I can remember the day, back in the late 70's that my Grandmother came home with her SX series Pioneer receiver. Grandma wasn't wealthy but she knew what she liked! That thing drove her over priced speakers into realms that, at that time, I could not imagine. Even my young untrained ears could hear a marvelous difference; a sound that I can only equate to "thick & full". It layered sound so well and did not leave voids in the spectrum as its predecessor did. Then a few years later I audition a Levinson setup and it drove the same chills up my spine that the Pioneer SX did, only on a higher magnitude. I heard a lot gear in those years but the ML got a hold of me. The Levinson badge was too rich for my blood back then but is definitely in my wheelhouse these days. A lot of older ML gear can be had for decent prices now. This is why I cherish the 332 that I have today. In fact it is probably the most unique 332 you will ever see.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0yvjhlC62G7SHVJczc2ZUV2OGs/view
I put a lot of work into that failing frame both electronically and aesthetically. But it must be said....this series is aging and in a lot of cases failing. If you get one it is silly to expect it to work as it was designed if it has not been seriously serviced recently. Yes, the larger caps are beyond their useful lives but you cannot ignore the smaller signal caps as well. As many others echo, Mark Levinson's service is one of the worst in the industry. THEY WILL NOT SELL YOU ANYTHING. THEY WILL NOT SELL ANYTHING TO AUDIO DEALERS. If you break a speaker binding, ship the 150lb monster and pay the minimum bench fee (a few hundred bucks). If you need any mundane part, ship and pay up. If you want an ML fuse, ship and pay up. Want to get bias adjustments, ship and pay up.
IMHO this series is now relegated to those users that have the technical skills, at the component level, to keep it running like new. If you are a casual consumer for vintage gear then your money could be better spent elsewhere (ie Bryston, Krell). I am not saying the amp is not worth it! It is worth every penny to me. The sound stage is astonishing and the power reserves make it drive the most complex loads effortlessly. What I am trying to do is prevent people from besmirching a fine name like Levinson when they buy an old 300 series amp and it blows the black electrolytic goo from the main caps on their $5000 Persian carpet a few months later. If the amp is overhauled then I say go-for-it. If you are unsure then buyer-beware and commit to it only if you have the skills, time and patience to bring it up to spec. Do not expect any support from ML.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0yvjhlC62G7SHVJczc2ZUV2OGs/view
I put a lot of work into that failing frame both electronically and aesthetically. But it must be said....this series is aging and in a lot of cases failing. If you get one it is silly to expect it to work as it was designed if it has not been seriously serviced recently. Yes, the larger caps are beyond their useful lives but you cannot ignore the smaller signal caps as well. As many others echo, Mark Levinson's service is one of the worst in the industry. THEY WILL NOT SELL YOU ANYTHING. THEY WILL NOT SELL ANYTHING TO AUDIO DEALERS. If you break a speaker binding, ship the 150lb monster and pay the minimum bench fee (a few hundred bucks). If you need any mundane part, ship and pay up. If you want an ML fuse, ship and pay up. Want to get bias adjustments, ship and pay up.
IMHO this series is now relegated to those users that have the technical skills, at the component level, to keep it running like new. If you are a casual consumer for vintage gear then your money could be better spent elsewhere (ie Bryston, Krell). I am not saying the amp is not worth it! It is worth every penny to me. The sound stage is astonishing and the power reserves make it drive the most complex loads effortlessly. What I am trying to do is prevent people from besmirching a fine name like Levinson when they buy an old 300 series amp and it blows the black electrolytic goo from the main caps on their $5000 Persian carpet a few months later. If the amp is overhauled then I say go-for-it. If you are unsure then buyer-beware and commit to it only if you have the skills, time and patience to bring it up to spec. Do not expect any support from ML.