Great sounding CD player top to bottom.

None; It doesn''t get any better than this.

Ignore Bob''s comments. The Mark Levinson is a truly great unit. The only competition at or near its current price is the Music Fidelity Nu Vista 3D ($5000), Meridian 508.24 ($4000), and Cary CD 306/200 ($5000). All of these units are great. To get even better sound (!) one would have to spend a small fortune! The build quality, reliability, and industrial design of the Mark Levinson is more than worth the price difference.

Similar Products Used:

Music Fidelity Nu Vista 3D, Meridian 508.24, and Cary CD 306/200

Incredible flexibility...

Perhaps too refined for ignoramuses like "Bob"...

I normally don't participate in this forum simply because there are no "safe guards" against people like "Bob", offering a completely inacurate, innane "reviews".

I am staunchly defending the No. 39 simply because IT IS a great piece of audio gear (the best I've ever owned), and I feel it does a great injustice for the few "uninformed Bob's of the world" to the serious audiophile looking for guidence in this category.

I (like a lot of us out here) have a "Kings taste with a pauper's budget". I've certainly always known of Mark Levinson gear, but it has usually simply been out of my financial reach. However, one common denominator seemed to keep cropping up at all of the best systems I would listen to, throughout the country -- they almost ALWAYS had Mark Levinson gear used in them.

These "dream systems" I heard (many of which had ALL Levinson electronics) always seemed to have no real artifact of electronic character, they usually seemed to just "get out of the way", and let the musci flow through and communicate.

Because of this extremely "transparent" chacter of Levinson gear (the no. 39 has it/doesn't have it? in spades)I think it is this area that guy's like our friend Bob, get into trouble. Without listing his ancillary eq., it's probably a good bet that people like hime prefer a certain coloration, eu-phoney, to make up for weak areas in their system. (Sorry, but 2 stars!? Give me a break here!)

Also I get into conversations with the "bit counters" who say "it can't possibly sound as good as my ultra-mega bit chomper 4000. There's only 16 bits on the frickin' disc! With HDCD encoding, and some Mo Fi Gold discs around, I don't miss these "extra" bits (or SACD) at all.

Why did I even buy this over the "new formats", well, I don't know about you, but I'm not about to trun around and REPLACE all 500+ discs in my collection, and let the gready record company's bend me over a secound time. I want something for the hear & now.

OK, the meat 'n bones...First, this isn't just a CD Player. Don't forget, this has a FULL FUNCTIONING PREAMP built into it. Unless you can afford the best pre-amp on the market (and the attendant high cost)NO preamp is the BEST pre-amp. The 39 has TONS of gain, to directly drive ANY amp on the market. No loss of dynamics here. Just clear, transparent sound. Less is more. And this isn't just a "volume control" either. We're talking the flexibility and complete control of the signal. You can adjust the balance -- in .5 db increments! for God's sake! You can of course reverse the polarity, that's nothin', but YOU CAN PROGRAM THE POLARITY FOR TO A THOUSAND FREAKIN' DISCS! (By SONG no less!) You can set (lock) a maximum volume setting (good for party's with over enthusiastic friends who might grab the remote). You can use the internal digital processor for your run-of-the-mill DVD players' audio portion. The list goes on and on like the Energizer Bunny....

If this kind of AMAZING flexibility coupled with GREAT sonics isn't your cup of tea, or you simply don't need/want it all -- then don't buy it!

The sound; it gives you EXACTLY whats on the disc. No embellishment, no coloration, no artificiality. No "electronic character" of any discernable kind. It's not "warm", it's not cold or stereile either -- unless that's how it was recorded. Pretty much the whole truth, and NOTHING but the truth, warts and all.

If you heard the .39 and thought it "sounded" anything other than musical, look elswhere in your system -- upstream, it ain't coming from this unassuming black box 'o wonder.

As I said, this is the finest piece of audio gear I've ever purchased in the 25+ years of been buying this stuff. I'm glad I bit the bullet and went for the brass ring.

I would give the No. 39 "6 stars" if it were possible.

Read the PROFESSIONAL reviews from Stereophile, StereoTimes, etc. As Stereophile put it "..I just don't think CD reproduction can get much better than this.."

