Used Levinson 532H or Krell FPB 400CX

I was not impressed with any of the "h" stuff from Levinson. The Krell is a better amp IMO but I think the FBP is pretty long in the tooth unless it’s recently been redone.

There is a used pair of JC1 mono's for $5k, there probably is some wiggle room left in there.  That's where I would steer you.  

That's my dilemma.  Used older Mark Levinson or Krell ( I will have them serviced) or entry level newer stuff. Used ML 334 and Krell FPB 400 going for around 3500 or 4000 .  New used ML 532H or newer used KRELL or PASS going for the same. Is the older stuff better?

It will depend on the matching speakers.

Krell had worked wonder for Apogee Duetta Signature.

But after switching to Avalon Ascent II, I had found the sound of Krell too bright.

Mark Levinson sound gentler than Krell.

Thomas

I think either of those amps could make you happy at a reasonable cost, but I would not say they sound the same and it really comes down to your system and listening priorities. The Krell is a big-assed class A amp so expect large current draw and heat output. The 532h is a more conventional class AB design you could likely leave turned on all the time. My personal pick would be the Krell.

Krell👍