How good is the McIntosh MC-2300 vs modern SS amplifiers?

I really liked the story John told where the band was playing Watkins Glen in upstate NY and some of the equipment got lost on the way. So they helicoptered one of the road crew to Binghampton where MacIntosh opened their factory on a Sunday to let them pick up some 2300's.

The Wall of Sound was really the brainchild of Owsley "Bear" Stanley (Curl, Wickersham, and others were brought in to make it a reality) and didn't last long for economical reasons. There were actually two base setups that leap frogged each other as the band traveled from venue to venue. When they were playing on one set up, the other was in route to the next stop on the tour to be set up and waiting for the band to arrive.

You can read Bear's notes on the Wall of Sound here:

http://www.thebear.org/musicintro.html

If you ever saw the Grateful Dead movie which chronicled a 4 night run at the old Winterland in SF, you can see the road crew setting it up and hear the Wall of Sound in action. In one scene Phil Lesh is being interviewed and discusses the system and then demonstrates how it lets him play his bass as loud as he wants, which according to Garcia  in an old interview (and who also used a Mac amp for a while), was nearly as loud as his rig.

John Curl gave a most informative talk on the Wall Of Sound used by the Gratefful Dead. He had a lot to do with the speaker end of things but had not much to say about the amplifiers which left me curious about them.

I think JC was being diplomatic in his silence, he knows.
As it was in a way McIntosh sponsored after all.
There were 15 x MC-2300's in this link.
http://www.dozin.com/wallofsound/

However this is a fine amplifier, virtually bullet proof, and used in great numbers by a band known for its incredible sound.

That maybe Roger back in the day, and yes any amp with an output transformer is far more immune to a degree against fools doing the wrong or stupid things like shorting out (than a direct transistor output), but have a listen to one today compared to what's around, then give your opinion on how it sounds.
  
I heard one not 2 months ago compared to a Gryphon on Wilson's, let me say there was no comparison. One sounded like a thick blanket was thrown over the Wilson's compared to the other, you'll know which when you've had a listen to one.

Roadies tend to blow amps more than anyone I know, so yes the SS Mac's with output transformers would be up for more abuse, if the band could get tubes to do the job because of the watts needed, and the reliability factor. Can you imagine the amount of tubes needed to give the watts that 15 of those Mac's could give.
      

Cheers George

HI George,

I have not listened to one but I like the circuit, especially for its day when Phase Linear and Crown were the alternatives. I just appreciate a good design for the parts that were available at the time. Transistors have come a long way since then. This amp used a MJ15001 series part. Although they could have used the compliment they went with same sex devices. Its a really clever design,

As far as I know The Dead bought all those amps. There is even a story where they took a helicopter and $6000 to pick up some amps at the factory on a Sunday.

Did it really sound that bad? Anyone else heard one?