levinson 336


Hello was wondering about the 335 power amplifier, While ot has good reviews, Many of the used units have been serviced and updated. whats up with that
128x128hiend2
The 300 series Levinson amps are wonderful sounding
and built like a tank. I did own a 335 Levinson amplifier
for 6 years. After 5 years the capacitors required
replacement/upgrading. Besides that no other issues.
I was mistaken its a 336, Id say by how many ive seen in for servicing its somewhat of a parts/design issue. The 23.5 is much older unit, Ive never seen as service been a requirement/issue...
I recently sent my 336 in for a tune-up - several caps and a handful of resistors were changed.

I must say that it's made a huge improvement over an already great amplifier.

I did have it up for sale - but now I honestly don't think I can part with it. The 336 is a killer amp.
Jim, where did you send your 336 for a tune-up and what did it cost. I have a 334 and may, in the future, be interested in doing the same. Thanks
Call Jaime at Levinson. He can tell you what the "maximum" cost will be - in my case it was $950.

Even if every component is dead they will rebuild it to good as new for the max.

I'm not sure if your 334 will be the same - but I am still amazed at how those new caps have improved this amp.

I recently auditioned a pair of JC-1's after all the praise they have gotten - and IMO the 336 flat out smokes them.

I really think my 336 is off the market. :)
Regarding Levinson's "maximum" cost, beware that you will most likely end up paying that amount + shipping cost any time you send anything in for repair at Levinson.

I had a capacitor failed on my 333 last year (twice in 8 years. First time was covered under warranty), and I sent it in for repair and the cost turned out to be that, the "maximum". I also sent my No. 37 transport in a few weeks after I sent the amp in because the tray was not going in and out properly. They told me over the phone that the transport just needed a minor adjustment, and should not cost more than a few hundred dollars. And they would call me and confirm that after the tech get a chance to examine the unit. But I needed to authorized the work in advance with an understanding that the "maximum" cost would not exceed $1200. And even though it would not reach that amount, I needed to authorize it per company procedure for them to proceed.

When I received the bill a few weeks later I almost jumped through the roof as they had charged me the maximum plus shipping for both items. When I inquired about it, the person said that he did not know the details, but he believed the tech had put in a brand new transport mechanism plus upgraded all the software, jitter clock in my transport. I asked why was I not informed about the "additional" upgrades which I did not authorized, he could not give me an answer except that "the entire work would have costed me over $2k without the protection of the prestated "maximum" cost. I later found out through another No. 37 owner a Mark Levinson internal document floating around on the internet showing how to recalibrate the tray. It only required pushing a few buttons.

As for the amp, they had put in brand new capacitors for both channels. According to Levinson, the failing capacitor was a very common problem with the 3xx series. One reason was the source of the capacitor that Madrigal used to use. But from the explanation I got over the phone, I suspect it might have be a design flaw, which should not have been acceptable for an amp retailed at $10k. Supposedly, after Harmon took over, Harmon had switched to a different, more reliable supplier for the capacitors.

I was fed up after the incident so I traded in the 333 for a Pass 350.5. I was floored when I heard the X350.5 in my system. I wish I had switched earlier and save me the grievance. I had discussed my experience here before. And apparently they are many others who have had similar experiences in dealing with Levinson. Needless to say, I will never purchase another Levinson gear in the future.

For what it's worth, the amp did sound better after the capacitor change. I just didn't want to have to spend over $1k every few years just to keep this thing working....

FrankC

YES,AND TO ALL IS PYRMID  AUDIO  A SHOP THAT KNOWS WHAT THERE DOING AND WILL THEY SELL SERVICE MANUALS TO A  OWNER AND I HAVE A 33 IN THE BOXES NEVER TAKEN OUT FROM 2002-3 AND I CAN GET THE OEM CAPS BUT NEED A SERVICE MANUAL AND I AGAIN ASK SBOUT PYRMID AND ID LOVE TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK HERE.!!!!!!!!