Iconic jam band, Grateful Dead, formed in 1965, and proceeded to have a major impact on music and culture. To honor its 60th anniversary, McIntosh has released a new limited edition run of two of its wireless speaker systems — the RS150 and RS250– emblazoned with the Grateful Dead’s instantly recognizable “Stealie” skull-and-lightning-bolt logo.
It’s not the first time McIntosh has added Grateful Dead graphics to these speakers. In honor of Dead & Company‘s 2023 Final Tour, McIntosh used Stealie and the band’s equally famous dancing bear motif on the front panels of the RS150 and RS250.
This time, however, the bears have been omitted in favor of the official graphic treatment of the band’s name, and a new “60” version of Stealie surrounded by the years “1965” and “2025.” The RS250 gets the additional text, “Sixty Years So Far” — perhaps a nod to the fact that Dead & Company “is still a band,” according to co-lead singer, John Mayer.
As with the previous limited editions, you will pay a big premium for the special paint jobs: the RS250 Wireless Speaker System: Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary Edition, costs $3,500 — a $500 add-on expense over the standard RS250 — while the RS150 Wireless Loudspeaker: Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary Edition costs $1,500 (a $300 premium on the $1,200 price of the RS150). And you thought traveling to see all of those concerts was expensive.
Pricey though they may be, these speakers pack an impressive amount of power and features. Their Wi-Fi connectivity works with Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Google Cast, and AirPlay 2, for a wide variety of ways to stream music. The feature Bluetooth as well, with suppot for both aptX and aptX HD Bluetooth codecs. Audiophiles will appreciate that these speakers also work as Roon endpoints.
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The RS150 is a simple 120-watt, mono speaker with a woofer and a tweeter. The RS250 is a much fancier system. It’s an eight driver stereo setup with 650 watts of total power. You can also connect your favorite wired gear via its phono input, an HDMI ARC port, or its digital optical input. There’s also discrete outputs for a wired subwoofer and wired headphones.
The Grateful Dead and McIntosh have had a deep connection ever since McIntosh created its massive Wall of Sound speaker array for the band’s live shows in 1973. At the time, it was the largest concert sound system ever built.