Mark Levinson 333 vs Classe ca300

I would avoid the 333 like a plague. I had purchased mine from a dealer (demo unit). The caps blew 5 years later, sent it back to Madrigal and they got it fixed under warranty. Only had to pay shipping to send it to Madrigal. ($200 +/-). 3 years later, the caps belw again. I spoke to the tech guy at Harmon, he told me that he checked the history on this unit and apparently it had two cap replacements. The first time was sent in by the dealer. Since it was out of warranty, it cost me over $1300!

It did sound better after the cap replacement, but I traded it in for a brand new Pass X350.5. I would never want to live with the fear that the caps would blow any time.

FrankC

the caps are all replaced

If the caps have been replaced I am sure it has years of reliability left. A friend of mine has had a 334 for 3 yrs with no problems.

My buddy owned the Classe CAM 350 monos and they sounded wonderful. Best amps he has owned overall. I would have to say that the monos sounded better up top and the mids than his 334 if this is of any help to you.

Classe....simply for their service history and reputation, plus it is a nice sounding amp. I would not touch ML with a 10 foot pole due to ther lack of service and support and especially considering the ML 300 series problems.

I don't know your budget, but it might help you make up your mind if you get the chance to hear the 300 in bridged mode. I know it means buying two, but it sounds noticeably sweeter with better low end control running as a monoblock. You could get one now and run in stereo, then upgrade later with a second.

on the possibility that it may need service someday, the classe. sonically they both have the finese of the best ss.....if the levinson is absolutely cherry, and you understand its not the cheapest to fix...if it ever needs it...then you know what to do.