My amp is toast


Earlier today while lisening to my system my ML333 went up in smoke. While it is probably repairable but at what price point. It had just been recapped when I bought it and still in the warentee period but that was several years ago. Needless to say I am now considering replacing it. I had looked at Pass Labs prior but could not come up with a reasonable argument for upgrading then. I am considering Pass X-260.8 pair monoblock at the upper limit of my budget or  X-250.8

I run a ARC LS27, PS DirectStream & PS Memory Player, a Magnum Dynalab  MD 809T Internet Radio Tuner and a CR-7a tapedeck with Shahinian Hawks.

I like the mix from tube feeding ss and I am pretty happy with the remaining components and see little reason to do any additional upgrading. Suggestion, comments welcome, possible other avenues worth considerine....
128x128stevea11757
Check out PS Audio M700 monoblocks; 30 day in home trial. They arrive Tuesday here and I can't wait to hear them.

I think you would be making a mistake before you at least have a local repair shop take a look. for the cost of an hour service it would be nice to know if its really toast or just a simple fix. Smoke can come out for the tiniest resistor failing and may cost $2 plus labour. Also you will know whats wrong and weather its worth fixing at all. Its defiantly worth having it looked at even if you sell it in the future. If you don't know were to take it in your area ask in the forms here maybe someone can point you in the right direction. Google in your area too,  And really any competent tech can find most faults in any gear you don't have to sent it to the manufacturer or some specialty shop halve way across the country, I mean its electronics not rocket science.

I am sorry if I gave the impression that I was going to abandone all hope for the amp. I have a guy near by that I will bring it to (once I get a helping hand to bring it down from the upstairs location). I will at least get it looked at and depending on the damage ($$) I can get it repaired but even then I would probably put it in the second system and move that amp to my office system and sell of my Bendini 100/100. For the time being I will be moving the ML 23.5 to my main system and the Bendini to my second system and an old Perreaux 3150 to the office.
stevea11757
Just get the  ML333 repaired whatever the cost, the only manufacturers that make them like this that can almost double the wattage for each halving of impedance loading down to 2ohms, are amps the likes of Gryphon, D'Aogostino, ect ect.

Cheers George 
i cannot imagine that you can't fix it for a few hundred $$.  Compare that to new amps!
When you say "went up in smoke" can you be a bit more detailed and precise?
To one earlier comment - even if its "only a resistor" the question is "why?" (which is certainly more than a resistor). Something failed or shorted.
It took the breaker on my furman out twice, the first time I was in another room and other than seeing that all the equipment on the power conditioner was out I did not hear or smell anything odd. While looking for a cause I did notice that the amp was slightly warmer than usual as it was on for a short period of time and I was not pushing it, rather it was on as background while I was working on a different project. Locating the popped breaker on the conditioner, I reset it, fired up the equipment a piece at a time and when I turned on the amp and took it out of standby there was a sound coming from it, not a pop of a cap but something else then a fair amount of smoke before it tripped the breaker.

After some research, I am hoping that something in the power end went, maybe a resistor or a power cap and some wire? As soon as I get it over to the shop I will get a better idea. Just put the Bedini in its stead, no where near the power but perfectly acceptable for the time being....
This aint gunna be cheap to fix, and needs someone who really knows his way around the ML333 and has access to the complete service manual, this BTW should be asked before you hand it over for repair.
http://bilder.hifi-forum.de/max/27360/ml-333-02_39469.jpg
http://bilder.hifi-forum.de/max/27360/ml-333-04_39470.jpg
http://www.hifishock.org/galleries/electronics/mark-levinson/power-amplifier/no-333-2-mark-levinson....


ML Repair specialists

GEORGE MEYER A/V

4844 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
(310) 820-1113
[email protected]
www.georgemeyer-av.com

PYRAMID AUDIO

305 East Braker Lane
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 458-8292
[email protected]
www.pyramid-audio.com

TECHNETRON ELECTRONIC INC

29 East 31 street 2nd floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel:212-725-8778
Fax:212-447-5970
[email protected]

UNITED RADIO

5717 Enterprise Parkway
East Syracuse, NY 13057
Toll-free: 800-634-8606
(315) 446-8700
[email protected]
www.unitedradio.com



Cheers George
Well, just got it into the shop, now I wait to see what the damages will end up being...keeping my fingers crossed
I replaced a ML 336 with a pair of Parasound JC1's and have never looked back.

Hope it's an easy fix, but if not consider the JC1's.
I really like the amp over others I have and have had. It is nice to have the power even if it rarely tapped. Although, I am growing to like my Perreaux 3150 that is currently standing in for it and doing a much better job that a Bedini I had also tried.
FWIW, I loved my ML336 and would still have it had the caps not failed on me.  I didn't want to deal with that type of maintenance but loved the amplifier.
fortunately my 333 was recapped prior to me buying it (was still in warentee when I got it). Having done a bunch of research, found replacement caps (non-Philips) that were recommended. Since I do not believe it is a cap problem I am hopeful.