Levinson vs. McIntosh vs. Lexicon or ?

6550 I hear what you are saying, but I am not convinced of your conclussions. I spoke with some people (@ Harmon) in Indiana about a month ago. There were quite a few people there from both Levinson and Proceed, so I cannot agree that they have fired everybody.

I also don't necessarily agree that the pro audio market side shouldn't be doing any of the work on the ML equipment.

At the same time, I can completely see how you could have these concerns (I just haven't seen them yet!). I hope you are not right, but you very well could be in the long run.

IIRC, Harmen Int. bought Madrical Labs to get the Levinson brand and did away with the line call "Proceed" which started out to be "low cost-affordable" Levinson, but then morphed into Home Theater gear, as this was about the time that HT was really taking off. Since the Proceed line was too similar to Lexicon, which Harman already owned and it was never part of Levinson or the old pre Harman Madrical Labs, the Proceed name was droped.

Bigger question - what now becomes of ML, now that Madrical Labs has been 100% ended,shut down, and most people fired, and the ML brand (along with Lexicon, Revel,and JBL(something) has been moved to Indiana and mixed with the "pro audio group", which is really Crown I suppose?? Does ML now just become a name stuck onto a box of whatever?
Are ML amps going to sound like PA systems ?

I'm surpries you guys have not talked about this at all.

I live in Northern California, and at last check there are only four (4) dealers left selling Mark Levinson, when at one time there were dozens in the Bay Area. What the heck is going on?

Nagra PSA. Simply the best SS amp I have heard at anything close to its price point. I am auditioning one now at home and don't think I will be able to pass it up!

I am quite familiar with Krell, Levinson, and McIntosh stereo amps. I listed them as I rank them sonically. I would take the Nagra any day over any of the stereo amp offerings of the former three.

Why bothese with these when there are Krells??? ;)

Id also prefer the Levinson over the mcintosh any day

I do not consider Lexicon amp to be in the same league as a ML amp (I do agree with the Harmon support and service mentioned above). I am not crazy about McIntosh with Wilson, but otherwise I generally like Mc. I do like Wilson speakers (that is what I run). Of the three amps listed by OP, I would go with a Levinson .5 series or better.

I can tell you that the Mac sounds better than the Lexicon.
The service from Harmon international companies does not hold a candle to Mac service.

Levinson Wanted over $ 1200.00 to fix a transport. (Analogique in NYC charged $ 685.00)

Lexicon will not release skimatics to any repair shop and wanted a fortune to fix an MC12 processor

The Mac 136 processor is excellent and sounds great in Stereo too.

Mac fixes all gear at very fair prices, and promptly too.

I believe from my own experirence that Mac amps (with autoformers) mate well with most speakers.They are also smooth and powerful sounding, and each of those speakers that you mention are high resolution designs that could sound bright with the wrong amp.