In what ways is Mark Levinson better than Krell?

Every time I see the name 'Krell' I think of that 1983 Sci-Fi movie called 'Krull' - At least with Mark Levinson, you are getting equipment made by, well, a guy called Mark Levinson (real name Morris Levinstein)

just kidding about that last part...

I respectfully disagree with Cello on the newer Levinson
products. I've owned a #23 and 27.5 amp, 26 preamp, 25
phono amp and ML-1 preamp. The #25 phono preamp was dry,
analytical and not very musical. The remaining items were
excellent, but not to the same level as my current 380S
preamp and 335 power amp. The earlier 3XX series was not
among their best but the later 334-336 amps were (are)
superb amps.

jvogt -- you are half right/wrong about your mid-nineties Levinson experience. The 27.5 is a pretty great amp, but the 23, 25, and 26 were all merely adequate, nothing special. However their successors, the 23.5, 25S, and 26S were (and still are) sonically lightyears ahead of almost everything (in amps and preamps anyway) that came after. I have not actually heard a 32 preamp, some say it finally exceeds the 26S. Frankly, at that price, it should grind it into the dust!!

Actually the name Krell comes from the 1956 sci-fi picture"Forbidden Planet"...its great,Bob...oh,they were a master race thar did amazing technological feats of building and had extremely high intelligence,but were killed by their Id....

I can't speak to the integrated amps, but I have owned both the Krell FBP 350MCX and the Levinson 436 Monoblocks. Even though I kept the Levinsons and sold the Krells, I did not come to the conclusion that the Levinsons were superior. Actually, they are very similar and both fabulous amps. Final decision between these, IMO, would be system synergy, not sound quality. Finally, I don't want to be rude, but the idea that late Levinson amps like the 436 are not musical is just plain ridiculous.