WOULD IT BE DUMB TO BUY A MARK LEVINSON NO 23.5

The thing with vintage Levinson amps you should be aware of is not the power supply capacitors but the EMI suppression caps (Rifa PME271) across the mains voltage. These apparently do not age well and fail short, creating a fire hazard. I had one of these fail on my Levinson 20.6 -- saw a wisp of smoke and shut it down, and still there was burn damage on the pcb. Then I replaced all those caps in both amps.

(Here is a picture of a 23.5 for sale as is for parts:
https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649367673-mark-levinson-235-for-parts-or-possible-repair/images/1595023/
the fire started at the front of the amp where the power supply board is located).

When I got my 23.5, the first thing i did was to replace all of the EMI caps. It was a bear of a job because both heat sinks had to be removed to get to the front board and then there was the spaghetti nest of wiring to contend with. The power supply caps were easy to replace since they are held in place by cap brackets and the wires are connected by screw terminal to eyelet lugs. You can move the heat sinks out of the way without desoldering any wires since there is JUST enough play in the wires for the caps to clear.

Worth it? IMO you would have to spend upwards of $20k to get the same kind of low end unlimited current delivery performance.

It’s the most breakable brand in the gear!
And it's very expensive to fix
And it's very expensive to fix...
It's the most breakable brand in the gear!

Tadam!!!

@testpilot
Yes, taking anything apart can be a pain. Try real consumer gear, made to NOT be fixable....
But I would not have expected them to obscure parts values, unless its a very unusual, secret way of using a part. But cap voltages? really? That also means they are buying custom runs - which simply drives up cost on parts that one ought to be able to get from distributor stock.

I had a JC-1 and some later stuff that was clear as day. But that, admittedly, is ancient history.
Anyway, if they are, its a good point.
I'd just measure the DC values and work backwards though.  they can't obscure those!

I did it. I bought it for 2 grand. Its playing now over the the Martin Logans. Thought it would be harsh with the Logans. It's not. Its lush. I knew my Logans where an open speaker but now its wall to wall soundstage. The delicacy and detail of instruments. The air. Oh, and in all the excitement I forgot to hook up the REL SUBWOOFERS. Thought they were playing the bass is out of this world. 30 year old amp? Bring over anything to try beat this!!! Oh and MEYER AV in Los angeles is one of the few authorized service centers for Levinson will do a rebuild for 2 grand. Its going there this month. I will be in it 4 grand. Doubt anything can touch it. LEVINSON IS THAT GOOD!!!

Check the capacitors for leaks, bulging, etc. If you don’t see any problems, you should be good. It is one of the better amps around and can drive pretty much any speaker. And it has a beautiful midrange. This amp bring the best out of voices with tightly focused image and clearly defined boundaries.

It has plenty of slam. Don’t worry about some of the issues mentioned above. If it ain’t broken, don’t try to fix it. When the time comes, it will let you know if things needs to be changed/upgraded.

Considering the age of the amp, my suggestion is turn this off when not listening and turn on about 30 mins before a session. There are reasons to leave solid-state amps on all time. But not this one. Heat from the unit can do more harm to the older electronics.