Regarding Levinson's "maximum" cost, beware that you will most likely end up paying that amount + shipping cost any time you send anything in for repair at Levinson.
I had a capacitor failed on my 333 last year (twice in 8 years. First time was covered under warranty), and I sent it in for repair and the cost turned out to be that, the "maximum". I also sent my No. 37 transport in a few weeks after I sent the amp in because the tray was not going in and out properly. They told me over the phone that the transport just needed a minor adjustment, and should not cost more than a few hundred dollars. And they would call me and confirm that after the tech get a chance to examine the unit. But I needed to authorized the work in advance with an understanding that the "maximum" cost would not exceed $1200. And even though it would not reach that amount, I needed to authorize it per company procedure for them to proceed.
When I received the bill a few weeks later I almost jumped through the roof as they had charged me the maximum plus shipping for both items. When I inquired about it, the person said that he did not know the details, but he believed the tech had put in a brand new transport mechanism plus upgraded all the software, jitter clock in my transport. I asked why was I not informed about the "additional" upgrades which I did not authorized, he could not give me an answer except that "the entire work would have costed me over $2k without the protection of the prestated "maximum" cost. I later found out through another No. 37 owner a Mark Levinson internal document floating around on the internet showing how to recalibrate the tray. It only required pushing a few buttons.
As for the amp, they had put in brand new capacitors for both channels. According to Levinson, the failing capacitor was a very common problem with the 3xx series. One reason was the source of the capacitor that Madrigal used to use. But from the explanation I got over the phone, I suspect it might have be a design flaw, which should not have been acceptable for an amp retailed at $10k. Supposedly, after Harmon took over, Harmon had switched to a different, more reliable supplier for the capacitors.
I was fed up after the incident so I traded in the 333 for a Pass 350.5. I was floored when I heard the X350.5 in my system. I wish I had switched earlier and save me the grievance. I had discussed my experience here before. And apparently they are many others who have had similar experiences in dealing with Levinson. Needless to say, I will never purchase another Levinson gear in the future.
For what it's worth, the amp did sound better after the capacitor change. I just didn't want to have to spend over $1k every few years just to keep this thing working....
FrankC
