Levinson Amps: What do they really sound like?

I absolutely agree with the last entry. I have never owned one, but heard them on many occasions. Matched to the proper speaker (Revel Studio or Salon with Levinson is a very hard to beat combination) and they sound as beautiful, tremdendous, etc (choose your favorite adjective) as any amplifier out there (in my experience). Improperly matched (I do not remember the particular speaker that made this impression, but the impression itself was certainly memorable) and the amplifier will make you wonder why anyone would buy one. I personally prefer my Plinius, but if you are interested in solid state, you would be wise to audition a Levinson with the speakers you intend to purchase.

Good luck!!

I also agree to what Blackie wrote.How can one know that an
amp doesn´t change the signal of recorded music?
What will the comparison be,no amp at all? But then there will be no sound´....
In reality, all components in the reproduction chain seems
to affect the sound of the reproduction.And while some component´s contribution will probably be so small that
we can ignore them (at least at thise time of development),
all amps seems to have some sort of sonic signature, and they do interact with the preamps as well as the loudspekers we use!
I´ve heard the Levinsson 334 a few times, with Revel speakers,Levinson CDP and preamp, and to my ears that system was a rather easy-listening system,althought it didn´t got up so much of details.Dynamics was good,without
beeing outstanding.At the same time, there may be systems
that are slightly more true to the reality.But I can´t say
how a Levinson amp sound by itself, and Levinson also have their reference line.

I don't own one, but seriously considered the No. 336 after two long weekend home auditions. I agree with Blackie that its greatest attributes are resolution and soundstage. It also has very deep and full bodied bass. Ultimately I felt the Levinson was to polite and reticent in the mids for my tastes. I auditioned the No. 336 with Thiel CS7.2s.

I used to love my ML#331 (not the current line) until someone told me to try the Pass Labs Aleph line. I sold my 331 for the Aleph 4 because it sounded even more natural and real. You won't go wrong with ML, but you might still prefer some others. I have not heard the current line (334-336) or the reference line.

I agree with most of the above comments. The problem, once you already have the speakers you want to use, is getting one-three dealers to lend you three or four (or with monoblocks, seven to eight) huge amps and drag them home to listen. And then there is the problem of comparison: see how fast you can substitute a pair of Levinsons for a pair of Krells, warm up the second pair, and then try and remember what the first pair sounded like! Then switch them back to check yourself! There is a shortcut--call the speaker manufacturer and ask them (a) what amp(s) they voiced the speaker on, and (b) what their reactions to the newest amps on the market are. Manufacturers lend each other equipment, or sample what's around, to see what changes they might want to make to their own lines, and this gives you a big leg up in deciding what 150 pound monsters to lug home. (Oh yeah, I don't have them, but Levinsons have sounded great when I've heard them on B & w's and Revels.)