Any Levinson owners/critics out there?

My first high end system was ML 20.6 mono amps and a ML 26S pre-amp with the teflon boards. You never forget your first love, and I have only fond memories of that Levinson based system. I have listened to the newer ML gear, and to my ears, the sound is less involving when compare to the older ML series, although my first hand experience is limited to the above mentioned two ML pieces and the ML 23.5 amp. When it comes to looks and build, ML gear is first rate, although it cannot compare to the seductive glow of tubes.

griswold,
I own a 37 transport and 36S DAC. I have owned a Theta Basic III and a Timbre Dac. The Levinson bettered both in my system. I found it to be neutral, slightly laid back, with excellent resolution of detail. I heard more of the recording than with the other two. The Theta had an "in your face" presentation which I tired of over time. The Timbre sounded comparatively dark with not as much resolution. I am very happy with this setup and have no plans to change it. Hope this helps.

Hey Beemer, what amp do you use to drive those Infinity Beta towers??

I know it has been some time since your post but I just found it and would like to provide you my experience with Levinson. Skipping all the amps I have used in the past, McIntosh, Krell and Levinson amps are still with me. I used to have a McIntosh MC2205 as my main amp for my living room system's front speakers (Legacy Focus). Once I located my Levinson, it found its home on my main speakers and the McIntosh has become the amp for my bedroom system (which only gets used to sleep and at very low volumes).

The Legacy Focus loudspeakrs are very efficient so the Levinson has obviously no problem with them at all. Before the Focus, I had Infinity Kappa 8 (original series). These speakers let you know if things were to bright with their Emit K ribbons but the low impedance required the amp to really work. The Levinson again had no problem handling the low impedance and took complete control of the speaker system. Regarding sound quality, the Levinson amps probably one of the smoothest sounding solid state I have heard. It is very transparent, spacious and linearly flat at all listening levels.

Moving back to the Focus as the listening speaker - I listen to music including classic rock, disco, hip hop, jazz, and easy listening sound quality recordings. I listen at many different levels. The Levinson makes the Focus fill the rooms with sound at very low levels in which you can easily follow any instrument without loosing focus. It has the energy to produce low frequency bass at very low levels at the right level compared to the mids and highs. When I turn it up, the Levinson doesn't even budge. As loud as I can take it, the sound appears crystal clear and more importantly, linear. Again, any instrument you choose to focus on is clear and reproduced at the right volume compared to other frequencies. The McIntosh has a more brighter sound at high volumes much like a Bryston. The Levinson provides the same audio experience at any listening level. I really do not know how loud it can play and continue to produce sound as I am describing because at the levels I stop, there is no sign of distortion even when the most dynamic passages scare the ---- out of me!

As for integration - I use the Levinson to power my main speakers and I have a Krell 3-channel to power a center and rear surrounds when I use the system for home theater. The Krell appears to blend more naturally with the Levinson than the McIntosh amps I have tried.

I have no idea how the Levinson would sound on a dynamic set of horns but it allowed me to easily get lost in music on Infinity Kappa 8 and Legacy Focus loudspeaker systems.

For a budget of 10K I'd recommend:

- Levinson 390S
- Levinson 436 monos

If you get them both on Agon, not only will you stay within your budget, but you'll have a killer system that you could potentially keep for a lifetime with no fear of "a better sound" out there.