recommendations for a replacement for a Levinson no 23
Pyramid Audio in Austin TX has been a recommended service center. 305 East Braker Ln. / Austin, TX 78753-2746 Phone: (512) 458-8292 Fax: (512) 453-4542 [email protected] |
This is from the Pyramid Audio web site: No23 and No23.5 have amazing build quality. Most problems have nothing to do with a design weakness but are simply due to their age. For almost 30 years now they have cooked themselves to the point of failure. Service is difficult because the internal construction has no connectors. That’s right, everything is soldered in place. Not only that but the common problems are not so much capacitors but a fair number of resistors that have aged and have become noisy and there are a number of capacitors that need to be replaced. The good news is the very largest electrolytic capacitors almost never fail and that does keep the price down to some extent. However the repair takes in the neighborhood of 30 hours. The result is an amplifier with the original specifications and classic Mark Levinson sound. So the bill for overhauling the No23 or No23.5 typically runs about $3000, maybe a fifth of the replacement cost. I just wasn't sure my No 23 was worth that expensive of a repair considering what they don't replace would still be almost 30 yrs old. jafant I not considered the No 27 as the Aerius is a very power hungry speaker and without one to try I am not sure if it would power them to the level I occasionally like to listen at. |
