Any Levinson owners/critics out there?

One of my favorite system is a combination of Levinson reference gears + transparent reference cables + Revel Salon. I heard it few years ago at the Stereophile show in LA. I felt this system had the ease of pace, and very true soundstage. Female vocal was excellent. Although the room the system was in was a bit small in my opinion, I felt this system sounded much better than the Martin Logan statement/Wilson Grand Slamm they had in the bigger conference rooms. I spent quite a bit of time in this room that weekend.

I've also heard the Levinson #33h driving the Nautilus 801s at the local dealer. It sounded pretty impressive as my first impression. I had meant to go back and spend more time with this setup as I had been considering upgrading to the 801s or the Salons.

I currently have the Levinson #333, #37 in one system, and #36 in another system. I think the Levinson gears are very neutral and polite. If you like to sit in the front row of a concert, or get that "in-your-face" sound, this amp might be too polite for you. But if you tend to sit in the middle rows of a concert hall, I think the Levinson amp would be an excellent match for your speakers.

Many critics complained about the lacking of midrange bloom with Levinson amps. I recently added analog to my rig, and I found the mids to be very sweet. I would think this comment is more of an analog-digital argument rather than an attribute of the amp.

Good luck

I own 30.6 / 31.5 / 32 / 335 with B&W 802N. Will buy the same (except may be 33h instead of 335) without second tought. How good ML is becomes only clear when I compare them to my previous gear (KRC-HR & KSA-200S which I still have). The ML fit-n-finish is examplary, service is first class. Best of all, ML is known for its upgrade paths. If its sound fits your tastes (it does to mine), you need not to hesitate.

I have owned a number of pieces of Levinson gear, from their pre-amps to their transport to their CD players. All in all there was a distinct lack of musicality, warmth and sweetness. I will admit that the 39 was an exceptional CD player, but overall I found the ML equipment lacking. I was simply not being involved by the music. In this day, it seems that one can spend far less money in order to put together a wonderfully musical and involving system, than just a few short year ago. Rogue Audio, Blue Circle, Antique Sound Labs, Audio Refinement are but a few brands, that may provide you with more musical satisfaction for your money.

I own the ML 37 transport and 360S DAC connected with a Cardas AES/EBU cable and consider the combination excellent. BTW, when connected with Madrigal's own AES/EBU cable music became too analytic. I auditioned a 331 amp-- in home for a week and did not care for the "big bloom" it created-- but that was in a different system. I like the attractive-- somewhat industrial-- look of the Levinson components. No regrets about the ML gear I own. And BTW, finding a used ML37 transport is damned hard! Cheers. Craig

I'm a 'hybrid" Levinson guy. I like to use BAT tube preamps in front of Levinson solid state amps. I own a classic ML3, a 333 and a pair of 33H now.

Two different systems, One with Infinity Betas and another with Aerial 10t's.

Had lots of solid state amps over the years, the Levinsons have never let me down.