Rock solid, ultra low jitter transport.

Currently won''t play SACD''s but maybe in the future. Some possible issues with 80 minute CDR''s.

Follow up to long ago review. Have compared this transport thru the ML36S/360S to a Pioneer Elite RDR19RW player recorder, Pioneer Elite 100 disc cdp. There is no contest against these machines and I suspect any lesser dedicated transport. The sound is washed out and pale in comparison. Levinson used to state on their website that their DACS, as good as they are, will not live up to their potential w/o a quality transport feeding the signal to them and I have found this to be very true. Bits should be bits but it does not work that way. Quick output run down includes AES/EBU (XLR), SPDIF(RCA), TOSLINK and ST (on mine, I think ST used to be and adder option and not sure about current units having toslink as it stinks as a digital data medium), SPDIF (BNC) and I probably left one out. I have seen these on Audiogon in 2001 for less than $2000. A steal. Redbook cd is not going away anytime soon and the sound on remasters and reissues, K2''s, XRCD''s etc. just keeps getting better.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Pioneer Elite, Sony

I agree completely with the other reviews. I was skeptical
that a transport alone could make a difference, but I was
very mistaken. I first had an Adcom CD player and used the
digital out to my DAC, then tried a Theta trans, finally
with the ML 37 there was no comparison. You pay for it,
though. I also recc. using the AT&T connection as it seems
smoother and more natural than the coax. I have a Seismic
Sink under it but I'm not sure this makes any difference(contrary to other reviews posted on the Seismic Sink).

Resolution of individual instruments, dynamics, bass response and transients, clean highs

Have not found any compared to other CD transports

I disagree with Mr. Mahadevan in his belief that the #37
does not resolve well. I have found it superb in this regard. There are background sounds and instrumental nuances
I have heard on CD's which I've owned for years that I've
never heard reproduced before. The bass response of the
#37 is among the best of CD transports, with excellent
depth and leading edge transients. The separation of
instruments in an ensemble or orchestra is sublime.
I obtained my #37 about 2 months ago, and I was pleasantly
surprised what an improvement it made in my system, far
greater than I had anticipated. I'm starting to think it
might be wiser to put more money into a top-notch transport
and a lower priced DAC.

Similar Products Used:

EAD T-1000, Denon 1620

It took just one night to realize my system had taken a huge leap forward. As soon as I opened the box I knew this was a physical treat -- great build quality, beautiful, full complement of outs, that 1/8-inch CD drawer, serious remote -- but when I played my first disc, Chris Cornell's Euphoria Morning, I knew this was what a transport should sound like. Usually when I buy a new component I'm very critical (something about trying to justify the increased cost), but when I heard the No. 37 (which was more than just a little costlier, I was very happy I replaced my conrad-johnson DR-1. Less than a week later, I'm even more sure. The music just sounds so much more clean, clear, forward, etc., whether it be Al Green, Dire Straits, Etta James, the Grateul Dead or the Doors. My CD inventory is getting a workout, a rebirth. The bad news is it retails for $4,000 and until recently it was impossible to find one on any of the 100 used audio sites I checked. Recently, however, I've seen a few for $2400 or less.

Here we have a Levinson product that is devoid of the characteristics usually attributed to the brand. Every Levinson amp and preamp I've ever heard sounds cold, clinical, austere and generally about as a-musical as it gets. Not so the 37 transport. I could ruminate about why, but who cares. Let's cut the chase: if you want to hear everything embedded in the pits of your CD's, this is the product that will make it possible. Sure, 4000 bucks for a stand-alone transport is, well, insane. But hook this thing up to a great DAC (via a great cable like the Audient Technologies Datrix) and you're going to hear wall-to- wall soundstaging. Vocals that are clear, focused and emerge from a jet black background. Low frequency reproduction that is powerful and somehow right. It doesn't overwhelm with bloat or midbass grunge, it just gets the initial transient and the harmonics that follow in proper perspective. But oh those high frequencies. Folks, how 'bout digital with no spit, no sizzle and no sibilant splash. Sure, it'll reproduce that garbage if it's on the CD. However, get a clean recording and you'll hear every wire of the brush as it caresses the rivets of the cymbals. You'll hear air, space and you know what? I've taken up enough space. Highly recommended. Good job, Levinson.

Warm well-balanced sound, musical, devoid of any harshness

Incredibly sensitive to warped CDs, will produce a really
horrible scraping sound when playing a warped CD

For all its strengths, I view the 37 as a flawed design. The
transport mechanism is not robust enough to accept
discs that are even slightly warped. More than 30 CDs
in my collection are not playable on the 37, and produce
a scraping sound. Levinson claims that the 37 is engineered
this way, but a good CD transport should be able to play
*anything*.

The 37's key strength is also its achilles heel: the sound
is warm and musical, and characteristically dark-sounding.
At first, this is really welcome to the ear, but over time
one gradually starts to notice that the 37 is not as
resolving as say the 31.

A good recording to judge the 37 is the famous Bags meets
Trane on Atlantic. The vibraphone on the first track sounds
a bit soft and muted on the 37. Play the same track on
the 31, and the percussive sound of the vibraphone rings
out as it should.

The closed loop jitter reduction circuit on the 37 is mostly
to blame for its sound. The 31 does not share this circuit
and consequently has a very different sound. I have not
heard the 31.5, which has the jitter "upgrade" done, and
probably will end up sounding more like the 37.

I've had the 37 for 3 years, and now feel that its flaws
outweight its strenghts.

Similar Products Used:

Theta Data II, Levinson 31

The ML 37 Transport is typical Levinson gear. Solid build quality, superb functionality, superior sonics, incredible back plane (every digital ouput represented). All this comes at a price. I compared the 37 to a Rotel 980 (I beleive) transport and to a Denon 900 series player, running all through a ML36 DAC. The Denon had only 15bit resolution which was carried to the digital out for some reason there by giving much worse sound than the ohter two transports. The Rotel's sound if there was one was almost indistinguishable(sp) from the 37. The 37 and an upgrade to a 36S dac completed a total Levinson system for me. All 30 and 300 series ML gear has a communications bus that links all pieces together for one button turn on/off of your system(as well as some other neat features). This is almost worth the price of admission. 37's can be found on the used market for $2000 to $3000 dollars. The last CD transport you will ever have to buy although it is probably due for and update (37.5?) or will possibly be able to read DVD's with a future mod. The Proceed universal transport is due out soon. One note to anyone contemplating a new ML purchase. Most ML dealers do not stock a new in the box component. Due to ML's gear premium price and their dealer policys, the dealer will order your component, there by just shuffling paper to make $2000 or more profit on each piece he sells at retail. Levinson is discounted and can be ordered out of state. 10% discounts are courtesy, 20% can be had just by picking upthe telephone or threatening to.