2. amps-preamps
  3. 1154092665

Levinson 20.5 monos - Time for a Refurb?

I bought my Mark Levinson 20.5 pure class A mono blocks new in 1990. I loved them for their sound and still do. They have been 100% reliable and I have never had them back to the Levinson or my dealer for anything.

However, they are 16 years old now and except for my Magnum Dynalab tuner, they are the only thing I have not replaced in my system.

Being pure class A amps they run pretty hot.

Question is, is it time I should consider having them checked out, refurbished, capacitors and the like replaced, etc?

If so, who should I consider for this work? Levinson? They are not what they used to be when they designed and made these amps, and I'm not sure they are up to the same quality work they did back then or whether I should trust that their parts will be as good as the original. Someone else? But who?

Has anyone been through this or does anyone have any thoughts about this they can share with me?
Ag insider logo xs@2xcipherjuris

Showing 2 responses by joemt

joemt
22 posts
 


I have a ML#27.5 which has gotten alot of use and also
is left on 24/7. I just started noticing a slight buzz
from the left channel tweeter along with occasional
static/crackle. Kinda like AM radio during a thunder
storm. Obviously not that loud, I need to get close
to the speaker to hear it. It can be heard from my
listening postion during very quiet times. Is this the
sign of a cap going bad?

After shutting down the pre-amp, the noise continues.
I guess that eliminates upstream components. I'm hoping
not to go through yet another repair cycle.
joemt
22 posts
 
Nsgarch,

I've tried a couple of things. First, I checked the
batteries in my crossovers ( Vandersteen #5 ), they were
good till 2009. Next disconnected the subs and ran
direct. Still had the noise. I've now plugged the amp
into a Line conditioner and things seem better so far,
I'll continue to listen. Still have a slight buzz, but
that's with my ear up to the tweeter. The crackle seems
to have died down. The other speaker is dead quiet. If
it is electrical noise, why only one channel? I'm on the
East Coast, everyone running AC's. My one power
conditioner reads just under 100 volts. The other
conditioner ( for the front end components ) gets power
from an Exact Power unit first, it ALWAYS reads 121 volts.
I can't reach the Exact Power unit with amp chord.

Hope things cool off by the weekend, perhaps it's all
due to dirty electric and low voltage. I will clean and
check all the connections as well, can't hurt.

Joe T.

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