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THE dream : MARK LEVINSON ML2 AMPLIFIERS
30
years ago, while reading all period articles and reviews regarding the
famous state of the art ML2 A-class amplifiers, I did not know my
dreams would become true, one day. The 25 Watt amplifiers were out of
reach then, for most people, with a list price of US $ 9000 a pair, in
France, at the time.
The project : ( when a
dream comes true)
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1. A rare find
A
few months ago, I purchased a pair of ML2, in parts, as shown on pictures.
The previous owner had started a restoration project in 1989, but could
not get to the end of it. I took the risk, eveything was packed in 2 cubic
meters of cartons, with plenty of documentation, but no formal garantee
that all the parts were there. |
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2. Technical
challenges
There
were a lot of issues and challenges to be addressed, all internal cabling
was absent, front panel circuit breakers were damaged, the redone mother
boards were incomplete, the reassembled part did not fit in case,
radiator holders were missing, end a few more I forgot to mention.
On top
of that I am not a qualified eletronics engineer , by training
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3. Restoration
aspects
I
spent a month just thinking and planning, on how it could be done,
studying the shematics, trying to understand, then more than 2 months just
doing it, with tools, solder iron, screwdrivers, drill. Mark Levinson in
the early days had an ouput of of two amplifiers per week...
but
once assembled mine kept tripping. |
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4. The end of
itttttttttttttttttttttt
however
with will and tenacity, one will get to it, so much pleasure
quel plaisir... |
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5. Listening tests
I can now
testify, what I could read then about them is true, and even more.
Coupled to
ML-6A preamps from the same period, they are just fabulous:
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25 watts, could not believe it,
how crisp and powerful they sound, even with low efficiency speakers ( my B&W DM70
Continental )
-
great
dynamics and transients, just incredible (
it blows out my Audio Research D-76 )
-
conveying all relevant detail in an utterly
agreeable, unrestrained manner
- very balanced
presentation of the music - (although
the domain of tube amplifiers),
particularly in the high end, reminds me of the
Marants 9s.
- super clean and tight bass (as a
comparison, the AR tubes lack definition)
-
and finally you can heat the
room in winter time
6. Summary, lessons learned
A. Re
assembling those amps is a very complex task
B. It
requires a lot of attention, and some electronic skills
C. There is a
need to interpret the Madrigal schematics, often delivered with a few errors
D. All in
all, it is really worth it
Being a piano
player, it naturally lead me to go over the years for top HI-FI equipment, but
one never knows how it twill sound, until it’s there..
Dreams can
remain dreams. However, life is short, one should take the time to appreciate
and enjoy those wonderful sonic state of the art beauties of the roaring 70s,
and fulfill a dream, when feasible.
Raymond D.
France
E-mail: click here
Updated April 27, 2008
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