Anyone using Levinson for their B&W setup?

[DelRay]

Was wondering if anyone was using Levinson in their setup. I see alot of Classe and Rotel gear being used.

[Kal Rubinson]

Review of the ML 433 with the 802Ds coming soon in my column.

Kal

[sikoniko]

Review of the ML 433 with the 802Ds coming soon in my column.

Kal

I thought I already read the review? didnt you say you preferred it over the classe? im wondering if you plan on permanently replacing the classe?

[DelRay]

I was wondering if the 4xx series might have a similar sonic signature as the 3xx series.

[RNKC]

I use a 432 (amp) and a 390s CD player with my N802. Quality control at Levinson is bit hit & miss unfortunately, but when it works it works wonderfully! (My dealer told me that the entire 3xx series had bad capacitors that dried out and needed to be replaced.)

The odd thing is that the amp (and other equipment) sounds so fabulous, yet in theory it's not supposed to sound like anything at all. As we move higher in the audio world, our equipment is not supposed to colour the sound but merely produce the best quality sound possible - something that's close to "the real thing".

I hear that Levinson is about to release the Number 53 monoblock which will become the top of the line - 500w into 8 ohms. Amp is reportedly going to cost $20,000 (USD I guess).

I'm not knocking Classe, but personally I prefer the Levinson sound.

[Kal Rubinson]

I thought I already read the review? didnt you say you preferred it over the classe? im wondering if you plan on permanently replacing the classe?

Did you? Could be, I suppose. I submit the copy 3 months before it appears and kinda lose track of it after that. I am hanging on to both for a while because I intend to listen to them on other speakers that are in the pipeline.

Kal

[RebelMan]

In the 24th installment of Music in the Round Kal summerizes...

"I continue to waffle about wether I preferred the Levinson or the Classe' with the B&Ws. The Levinson made them sound tighter and quicker, while the Classe' made them sound a bit more warm and rich. There is a real difference in price, too: $10,000 for the Mark Levinson No.433 vs $6000 for the Classe' CA3200. Take a careful look in your wallet but, given my experience and my current room acoustics, I'd go for the Levinson No.433."

It will be interesting to see how this story of price and acoustics unfolds.

[ssabripo]

I use a Proceed AVP2 (mini Mark levinson no. 40...same internals) with my N802's, and they sound the most accurate I've heard them....as if in a live concert.

[johan]

I use a Proceed AVP2 (mini Mark levinson no. 40...same internals) with my N802's, and they sound the most accurate I've heard them....as if in a live concert.

Me too, very good!

[Fife]

Proceed Amp5 + ML 23.5 here

[georgev]

ML 31.5 drive with ML 360s dac into a ML 380s pre and ML 336 power feeding N802.
I must say I really enjoy the sound that emanates from my system.
4xx vs 3xx series, I auditioned them both, and somehow I still preferred the 336. I also use a Proceed HPA 3, and that seemed to sound like the 4xx series.
Don't know if it is true, but on AVrevolution, they suggested that the 436's are basically the 336 in monobloc guise.
The N802's don't seem strained at all even if cranked up(rarely), and still maintains a clarity and transparency that I have not matched yet. Perhaps the 33's?
For my ears the sonic signature of the 3xx series is less clinical than the 4xx series. Not that they add to the music, but how do I put it, "Enjoyable".

[RNKC]

I always thought it was too bad they killed the Proceed line. There was some really good stuff under the Proceed label and it was far more affordable than Levinson ever will be. Thank the Audio Gods for Audiogon though - that's where I pick up all my stuff now!

My Main Audio System

N802
Levinson 432
Levinson 390s CD player
Magnum Dynalab FT101 FM Tuner

Rest of System
HTM4
N805
Proceed Amp3
Proceed AVP2


I used to have a Proceed Amp5 for the whole setup before I moved up to the Levinson 432. The difference between the 2 amps is subtle but noticable. While they both sound quite similar, the Levinson just has more power to it so is better able to drive at any volume level; whether the volume is low or obnoxiously high (rarely) the sound quality is still the same with the Levinson. The Proceed on the other hand would run out of breath and just couldn't drive the speakers with the same effortless quality.

