Mark Levinson 326S with Nelco board


The latest incarnation of the Levinson 326S now has a Nelco board rather than Arlon. Does anyone know why and when the change was implemented and what sonic improvement this material produces for the 326S?
lula

Showing 2 responses by lula

Nsgarch, there's a review of the 326s by Jason Kennedy.....techradar.com website. I found it by googling 326s reviews. He states that Nelco material has replaced Arlon due to better insulation properties. I plan to call Harmon and find out what sonic differences the unit has. I have a 380s, which I've used for about 12 years. I found it superior to a 32 in my system, which absolutely shocked me. I tried the 326s about 2 years ago and found it to better the 32 and to have greater clarity and transparency than my 380s. But....the 326s had a leaner bass, while the 380s had greater weight throughout the midbass into the lower midrange. As Atkinson pointed out in his 326s review in Stereophile, some people find the the 380s to have over ripe, plummy bass while others find it sounds just right in their system. I'm in the latter group, but I'd love to have what the 326s does in the upper mids through the treble. I'm hoping the change to Nelco gives the bass greater impact.
Just spoke to Richard at Harman....he says no sonic differences, with the Nelco actually being a little more durable. The change was made due to stricter regulations abroad....hmm, I also think costs come into play here.