So I have been spending some time with the Mark Levinson 432 for the last few weeks. I have in this time, grasped a good feel not only for the amp, but the system as a whole. At about 125Lbs., it is no light weight by any stretch of the imagination. The case work is solid and the unique heat sinks are really cool. This one is a little battle scared having had a rough shipping mishap in its life. As a matter of fact, it behooves you to check out
@Ds2000 's AK thread on its resurrection. An absolute testament in his commitment to seeing a project through. One would never know how far it has been restored from what little markings remain on it. He likes to remind me that it is part of this amplifiers history now, and should remain to tell its tale. I admit that I would have probably covered it up if I were paying to do the restoration. I also have to admit that I would not have taken on this daunting task at repair/restoration. And lord knows, I have done my fair share of crazy restorations.
One of the first things I want to share about this fine amp is how damn neutral it is. It adds no real signature of its own. It gets signal and passes it along faithfully without any hindrance. So if the Music is bass filled, that is what you get and if its soft and delicate, ditto to that also. It is a refreshing experience and a true palate cleanser, It has an airiness about it. There is no hindrance to the music and it allows me to really get a feel for system changes. It also guarantees you will not struggle to pair it up with associated equipment for fear of a mismatch. Like an excellent session musician, It simply takes its place and plays along. And does it like a true professional with cool and grace. It makes this amp truly versatile and very much a sonic Chameleon.
@JohnVF has shared this sentiment and I have to agree, this amp paired with a Pair of Harbeth would be sublime. Can you tell I like this amp yet?
Having it hooked up to the Onkyo Monitor 2000X however is a veritable sonic treat. The Monitors are also very true to the source and are very much a full range monitor with no discernable colorations added. So that truly allows just the music to come through. It also allows one to still enjoy poor recordings like classic rock without the fatigue of an overly audiophile music presentation. Not to say that it doesn't do Audiophile, it just doesn't sap out the musicality and emotion. Yet, the amp has gobs of power on tap. It is almost Krell like in that regard. But while it does not have the hammer of the gods bass slam of my former Krell KSA 250, it is a more balanced amp across the audible audio range. It still does not beat the top spot of amplifiers I have had here however. That crown remains firmly on the head of the Goldmund Mimesis 3. Which is, bar none, the best amp I have ever heard here. PERIOD! The 432 however shares that wide frequency that just opens up the soundstage before you if your speakers do holographic sound staging.
But, the ML 432 has one thing the Goldmund lacks. The ability to drive loads down to 2 Ohms. Rated at 400/8 and 800/4 with no official numbers for 2 ohm. But it has a robust secondary and should be quite a beast power-wise into 2 Ohms. Just not to an almost dead short, like my former trusty Krell. It manages to keep its delicate and neutral footing all along the way up the volume path without any change to the presentation. It does not distort at all. Which is very impressive to say the least. If I had to nit pick and find faults, it would be very minor and maybe even personal in nature. I was personally all but done with back breaking amps. Weight with the Levinson 432 is still substantial and it is not an easy amp to lug around. The Binding Posts are typical Levinson and do not take plugs. Which is what I mostly own with my speaker cables these days. The Monitor 2000X do not take spades on their binding posts. So that makes me just plain aggravated over all in using adapters. Again, a small world problem to have, but it is something to consider. Also, the power up/stand by/sleep sequence is not intuitive. Its dumb if you ask me, but the Goldmund also had an intricate power on sequence that would make me batty. But those are truly my only detractions and all in all, they are very minor.
The only question I have for myself now is? Will it be leaving? I really do like it very much. But I have a major amp resto-mod Onkyo M-508 project that will hopefully be done before the end of the year. An amp battle between the two is in the cards and highly anticipated (by me). I do not have an amp purchase slated for 2021 either in my audio planning. So I will have to do some serious mental Jiu-Jitsu in the next week or two in order to have it fall in 2020. I need to not grieve my weird self delusions about my annual audio spend. This amp is listed in the marketplace currently, so if you are inclined to both save me from eating Ramen for a few months and also slightly break my heart, reach out and scoop it up! For now at least, I will continue to fall deeper in love with this amp. At least it is the perfect amp for my SUT try outs that I will be documenting here on the haven!
