Is this upgrade worth it?

Well if he is truely a friend, he would let you hear it in your room w/ your gear for a couple days. Then you would know if it was an upgrade or not. His asking price certainly doesn't say friend, IMHO. Considering most used 333's are selling for under $4K used. Did he spend well over $1K on this alledged upgrade (not including the repair fees)?

It could be me, but I've bought gear from friends, and I've sold gear to friends. We usually get a price discount in the friend's club. If someone wants me to pay more for an item than I could buy the same item for on AudiogoN, I wouldn't consider them a friend as much as I'd consider them a salesman. That's just my humble opinion.

John

No i havent tried any hi-current amp's on the speakers,but would love to. .What could make the sound just conk out when it's played a little louder?

Would your friend allow you to hear it in your system?

Hmmm, from yr Electros' spec'd ~220W/8ohm, 1kHz, medium damping you'd be going to ~300W/8ohm, 1kHz, low damping with the MLs. Not much of a power/energy difference, I'm afraid.

Have you ever tried a very powerful amp on these spkrs -- just to compare & contrast "ease of drive" etc. Say a big Crown pro amp -- on loan of course??
I strongly suggest you try this, just to confirm it's the energy that's lacking (or not, as it were).

buy a Pass X350.5 for the same money. a friend sold his 333 for X350.5 and he is a MUCH MUCH happier man now.

Thanks for allyour replies,I'm not to sure on this upgrade either.Is it really an upgrade,the big thing for me, is it going to sound BETTER??.I think i need more power(current)and maybe thats why i'm thinking of this.It seems like the electrocompanient's don't give me the volume that i would like sometimes.They sound great, but when i turn it up they seem to get drained.Almost like a soft clipping noise.My speakers(Artemis EOS sig/large bass module) can play very loud and I would love get full potential from these speakers.

electros are great

Having heard both, I'd have a hard time going ahead with the trade. I like Electrocompaniet, and have nothing against ML, but this sounds like a sideways move.

Third that. That should be enough to pass on that offer. Keep hunting, you'll do better...why not post anew and be more specific as to your needs or what you are missing in your present rig. You'll get the amp/amps to look for...IMO..warren :)

Second the above as, the Electros you have are good units anyway: it is not evident that they're flawed vs. the ML.

I'll second Tvad's advice, he made you an offer that you CAN refuse.

OTOH, a ML-333.5 is a true upgrade path from the #333 to the #336 although not
identical. IF THIS IS WHAT HE'S SELLING, it might be worth consideration- supposedly the ".5" upgrade was a serious attempt by levinson to add life/musicality to their austere (read- somewhat analytical-sounding) 331/332/333 series of amplifiers, using much better circuit boards and parts. in addition you'll be getting 300W/channel. again, just be sure that's the "upgrade" your friend is referring to, and not just new caps.