diff --git a/pkg/kgo/compression.go b/pkg/kgo/compression.go
index c5f27234..d772ec2d 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/compression.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/compression.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ const (
 // for that batch.
 type CompressionCodec struct {
 	codec codecType
-	level int8
+	level int
 }
 
 // NoCompression is a compression option that avoids compression. This can
@@ -68,10 +68,7 @@ func ZstdCompression() CompressionCodec { return CompressionCodec{codecZstd, 0}
 //
 // If the level is invalid, compressors just use a default level.
 func (c CompressionCodec) WithLevel(level int) CompressionCodec {
-	if level > 127 {
-		level = 127 // lz4 could theoretically be large, I guess
-	}
-	c.level = int8(level)
+	c.level = level
 	return c
 }
 
@@ -116,8 +113,8 @@ out:
 		case codecGzip:
 			level := gzip.DefaultCompression
 			if codec.level != 0 {
-				if _, err := gzip.NewWriterLevel(nil, int(codec.level)); err != nil {
-					level = int(codec.level)
+				if _, err := gzip.NewWriterLevel(nil, codec.level); err != nil {
+					level = codec.level
 				}
 			}
 			c.gzPool = sync.Pool{New: func() any { c, _ := gzip.NewWriterLevel(nil, level); return c }}
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/compression_test.go b/pkg/kgo/compression_test.go
index 29b247e4..699a2f25 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/compression_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/compression_test.go
@@ -7,8 +7,22 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/pierrec/lz4/v4"
 )
 
+// Regression test for #778.
+func TestCompressionCodecLZ4WithSpecifiedLevel(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	codec := Lz4Compression().WithLevel(512)
+	w := lz4.NewWriter(new(bytes.Buffer))
+	err := w.Apply(lz4.CompressionLevelOption(lz4.CompressionLevel(codec.level)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestNewCompressor(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	for i, test := range []struct {