Are new Mark Levinson Preamps better than old?


I have had a Mark Levinson ML 380 premap for 27 years, and am considering upgrading to a more recent model such as ML 523, ML 526, or ML 5206.  Has anyone heard both the ML 380 and any of the new models?  If so, how do they compare, and is it worth an upgrade?

j2b

I agree with Testpilot.  I used to have a 25s/26s/23.5/37-360s set-up and later added 20.6's (which I recently sold).  All Madrigal CZ-Gel interconnects and even camac shorting plug's for un-used inputs.  That system was quiet as chair.   It mostly drove Tympani 1-D's and JBL 4345's.  When I told the guys in the Levinson room @ CES several years ago what I had, their jaws dropped, and they admitted that that was the pinnacle of ML and It's been downhill with Harmon ever since.  The ML32/33H was their attempt to better the 26s/20.6's and I'm sure it is a formidable combo, if it isn't total over-kill...
I moved on to Hartsfields and Marantz tube gear 15 years ago.

I have a pair of 33h amps and personally  I liked  the Ayre k1xe  better than the levinson  pre. I have a tube front end and I have been thinking  about a pathos synapse  preamplifier.  But just thinking as I am happy where I am at currently.  

isnt amazing

A person asks a simple question will the ML5206 replace an older ML380 as an upgrade and gets maybe 1 or 1 1/2 reasonable answers.

The rest of the replies  are people telling you what gear they have and the original question is long gone.

Please keep to the original Question , we dont want to know what colour socks your grand mother wears. Or what speakers you run.