Mark Levinson 27.5 or 331 power amp?


I am considering purchasing a 27.5 or 331, I have heard the 27.5 in my system (wadia 860x cd, sonus faber GP home speakers transparent ultra i'connect, nordost red dawn speaker cable, with very good results. My obvious question is the 331 really better, as I have read some adverse comments that the 331 is not as musical as the 27.5.
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Showing 3 responses by mstram

I owned a No. 27 and a 27.5 and currently use a 23.5. I thought the 27.5 was an improvement over the 27, especially in the bass department. I upgraded to the 23.5 simply because my speakers benefit from the extra power. I think your money may be better spent on the older model amp which you should be able to find for under $2000 on the Audiogon.

Good luck!
I think the overall midrange and trebble character of the two amps (23.5 and 27.5) are similar. The 23.5 has more bass impact and seems to go deeper into the depths of the lower registers. I am not really familiar with the 300 series sound, but I can say that I am quite happy with the sound of both the 27.5 and 23.5. These both can be bought for quite a bit less than a 300 series. II don't think you would be disappointed with either the 23.5 or the 27.5. Only you can decide if it is worth spending the extra money for a 300 series amp.

How much power do you need?

Good luck with your search and happy listening.