ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Solid-state power amplifier

MC2300 amplifier

McIntosh · 1971

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

The McIntosh MC-2300 is a high-power solid-state amplifier rated at 300 watts per channel. McIntosh documents that MC-2300s drove the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, which debuted at the Cow Palace, San Francisco, on 23 March 1974, and that Jerry Garcia used his own MC-2300 for guitar.

Introduced
1971
Category
Solid-state power amplifier
Intended use
High-power amplification for sound reinforcement and hi-fi
Production
McIntosh Laboratory, 1971–1980

Equipment photographs · 1

Mcintosh MC-2300 Front (cropped)

1 / 1 · Mcintosh MC-2300 Front (cropped)

Mcintosh MC-2300 Front (cropped)·Awgrasso·CC BY-SA 4.0

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    Its conservative rating made it one of few amplifiers from the hi-fi world trusted for heavy touring use.

  2. 02

    Its role in the Wall of Sound showed high-fidelity amplification applied at concert scale.

    Pictured in this passage
    Elevation drawing of the Grateful Dead Wall of Sound showing stage, vocals, piano, bass and lead arraysAlembic / Grateful Dead Wall of SoundRon Wickersham · CC BY-SA 4.0

Engineering record

No technical figures are published here until a working source confirms them.

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

Drove the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, debuted 23 March 1974 at the Cow Palace[1]

Jerry Garcia's personal MC-2300 powered his guitar rig[1]

Manuals & original documents

No authoritative manual or original document has been located for this profile.

Sources

  1. 1McIntosh and the Grateful Dead's Wall of SoundMcIntosh Laboratory · archive

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