Does the Mark Levinson 331 suck?

Hi Kevin. I've owned a 331 and other Levinson amps after that and none of them sucked. The 331 is not the very best available, but it beats most of what's out there. I see several problems with your system: the biggest is probably your room--remember, a bad room will quickly ruin even the best of systems. Secondly, your "generic" "signal cable cables" more than likely suck! Cheap cables are like cheap tires on a Porsche--you just don't get the same performance as with good ones. Bite the bullet and get good cables! Transparent Audio cables sound very nice with Levinson. Try some! Your CD player is OK, but out of it's league with a Levinson anything. The Adcom is out of it's league too and can sound bright and irritating with the wrong combination of components. In sum, your VPI and Levinson are the strongest links--the room and other stuff the weakest. I'd try a different room first, then upgrade the rest! I'm not trying to be harsh, but in a system, you must strive for a good BALANCE. You've got some very good components mixed in with some average ones. Then there's that bad room.... consult with an acoustician who deals with home audio/video systems all the time. Not all do. He or she may have some solutions that may help improve your room if not cure it of it's problems. Unfortunately, a "magical" sounding amp will not cure what ails your system or room. Good luck.

Walkingman you are right on I agree with you 100%

kevin, i use a proceed hpa2, of the same lineage as the levinson 331. stupid question, but are you sure the levison is completely run in? my experience of the proceed is that is has taken many hours (100? 200?) to completely break in and produce a musically satisfying sound. also, i use a tubed preamp. the proceed is amazing in its slam factor; it is not "harmonically rich" (i.e., as stated above, pleasantly distorted). good luck and happy listening ....

I recently compared the Marsh a400 and the Levinson 331 and can not understand where you are coming from when you say the Marsh a400 "smokes" the Levinson 331 in every way. I found just the opposite to true. The 331 was more authoritive and refined and did a better job in resolving detail. The Levinson also provided better extension on both frequency extremes and portrayed a much more real soundstage.

Your Adcom preamp is a poor match with the Levinson amp. The Levinson amp will highlight the noise and grainy sound from the Adcom. Ditch the Adcom.