Mark Levinson 326s??
 

So I currently have an Aesthetix calypso pre which I have been enjoying very much but of course one of my audio friends just demo'd the 326s and has gone crazy about it. He compared it to the XP20 and an XP30 and said it was better than either. That's saying a lot since I have previously owned an XP20 and though it was amazing. Have any of you had a chance to demo the 326s preamp? If you hated it or loved it I would like to know.

Ps I have 0 dealers close to me so I generally just buy stuff to demo but your opinions help lead me :)

Jeff.......When the Mark Levinson 326S was new in 2005 it was considered a formidable component. It's performance was compared to the McIntosh C200 among other noteworthy preamplifiers. It originally sold for $10,000. I remember when it was first released because I had just auditioned a Levinson 380S preamp and 380 CD player at Stereotypes in Daytona Beach, Florida. When the 326S replaced the 380S it also jumped the price up about $3500.00. The new Mark Levinson 326S was now being manufacture by Lexicon under a new division Harman International created called Harman Specialty Group. Mandrigal was out of the picture. Between the higher price and the shift of manufacturing from Mandrigal to Lexicon I backed away from considering Levinson gear at the time. I did audition the 326S in direct comparison with the 380S and remember that I thought it a bit more sterile or perhaps I thought the 380S was a bit warmer. Either way, I lost interest in Mark Levinson at that time and never regained it.

Knowing that the Mark Levinson 326S preamplifier is 9 years old, you will want to audition it if you can before letting the cash slip away. Levinson was having some reliability issues with a number of components through the mid 2000's. There were some guys who were modding Levinson gear also, so you want to make sure the 326S you are interested in hasn't been hacked up. And finally, if the 326S is clean, working properly, and sounds good to you, keep in mind it is a nine year old preamp that wasn't their top of the line preamp so negotiate a fair price. There's lots of spin out there about how any Levinson component can trace its lineage back to what Mark Levinson was doing in the late 70's and early 80's at his reputation's peak. Just remember, once Mandrigal, Harman, and Lexicon got hold of the line after Levinson sold out many things changed and some of it wasn't necessarily for the better.

Thanks Dan, I have noticed that a lot of ML gear is pretty slow to move on the aftermarket for most likely many of the reasons you mentioned. Going with the fact that I tend to buy for the auditions I try to stick with companies that move well. The silly thing is I haven't been happier with my stereo before now. Alas you always wonder what that grass on the other side of the fence tastes like. Maybe someday if I happen across a demo I will get to hear it, until then I will stick with the calypso and ignore my out of state buddy lol.

Jeff.......After you have tasted and mowed the grass on both sides of the fence for a number of years, leaving a trail of shredded cash in your wake, you will eventually come to the realization with high-end gear that it is more about difference than it is about better. There will always be a carrot hanging in front of your nose. You said it yourself, you've never been happier with your stereo before now. It might be time to leave the checkbook in your briefcase and just soak up some enjoyable music.

Jeff......I'll second what Dan said about the customer service and reliabiliity on some of the Levinson components during the mid 2000's. The no. 300 series amplifiers while reviewed very highly, had a lot of problems with capacitors failing and folks not being able to get timely resolutions to their problems. That being said, I don't remember a whole lot of complaints with their digital or preamp products, but I would be a little wary about getting service if you ever needed it. Do some searching on the web and you'll read quite a few rough stories regarding their service.

- Buck

I had the caps replaced in my 335 under warranty. It was done in a timely fashion and functioned flawlessly after being repaired. I can offer an explanation concearning this defect which may clarify things. I do not consider this a design flaw. In house quality control of every part purchased is far too expensive (to survive in today's market place) even for the US Government (military). Manufacturers establish relationships with reputable companies with proven track records and rely on them for proper quality control. Unfortunately things do go wrong as in the case of capacitors supplied for these amps. While working as a technician for the military and private industry I was acutely aware of the issues and cost!!!! of in house quality control. Even Uncle Sam was forced to rely on suppliers for Q/C.

I got lucky and purchased a used No326s that was 6 mos old about two years ago. Had confirmed from the dealer the receipt was legit before I bought it. I really like it a lot but if I were buying new I'd look at one of their newer preamps which I would imagine are much closer in performance to their Reference 52. I did just recently demo my 326s vs an ARC Ref 6 and was surprised that the Levinson wasn't totally outclassed. I thought tonally they were actually very similar. Where the Ref 6 was clearly better was depth and overall size of the soundstage. I liked the overall sound of the Ref 6 better but it isn't a good fit in my system right now as I am running MC-601s and a pair of subs all driven preamp level which would create some challenges for me with output impedance on the Ref 6. Have been thinking about either a 523 or maybe a 52 but that is next year as I blew my budget for this year already!

What I remember reading on the internet, was that there was a specific Phillips plant in China that sent out bad batches of the caps used in the 333-335(?). They were supposed to have been clearly identified and Phillips and ML admitted it.

If you were lucky enough to have a warranty, they were replaced. If you didn't have a warranty, such as happened to my buddy and his 333 purchased used in Germany, you were faced with about a $2,000 charge from ML or the task of doing it yourself and about $800 for new caps from Cornell Dubellier.

I helped my dealer's tech work on a 335 (not mine) and was surprised how complicated it was, built as well as any mil-spec gear I've seen.

I did it but had a detailed DIY with pictures. It took about 5 hours after setup.