Will Levinson 29 match N805?

[KasperB&W]

Hi all

Im considering buying a used Mark Levinson No 29 amp. Does anybody have know any pros and cons before i put down 1500$?

My speakers are B&W Nautilus 805, and my current amp is Nakamichi PA-5 II.

Also will it by any means be able to match/drive 802D or N802 in case of a future upgrade?

I do enjoy the "analouge/vintage" sound of the Nakamichi, but on the other hand - i miss a little spark.

Other equipment.

CD player : Holfi Xandra NFB REX (battery powered)
Preamp : Holfi pre 5.1 (battery powered)

Any knowledge wellcome!

Take Care
Kasper
Denmark

[hifiguymi]

The No29 is a great sounding amp. It will work great with the N805's you have now. It will do a good job of running a pair of N802's or a pair of 802D's, but those speakers will need more. It would be a great stepping stone in your system.

Eric

[KasperB&W]

Hi Eric

Thanks for the reply, though i had actually already bought the ML-29 when i read it.

My initial impressions are
High more detailed than the Naka.
Middle way better than the Naka.
Control of the lows as the Naka.
Male voices a little better than the Naka
Female voices WAY better than the Naka
Musicality as the Naka
It seem to be as powerful as the Naka and have the same control on the speakers. (even though its only a 50 watt compared to the Naka's 150 watt)

So my first impression is I either gained or hold ground on all accounts. so actually nothing to miss so far.

Take Care
Kasper

[hifiguymi]

Your initial impressions are spot on what I remember about it, great midrange and musicality, smooth treble and solid bass. The bass is not overwhelmingly powerful (it is only 50 watts), but very tuneful. It's that reason that I said it might not be a long term solution for speakers like the N802 or 802D, but it will run them fine as an interim step.

I'm glad you like it and happy listening.

Eric

[RNKC]

The No.29 is a Mark Levinson product so by definition it's a good amp. At 502 per channel though, it will be insufficient to drive N802 / 802D. You'll likely need at least a 3xx series Levinson to do the job properly. Better still get a 4xx series if you can afford it. I use a 432 with my N802 and I love the setup!

[KasperB&W]

Ok, a little turn on events. as luck would have it - I have actually been offered one more ML-29. Should i take it?

With 2 ML-29s, what would be the logical step? (with the 802(D) opgrade in mind!)

* Bi-amping each speaker with one ML-29

* Or bridging each ML-29 to 200w as monoblocks? (my impression is bridging isnt the normal recommended option regarding High-End, but it could be thal the levinson actually was good as bridged?)

Hope my questions makes sense?

Take Care

Kasper

[hifiguymi]

You could do it either way. Really good amps, like the No29, do sound very good bridged. The did such a good job at matching transistor performance and biasing between channels that it turns into a balanced amp. You do need to get a bridging kit for them so contact Levinson if you do get the amp and give it a try. So either way, if it's a good deal, a second No29 would be a nice addition to your system.

Eric

[Fife]

One ML29 for mids/tweeter of both N802.
One 23.5 both drivers!

The 29 is not enough power for bass driver of N802.