 2026 #233 Underappreciated Artists, Part Three: Icehouse by Rich Isaacs Aug 03, 2026 #233 The Surprisingly Rich and Varied Music of Somalia by Steve Kindig Aug 03, 2026 #233 A Remarkable Discographic Legacy: The LP Recordings of the Basel Symphony Orchestra by Stephan Haberthür Aug 03, 2026 #233 From The Audiophile’s Guide: The Importance of Loudspeakers by Paul McGowan Aug 03, 2026 #233 From Swimming Pool to New Listening Room: A Conversation with Norman Varney of AV RoomService by Gilles Laferrière Aug 03, 2026 #233 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Aug 03, 2026 #233 Audio Jewelry by Peter Xeni Aug 03, 2026 #233 Enrich Your Life by Frank Doris Aug 03, 2026 #233 The Searcher by James Schrimpf Aug 03, 2026 #232 What came first: Art or Music? A Conversation With Artist Jose Acosta by Joe Caplan Jul 06, 2026 #232 Blow By Blow: The Jeff Beck Story: An Insightful Book About a Guitar Icon by Ray Chelstowski Jul 06, 2026 #232 Creed Over Camaraderie? by B. Jan Montana Jul 06, 2026 #232 Chronicles of a Sound Pilgrim at the 2026 Montreal Audiofest by Hugues Morin Jul 06, 2026 #232 The Vinyl Beat: Summer Grooves by Rudy Radelic Jul 06, 2026 #232 Hibbing Hillbilly Dylan's Acoustic Rock by Wayne Robins Jul 06, 2026 #232 Quad Quads and Plasmatronics Tweeters: An Extraordinary System Comes to Life by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 In Praise of Live Music, Once Again by Ted Shafran Jul 06, 2026 #232 Allnic Audio’s L-9000 Preamplifier: Design and Engineering Innovation by Howard Kneller Jul 06, 2026 #232 “Best Of” Lists and Rage Bait: Enough Already by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 Quick Takes: Bud Shank, Paulo Almeida, Jakob Dreyer, Tim Eriksen and Peter Irvine by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026

Big Macs

Big Macs

More rarities from The Audio Classics Collection: a pair and a spare of McIntosh MC 3500 hybrid mono power amps, atop a pair of McIntosh ML4C loudspeakers. Not only were the amps good enough for home use, they were fit to be used by the Grateful Dead in live performances. The 5-way ML4C has four 12-inch woofers, an 8-inch lower-midrange driver, two 1-1/2-inch soft-dome midrange units and two 2-1/4-inch tweeters. It needed an MQ101 or MQ102 equalizer for flat low-frequency response.

 

A close up of one of the MC 3500 amps. 125 pounds of sonic brawn with 350 watts continuous power output and a stated output impedance capability down to 1 ohm.

 

We’ll bet this didn’t win any graphic design awards. Elektra Records catalog insert, 1958 – 1959, featuring artists from Theodore Bikel and Josh White to…Gene and Francesca?

 

I never did this. I mean, who listened to Mantovani back then? Pioneer ad, circa late 1970s.

 

We suppose “depth” is relative. From the Columbia “Listening in Depth” series of ads, 1957 – 1958.

0 comments

Leave a comment

0 Comments

Your avatar

Loading comments...

🗑️ Delete Comment

Enter moderator password to delete this comment:

✏️ Edit Comment

Enter your email to verify ownership: