2. amps-preamps
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Levinson 23.5 - I think I need a new toy.

Being a die-hard tube guy, I haven't used a ss amp in my main system for many years; except a brief stint with Meitner 101's which are now in a weekend home system. A friend wants to sell his Levinson 23.5 for what seems like a very very good price (cheap!). It is in terrific shape, hasn't been used nor abused much, and is one of the few ss amps that really picqued by interest (based on reviews) back when I was still on the fence re the tubes vs ss thing. I figure, what the hell; I can always sell it if I can't stand the ss-itis. It would be powering one of two sets of speakers; either Paragon Regents (easy load transmission line), or Stax electrostats (brutal load).

I welcome any thoughts re this amp. Reliability, desirability, resale, sonic experiences, etc. Thanks.
frogman

Showing 2 responses by frogman

frogman OP
7,370 posts
 
Thanks to all for your comments. I have gone through a succession of tube amps (currently Manley) for the last twenty years, and I have no intention of replacing the current Manley mono's; just thought it might be kinda fun to try a "serious" ss amp again. The last two (twenty yrs ago) were a Rowland, and a BEL.

What would be a "fly off the shelf" price for a sample in very good shape, in the event that I decide to not keep it. I hate to say it, but to me the average BB price strikes me as high for an amp of this age.
frogman OP
7,370 posts
 
Steveaudio, $1400; is that cheap for this amp? Does it have ss-itis? I don't know, but I have never heard a ss amp that didn't ; to varying degrees. Yes, I drive the Stax's with 200 tube watts successfully. My Meitner mono's also did a surprisingly good job of "driving" them, but did not sound nearly as good tonally and spatially.
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