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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
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,300 posts
 
Gmoney, did you know about the "design flaw" prior to purchasing? Repair issues with older Levinson amps would come up with even a cursory internet search on the subject. I'm not unsympathetic, but I'm surprised that you're surprised about the repair costs.

Once fixed the amps will sound very, very nice and should run trouble free for many years.
9rw's avatar
9rw
318 posts
 
Entrope: No, the lesson is to buy equipment made by reputable companies or be prepared to take a financial beating.
usblues
1,217 posts
 
Cannot argue with that logic today.
jylee
306 posts
 
Just think of the Murphy's Law.

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

Mine went wrong a couple of weeks ago. Ugh.
windriver
22 posts
 
I completely agree with Roxy 54. I also recently with through this nonsense, and as noted there are only two “authorized” service centers that aside form very costly shipping will only lead to extremely inflated repair charges as well.

Fortunately in my case Madrigal treated its former employees just as badly as the service customers get treated today. I was able to get hold of the technical data I needed for my particular amplifier and obviously can now get the amplifier repaired at a reasonable fee by my local service tech.

I would never have purchased a Madrigal product had I know about this poor service and lack of support. I think I will be headed to Pass Labs next…..
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