How a pair of Mark Levinson ML2 stands with the best amps today ?

Hi.

How's the sound between ML20 compare to ML2?
Thanks
mac

I think I can provide some useful information on the ML2. I'm sorry to be so late to this conversation. I have been out of the audiofile world for decades, and I've decided I want to do some serious listening through a good system again. I'm thinking you folks can help me catch up with new developments and products.

Mark Levinson hired me to be chief engineer for his company in December, 1974. I was the ninth employee and first engineer at the company, and I participated in the development and production of the ML2 amplifier. I relate that info simply as background.

The ML2 is capable of 100 watts into 8 ohms in a bridged configuration. That requires two ML2s per channel, one driven normally and the other driven in inverse polarity. Both connections are on the back panel. Although they were uncommmon, triamped HQD systems with an ML2 on each tweeter and bridged ML2s on the mids sounded amazing, and amazingly loud. I don't recall the various large amps used to drive the Hartley woofers, which ranged up to 24 inches.

I'll be happy to provide additional information on request. It's been over 40 years, but I still remember my MLAS experience pretty well.

George Mayhew

Thanks George for a outstanding read and rememberence things Mark Levinson!! 

Thanks George.  It is great to hear/read about engineers/designers.  The ML-2 is one of my favorite amps.  Same for the ML-3.  That was/is a monster also.  Doesn't sound quite as good as a 23.5, but, it is pretty nice.

George, did you have anything to do with the design of the 23.5?  To this day, it is still one of my favorite and still better sounding amps.

enjoy

These were all great amps. I owned an ML-2, ML-3 and No 23.5 in the mid 80's. I started with an ML-2 but I was driving Magneplaner Tympani-IVs in a very large room. At low volumes, it was absolutely exquisite, but it ran out of power at louder volumes, and since I was in my 20s then, I liked to crank them louder than I should have. I switched to an ML-3 which had tons of grunt. When I sold my Tympani IVs and switched to Duntech Sovereigns, I also traded in my ML-3 for a No 23.5, which I agree was more refined. But these were all great amps in their day, and I think the ML-2 and No 23.5 could still hold their own against current amps (at least under $20K).