Mark Levinson 27.5 or 331 power amp?

Yes I did pick up the 23.5, and it sounds very good in my system. But I don't think I'm getting any deeper bass, but the bass is way more detailed and the overall sound is more layback at higher volumes which is a plus for me.

Moemoney, did you ever score the 23.5? If so, are you pleased with the sound?

Hey Mstram

after talking with you and what you said you hear from the two amps. I think i'll shoot for the 23.5 i'm talking with a guy now about a deal.

Well everybody I have ended up with the 331, it just had a touch more bass extension and control that the 27.5, tonally slightly richer, however I would still recommend the 27.5 to anyone.
P.S I have just slotted a Nagra PLP preamp into my system which allows the Wadia 860x to run on full gain with simply astounding results. I believe that this quality of preamp more readily allows you to hear the overall gains the 331 has over the 27.5.

I think the overall midrange and trebble character of the two amps (23.5 and 27.5) are similar. The 23.5 has more bass impact and seems to go deeper into the depths of the lower registers. I am not really familiar with the 300 series sound, but I can say that I am quite happy with the sound of both the 27.5 and 23.5. These both can be bought for quite a bit less than a 300 series. II don't think you would be disappointed with either the 23.5 or the 27.5. Only you can decide if it is worth spending the extra money for a 300 series amp.

How much power do you need?

Good luck with your search and happy listening.

But Mstram are you saying that the 23.5 and 27.5 are about the same as far as warmth and bass go, and you wouldn't upgrade to the 300 series? Also If you did upgrade to which levinson would up grade to?

I owned a No. 27 and a 27.5 and currently use a 23.5. I thought the 27.5 was an improvement over the 27, especially in the bass department. I upgraded to the 23.5 simply because my speakers benefit from the extra power. I think your money may be better spent on the older model amp which you should be able to find for under $2000 on the Audiogon.

Good luck!

Hello, I have a 332 for a few years, it's powerful and more hi-fi but not beefy and warm. If you have interest in this series, I think the entry model is 332 not 331 of lower wattage.

I never heard the 331, but I also have the 27.5 and I love it, I’ve bought it new back in 95’ I wanted to pick up a 2nd 27.5 and try to bridge the two. But haven’t made up my mind. I don’t know if it’s worth it, or should I just save up and buy the 436 mono blocks. Any comments on this would help.

I agree with Cip. I had a 27 and a 333. I loved the 27 and thought, of course, a newer, more powerful Levinson would be better. I was disappointed. The 27 is very warm and musical while the 333 was cold and analytical. Though I now use tube monos, I haven't been able to bring myself to sell the 27 because it is a terrific solid state amp. I have a friend who has a 27.5, but upgraded to a 23.5, which has the same character. If you're looking for a solid state amp at a reasonable (audiophile reasonable!) price, you can't go wrong with this series. I would assume the 331 has the same character as the 333.

I will go for 27.5.or 23.5