Levinson 3XX Amplifier Repairs


Thought i would post this as it is hard to find any solid information online about the Mark Levinson 33x capacitor repair problem.

I purchased a 332 here on audiogon about 6 months ago. A few weeks ago it developed a loud hum in the right channel. i contacted Levinson (or what is left of them) and was informed that there are only 2 authorized repair shops in the US. Pyramid Audio in Texas and The Service Bench in Mass.

I called the service bench first and was informed that they charged a FLAT LABOR RATE OF $900 + parts! This was a crazy number so i called Pyramid Audio. They said it was a $100 diagonstic fee that would be applied to parts and labor. this seemed reasonable so i shipped the amp to them ($150 shipping).

About 1 week later i received a call from Pyramid Audio stating that my reapir was going to be $1600!!! They also gave me the option of abandoning the amp or having it shipped back!

I feel that i am getting gouged here but really have no choice so i went ahead and got the amp repaired. i'll keep everyone posted on how the repairs ended up.
gmoneyreece

Showing 2 responses by gundam91

Sorry to hear that this is happening to you. This happened to my 333 twice within the 8 years I had it. I had purchased it as a dealer demo. But found out afterwards from Madrigal that the dealer had sent it in once already for that same repair. The second time it was covered under the warranty. But the third time, I had to shell out like $1400 to get it repaired. They did the same thing to my #37 transport at around the same time when all I needed was a recalibration (a push of several buttons according to a tech manual they had published internally), and they charged me $1600 to replace the entire transport mechanism and updated software.

Needless to say, when I got the amp back, I traded it in for a Pass X350.5 right away. The 333 did sound better afterwards, but I was not prepared to be spedning $1400 every 5 years to keep it running. For that matter, the Pass X350.5 was another league ahead of the 333 in terms of sound. And well, I will never purchase another product with Levinson badge or anything put out by Madrigal or Harmon International for that matter.

Not sure what the best advice would be. But if you get it fixed, trade it in for something else right away!!!! My 333 had a trade-in value of $2800 about 2 years ago, and that was generous. So I'm not sure it's even worth fixing the 332. Maybe just take the loss??

My sympathies,
FrankC
When I spoke to the tech, he told me the problem affects ALL 3xx series, except the 33 and 33H. But it seems that we hear more about it happening to the 331, 332, and 333 amps. But I would avoid any 3xx series just to be on the safe side.

FrankC