80s Levinson Gear - Best Repair/Refurbish?

Thanks! 

Is there anything to be said for the Levinson authorized repair centers?  Or does it not matter with gear of this vintage?

Audio Classics says they don't repair Levinson.  Any other suggestions or are my options limited to their authorized repair centers?  I definitely want it done right, refurbished to last a long time...

Got it.  That's frustrating.  I can understand that for anything under warranty or even anything of a certain recent vintage.  But I don't see why they don't let anyone repair something they sold in 1980.  Anyway, just looking for the best recommendations for anyone who has had vintage ML gear repaired or refurbished.  Anyone?  

Wow, thanks for the information.  I mean, you can find working Levinson 23s for less than $1800 to $2500 but I suppose they would eventually have the same issues.  Still, that seems disproportionate to the value.  Yeah, I can't afford $2600-$5000 to have these pieces serviced.  Ouch.  

I see what you mean. Here's a quote from Pyramid:

"So the bill for overhauling the No23 or No23.5 typically runs about $3000, maybe a fifth of the replacement cost."

So is a refurbished ML 23 worth $15,000 or at least competitive with a $15k amplifier?  That seems hard to believe, or they wouldn't be going for around $2000.

I've talked to Pyramid.  They appear to be very knowledgeable and professional and willing to answer questions in detail.  So I appreciate that.

The bad news is there is no free, or even affordable, lunch with these ML-23s.  They told me the minimum amount I might get lucky enough to spend on the repair is about $2k and it goes up from there. 

I certainly believe them, but it does open up the question of whether to do it.  I mean, I bought the amp for about $1400 and while I have seen asking prices as high as about $2500, it is an open question as to whether that is the best way to spend $2000.  While I have no plans to sell the amp, I also wonder if I couldn't get something better for that same amount.  Or just stick with my other amps until I'm looking for a place to flush some cash...

I appreciate all the suggestions.  Luckily (said ironically) I don't have any 4 figure budget at the moment to repair anything (I have to see what I have left after April 15) and so I can see what opportunities come along.  

It sounds like the ML-23 and 23.5 are uniquely expensive to repair.  I suppose in auto terminology, the amp is "totaled" in that the repair costs exceed its market value.  So this is not about rational financial decisions, it is about desire for this one amp.  Hmmm...

This is a 3.5 year old thread but I haven't done anything yet - I have newer gear of similar quality that works fine and I've been using that.

If I recall correctly, the repair price quoted from a Levinson authorized repair center for the ML 23 was about $2800. That was for repair and complete refurbishment, whatever that means.  But while not warranteed it would likely work for decades more after that. 

Now, that's maybe $500 more than working ML 23s are selling for.  But I wouldn't buy any of those that haven't been refurbished because they are nearly certain to cook themselves to death at some point.  I've read and heard it's basically inevitable due to their build.  

Even so, I question the logic of spending $2900 to get something that I could only sell for $2300 or so since most folks wouldn't even trust I had it refurbished.  

My ML 26 still works just fine other than the tape outs don't work and I suspect were intentionally disconnected.  I don't know what the cost to refurbish that one would be.  

In terms of that link, it seems like lots of the Levinson amps from that era have had issues and are starting to crap out.  And the 2 "fully serviced" amps may not have been by an authorized dealer, so not sure if they would fully qualify as original Levinson amps.

I'm in no hurry. Would probably sell them for the right offer as I am more about reliability than vintage quality at the moment.