How a pair of Mark Levinson ML2 stands with the best amps today ?

It depends how loud you listen and what type of music you listen too, these ML2’s are absolute magic with Quad 57’s and they are 86db. But I wouldn’t have a party and play AC/DC through them. Yet with Wilson Audio Alexia at min 0.9ohm and a mean of 3-4ohms at 90db you almost could "maybe". But either speaker would sound their very best before the ML2's ran out of wattage.

Cheers George

Here is a 3 angle pic of a pair of these magnificent Mark Levinson ML2’s 25w into 8ohm monoblock beasts.
Yes you read right only 25w, but it’s pure Class-A, and the amp supposedly can double all the way to 1ohm or very close to it, 50w into 4ohm 100w into 2ohm and 200w into 1ohm.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dl_s-5onlMQ/U3aOuQObHgI/AAAAAAAB8w0/dcWAEn7P7hU/s1600/ml_2_d.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeynKRtwYAU/U3aVH1ye9BI/AAAAAAAB8x4/r4y2IE0dOfM/s1600/img_0.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eknTM0uV3hs/U3aVH6L5KNI/AAAAAAAB8x8/36EssodT4_k/s1600/img_1.jpg

Cheers George

++++++++1

More designers should look at these, legendary amps, and mimic them.
They could drive anything, to given level, with out becoming a tone control.

Cheers George

Here is an very old shot of the ML3 I had to repair
200 W/channel at 8 ohms, 400 W/ch at 4 ohms, 800 W/ch at 2 ohms

It opens up like a clam very thoughtful design for techs and you can power it up like that, it was so big it wouldn’t fit on my work bench, so I used the kids homework table. Some 24 bi-polar outputs per channel 2 x massive transformers, true dual mono amp.
https://ibb.co/XCxYmkz
Didn’t come within cooee of the 25w ML2 monoblocks for sound quality

I just find it quite admirable that a class A transistor amplifier from 1977 still can on sonic grounds (the most important quality/criteria IMO) outperform so many current production amplifiers.

If you look at it nearly all tube amps today are based on the 1949 Williamson circuit, https://www.preservationsound.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/WilliamsonAmp_1947.jpg
Similar can be said about transistors, especially Matti Otala’s, Nelson Pass, John Curl, etc etc designs


Cheers George

Today's ML's don't have much feedback as the distortion specs show on the 534 and 536 poweramps.
The the poweramps have input sensitivity that's almost 3v for full output this is a low gain amp, and distortion figures of 0.3%THD  showing low feedback designs.

  (they don't show the THD for the poweramp section of the integrated's, but one would think it's the same)

Maybe they lost their way in the 10-15 years ago when they dabbled in Class-D with the very expensive No.53 monoblocks, with very complex output filters to get rid of the switching frequency, they were probably high gain and high feedback
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no53-reference-monoblock-power-amplifier

Interesting read that Mark Levinson wrote on Class-D.

"Interleaving of multiple Class D Amplifiers is potentially a step in the right direction, but does not go far enough.Personally I think that the best option would be something that combines a Class D Amplifier for the heavy lifting with something Class A for fine detail. Probably implemented in the style I did for AMR’s AM-77 "Jikoda" Style. In this case both of the circuits involved can operate fully open loop. In many ways the problems in Class D Amplifiers are analogous (but not identical to) those in Class B Amplifiers (but without an option to implement Class AB or Class A) so similar solutions apply. All Class D amplifiers are essentially delta-sigma DAC’s. If the input is not digital PWM signals (aka "DSD") but analogue audio then it is also a Delta Sigma Analogue to digital converter...Now DSD (aka SACD) which to my ears fails to come close, never mind equal true PCM CD Replay in most aspects of sound quality, operates at 2.8MHz switching, or around 10 times as fast as common Class D Amplifiers...Why anyone would want to listen through an A2D followed by an D2A Converter that are around 10 times worse than single speed DSD is beyond me. But with enough hype and snazzy naming it cannot help but sell high and wide."

And, don't worry, we haven't forgotten:

Cheers George

I think the ML2’s over the Classe by quite a margin.
The Classe uses Darlington output transistors combined driver/output, not great can’t be controlled as well, never really caught on in hiend audio.
  file:///C:/Users/georg/Downloads/Classe%20DR-3%20Service%20(1).pdf
And the ML’s use separate driver and Bi-Polar output much better scope for tuning for stability etc.
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/solid-state/268127-reason-people-dont-darlington-power-transistor.html

Cheers George

Here’s lots of info on them https://www.marklev.com/2013/04/
The WTconcept resto site was a great to see one with dozens of HD pics gets a complete resto job done,  http://www.wtconcept.com/levinsonml2/  but it closed down, even "WayBack Machine" hasn’t got it in it’s entirety

The Aboslute Sound:
One of the Ten Most Significant Amplifiers of All Time:

Mark Levinson ML2
"This John Curl designed amplifier established Mark Levinson, the man, as a driving force in the audiophile marketplace. The 25-watt ML2 monoblock, Levinson’s first power amp, was designed for wide-swing-impedance speakers such as the legendary HQD system (Hartley, stacked Quads, Decca Ribbon)."

Cheers George

Problems? Low power - read: low sensitivity speakers playing in large, deadening rooms, 25W in 8 ohms is not gonna cut it.

Yep, great sounding amp to a given level. better driving 4ohm speakers then you’ve got 50w first 25 Class-A.
A step further a 2ohm speaker then you have 100w first 25w Class-A!!!

Have a guess where I’m going ?? Wilson Alexia 90db and over 100w available for it's horror load impedance bass, again to a given level, I’d guess medium to medium/loud listening level with efficiency

Cheers George