The Levinson Sound?

@jafant Which ML repair facility were you referring as above?

I have been fortunate that my dealings with ML centers was minimal. I have not dealt with them anymore since I realized how they shut the world out for simple requests and simple parts. I have had to resort to sourcing parts from third party vendors and scouring both domestic and foreign ebay sites. I had to get documentation from underground sources in Europe. I got a Voltage gain board from a police-raid auction in the Netherlands. It is a little silly that one has to go through this to repair an amp.

I may be wrong but I believe there are only 3 U.S. based ML repair facilities. There is one at the ML headquarters, which I believe is in CT. Then there are 2 other "Authorized" facilities. I think one is in Texas; don’t know about the other. All of these centers follow the same doctrine however. You want anything, pack the monster up, ship it and pay up. Don’t have the original box? Be prepared to shell up big dollars for that. You cannot use an ordinary box with an ML amp. It will exit an improper box with great force under its own weight!
Very unfortunate that they treat the legacy equipment in this manner. I could understand protecting newer designs especially if it uses new techniques but spending 400-600 dollars to get a broken speaker bind post replaced is a little ludicrous. ML has great equipment, and the old stuff in the right hands will live a long time; you just need the patience and skills to grant it a second or third life.

Very informative- generatorlabs.
It is all about the business. ML has repair/restoration techs on the clock
and keeping out too many middle men is healthy for their bottom line.
I have much respect for guys that can repair/restore/mod their own gear.

Yes, Pyramid Audio in Texas, is a long standing Authorized ML repair center.

Do you know if the No. 383 Integrated Amp has the cap issue like th other "3" series products?
Happy Listening!

Hello

the genuine mark levinson are those of MADRIGAL (Mister Mark Levinson), today is the group Harman Kardon

I am not disqualifying the current powers because they even have excellent power as is the case of the excellent 585, EISA award 2015/2016 , https://www.eisa.eu/history/hi-fi-2015-2016/

EISA award
http://www.marklevinson.com/productdetail/~/product/no585.html


on technical assistance, in Portugal have provided assistance, there have been no problems, there are some skilled multi-brand technicians.



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@jafant Do you know if the No. 383 Integrated Amp has the cap issue like th other "3" series products?

I am not an ML expert by any means but my gut feeling tells me that this problem was limited to the 331, 332 & 333. The design of the electronics changes significantly with the later models. Most notably is the choice of moving away from T0-3 type power transistors. From a service perspective the newer design makes it so much easier to service. To remove a board that has T0-3 transistors requires un-soldering ALL the transistors because the legs of the transistors pass through the heat sink. (a real PITA). However, the newer designs with internally mounted transistors have a caveat. If they fail, they can fail violently and often will vaporize a board. I have seen pics of some of these boards. Not pretty at all. I think I said in another post that the ML amps are basically controlled lightning. They have massive power reserves that will destroy if unchecked.

The large caps on the 331-333 were problematic from a manufacturer perspective (Phillips). Oddly enough ML still chooses to install Phillips caps where most of the self-service community will install slightly larger Cornell-Dublier caps.

ML has identified a few counter-measures. One includes installing mylar strips on the frame of the chassis. I imagine the caps swell and contract, especially at initial power up. The caps are strapped to the chassis. I think the outer casing would eventually wear through the blue plastic coating causing the metallic can of the cap to contact the grounded chassis. If a cap is failing internally it would provide a path to ground for large amounts of current. This will heat up a cap quickly and then you get the black goo volcano. Don’t try to order these $0.25 "safety strips" from ML. They wont sell them. Don’t try and order large, small or so much as a decal from ML. They will not sell them.

Then there are a few other items that ML identified as failure points. These include soft-start resistors, small bypass caps and mid-level power supply caps at various locations.

I think by the time you get into the newer models such as the 336 and higher the cap problem had been well identified and fixes were already in place during assembly.

This however does not mean it cannot happen to ANY amp with large cans like the ML. As caps get older they start to become resistive. Resistance causes further heating and evaporation of electrolytic material. It becomes a run away train that cannot be stopped. If you have a ML amp with OLD large can caps by Phillips then be cautious and be prepared to spend a nice chunk of cash to make it right.

Thank You- clemvice
agreed- the No. 585 Integrated is very sweet. It is on my must -demo list to be sure. Do you own this ML amp?
Happy Listening!