After the 432 the next major component I added was the 390s. I had heard good things about this unit and even PM'd a few people here to ask their experiences. Nonetheless, once I got the unit I was surprised by how much better it sounded. It was the same CDs, the same amp, the same speakers, the same room, the same me ... but everything just sounded better.

So at this point, I'm really happy with my Levinson + B&W system and don't see any upgrades in the foreseeable future.

[georgev]

They "killed" the proceed line because it was affecting sales of ML.

[hifiguymi]

They "killed" the proceed line because it was affecting sales of ML.

They go rid of the Proceed line because they closed the factory in Middletown, CT (where they used to be based) and started having stuff built for them. The decision was a financial one, but not because Proceed was cannibalizing sales from Mark Levinson.

Eric

[ssabripo]

They go rid of the Proceed line because they closed the factory in Middletown, CT (where they used to be based) and started having stuff built for them. The decision was a financial one, but not because Proceed was cannibalizing sales from Mark Levinson.

Eric

actually it was both Eric.....yes, you are right, they closed the factory in CT, but the REASON for that was because a) it was cannibalizing sales from the ML line, and b) financially, they had to re-allocate engineering to the ML line since the company was in some financial strain (they could not keep both headcounts).

the decision was made to dump the Proceed line, and many of them jumped ship to Classe and NAD (engineers, etc).

today, the AVP2 (specially the AVP2+6) is the most sought after pre/pro on audiogon...it literally goes in minutes, and at a high premium!

[DelRay]

So it seems like a ML 332 and a pair of n802's would be a nice match. I know that these are older products, but still top notch. I'm checking out the used market.

[georgev]

I was using a 332 with my 802's b/4 getting the 336. It worked very very well(It never seemed to run out of power). It is rated at 200wpc but doubles into 4ohms. You can get them used at great prices. If you can get a 335, that would be better as they did improve on the original 3xx series when they launched the 334, 335 and the 336.

[DelRay]

I've been cruising the 'gon. Seems like the 335 and 336 don't come up very often. I assume that the cap. problem they had with the earlier models were fixed in this series.

[RNKC]

I think the later 3xx series was updated again. From time to time I see ads for 336.5 which implies that it's somehow different from a "regular" 336. I'm not sure what's different though.

I think the 3xx series is getting harder to find now. I do recall though that 336 was generally around $5000 whereas 432 was roughly the same. Given that both of them output 350w into 8 ohms, I went for the newer model. The 4xx series is also a bit of a sleeker design now that the heatsinks are integrated internally. I kind of like the look of the 3xx series with those big heatsinks, but space was also an issue for me and the 432 just fit better on the shelf.

[Minardi2]

The local dealer I purchased all my B&W speakers from was a Levinson dealer for 20 years before dropping the line within the last 10 months. He told me some stories of things going on at Levinson that just made you scratch your head. The store's service department at one point had between 5-10 300 series amps in for repair as a result of the capacitor problems they suffered. I was told some mounting screw was just a bit too long and was putting pressure on the cap's housing, and the fatigue caused it to fail over time.

Anyway, back on topic, I have an ML 390s driving a Krell FPB-700cx, in turn powering my N802s, and I'm quite happy with it.

[georgev]

Back to the original question, IMHO the Levinson is better than the Classe, but thats a personal preference. Listen to both b/4 you invest your hard earned money.

Minardi,
The 300 series that were in for repair, were those the earlier ones? I believe that they did sort that problem out when they launched the latter series. They did change the caps, though I must say my 336 has also had it's caps replaced. I am still hunting for another 336 though.
As to the .5, it was an upgrade that ML offered to those who owned the earlier series, where the caps would be upgraded and the board, but out put remained the same, and was given the new nomenclature of 332.5 etc. I don't recall any upgrade to the 334/335 and 336.

[Minardi2]

I didn't get a breakdown on whethere they were earlier or later versions. But if memory serves me this was probably three years ago if that helps.

[misterdoggy]

I had the 432, 433, 326, 360, 380, 436's, and 390 all with 802D's and I really enjoyed them.

Tremendous build quality and very similar sound IMHO to the McIntosh 501 and 1201 Amps. It is almost a toss up between the ML and the MC's but I love the look of McIntosh so I've ended up with them.

You could be happy with either. At the top of the food chain is only a question of taste isnt it.