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Levinson 3XX Amplifier Repairs

Thought i would post this as it is hard to find any solid information online about the Mark Levinson 33x capacitor repair problem.

I purchased a 332 here on audiogon about 6 months ago. A few weeks ago it developed a loud hum in the right channel. i contacted Levinson (or what is left of them) and was informed that there are only 2 authorized repair shops in the US. Pyramid Audio in Texas and The Service Bench in Mass.

I called the service bench first and was informed that they charged a FLAT LABOR RATE OF $900 + parts! This was a crazy number so i called Pyramid Audio. They said it was a $100 diagonstic fee that would be applied to parts and labor. this seemed reasonable so i shipped the amp to them ($150 shipping).

About 1 week later i received a call from Pyramid Audio stating that my reapir was going to be $1600!!! They also gave me the option of abandoning the amp or having it shipped back!

I feel that i am getting gouged here but really have no choice so i went ahead and got the amp repaired. i'll keep everyone posted on how the repairs ended up.
gmoneyreece

Showing 1 response by jmcgrogan2

jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
That is the price of playing in the high end. Similar to owning a Rolls-Royce....repair cost are very expensive. I've been there, done that. I've owned 9 BAT pieces, 2 of which failed, costing me over $2200 for factory repairs combined.

If you want to play with the big boys....expect to have big repair cost, especially for older gear. As for powerful SS amps, I would expect that the caps would need to be replaced with age. I personally would not buy a big SS amp that is around 10 years old or older w/o knowing the caps have been replaced.....but that's just me. I would buy it if the selling price assumed I'd replace the caps. Similar to buying a used car that is due to have the timing belt replaced. It's all in the negotiations. Live n' learn.

Cheers,
John
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