[Uberbrown]

I know reviews and reviewers are not the last word in gear, but I was reading this review of a product that I have had my eye on for some time; the Mark Levinson No. 433 amp. 3 channels, 200 w into 8, 400 into 4. The reviews gush about this amp, and say it is a new day for Levinson!





These are some comments from the Stereotimes reviewer that interested me.

Directly out of its box (and even more so after 100 hours of break-in time), the 433 showed its power, finesse and extraordinary talents as an excitement machine in my reference two channel system. This amp has what I can only describe as a “jump factor” that Albert Collins would simply love. I adore my McIntosh MC 501 monoblock amplifiers for their power, their rolling-into the room generous, natural bass and their richness and soul. Substitute the Levinson 433, however, and several new and exciting things happen right away. First and foremost, there was an immediate expansion of natural spaciousness, air and depth to the soundstage of nearly every recording auditioned. For example, on the Albert Collins Live disc, the fairly crowded stage (with the Macs in place) was literally transformed by the 433 into a much more spacious and deeper stage, with more natural layers of air and space between the players for better image dimensionality. There was that new sense that one could literally walk around the players and enjoy listening to what each brought to the performance individually. Collins’ “Frosty” was a perfect example, as the 433 took hold of this instrumental and took it to the rollicking bank. On this blazing number, exchanges between groups of musicians are made in furious punches, involving dueling guitars, a muted trumpet, a sprawling tenor sax and underlying them all, a huge bass leading the charge. The 433 took hold of the Ascendo’s woofers and commanded them without any congealment or strain, even at icebreaking volume. Each soloist held a new, defined position on the stage, beautifully cast in natural air and individual space. Excitement ruled supreme, at both low and high volume. Another big plus of the 433: massive delivery of taut bass lines and a “jump factor” in the upper midrange that pulls one into the musical action and does not let go. The treble was another area of brilliance with the 433 driving the action, showcased by the muted trumpet on “Frosty” that was all cool breath and soft metallic tone, benefiting again from being placed farther back in this recording’s layered soundstage. Although a bit less warm and plush than with the MC 501s in place, the 433 brought a new and welcomed delivery of much tauter bass, further dynamic extension up top and that special quality of spaciousness and improved image dimensionality to this rollicking Blues live recording. Getting sweaty with this piece of Levinson gear? Absolutely.

Those bells and triangles that sparkle and reverberate through out this piece were placed far back in a newly expansive soundstage, offering much more layered depth than before with the MC 501’s in place. Enescu’s “Romanian Rhapsody #1” also filled my room with glorious string tone, cascading and dancing in new layers of cushioned air surrounding a much more expansive presentation. The resolution provided by the 433 was astonishing, both in terms of individual instrument color and placement (i.e. solo flute naturally sitting beside other woodwind players) as well as providing a greater sense of the recording venue, all offered up for enjoyment by this outstanding and eclectic recording.

Again there was less of the natural warmth and “plushness” that the MC 501 amps tend to provide to recordings of female vocalists, but the 433’s delivery of such sweet, extended treble was just as compelling and deeply involving.

StereoTimes --

What? Can a 3 channel 10k amp be as good as the beloved 501s in some areas, and better in others? DO I now have no reason not to pick one of these up? My head is spinning.

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