I heartily concur.

System:

Mark levinson No. 39 run "direct"
InnerSound ESL amplifier
PS Audio P300 Power Plant
B.A.T. P5 Phono Stage
Reference Line Preeminence 2B passive pre-amp
Well Tempered Labs "Classic V" T.T.
PS Audio "Ultimate Outlet"
PS Audio Lab Cables (2)
Silver Audio "Power Burst" AC cord
Sonic Horizon's "Skyline" & "Daybreak" AC cords
Martin-Logan reQuests
Silver Audio "Hyacinth" XLR interconnect
Quantum Power "Symphony"
Argent "Room Lens" (3)
Alpha Core Triode Quartz & Micro Purl intrc.
Shakti "Stones" (4) & "On Lines" (2 pr.)
Sennheiser DH600 headphones
Antique Sound Labs HGT headphone amp
Sanus CF6 eq. rack

Similar Products Used:

Sonic Frontiers SFD-1, PS Audio Lamda, Theta "Miles", Wadia 830

So incredibly transparent, beautiful sound, bulletproof construction.

No pass through for AV surround L & R signal.

Let me add that Bob obviously is involved in a hobby he knows very little about. The main reason I am writing this review is due to his comments without any stable foundation. If he really auditioned this product, he would be so embarassed about his comments. I run this balanced silver reference Nordost into a Mark Levinson 336 amplifier, then silver reference Nrdost Speaker cables into Dynaudio Contour 3.3's. Pure and simple. I have never heard any system at any price beat this. An all Levinson REFERENCE: 32/31.5/ref D-A/33amps into Wilson Watt puppy 6.1 came close, but lacked the punch mine has.
To sum it up, Bob does not know this product because Bob did not set it up right. The simplicity of a killer reference standard CD player driving a mammoth amp is something to behold. What audiophile Nirvana!!!
If only they had the balanced and single ended pass through for surround processors like their pre-amps have I would be set for life. Long live Levinson, bye bye Bob.

agile bass effortless pace and rhythm. Uncolored and extremely deatiled throughout the whole bandwith.Future proof upgradabilty (no gimmicks)

none

this is the best digital source i have ever heard.On well-mastered CD's i sometimes feel I am listening to vinyl. this player is extremely detailed, yet very musical and has a fluidity and pace that is unmatched at this pricepoint. Non-fatiguing, a joy for long late nite listening sessions.

TO spend this amount of $$$ on a Cd player is indulgent; but with the option of upgrading DAC to the 390S specification, which employs a DAC capable of upsampling to sample rate of upto 384khz, makes this player terrific value for money.

with two digital inputs users have the option of using the 39 as a dedicated DAC or preamplifier. The DAC is one of the best I have ever heard and I am told that the 390S is even better ( a thought I have a hard time trying to comprehend!!! )

This was one of the best audio products I have ever heard. Format wars SACD -vs- DVD-A?
Who will win out?

e-mail me at: whocares.com

with the option of 390S upgrade and the 2 standard digital inputs the 39 has, this is one audio-product i wont ever have to trade!!!!

This is a truly reference CD player with no colorations inherent in the above listed players and a product i have no hesitation in recommending!!!!


System comprises:
Mark Levinson No 39 Cd
Audionote Soro SE Signature series Amp
Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home
Gryphon Reference interconnects and speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

meridian 508.24,Marantz cd-7, Marantz SA-1, Audio Research CD-2 Sony SCD-1, Naim CDS

Quality sound, Constuction, flexibily, a live feeling and importer price compared most american hifi

none at present

Firstly it was not my intention to buy the ML39, I wanted to go into home cinema but my old hifi was inflexible(Theta transport/dac, ARC VT60/LS7 Sonus faber minama amators and Transparent cables) a great sounding system and it would add to 7 boxes and in a small flat it would be impossible. So my dealer suggested the ML39 which would sound better and get rid of 3 boxes plus it had 2 digital input so a dvd player can be added, BANG just what the doctor order brillant as a cd player it blew the theta and everthing else away, as a pre amp it was excellent Then we added the sony DVP 7700 (an excellent machine at the price) Now I had top Quality sound and picture. The ML39 is a brillant machine very flexible and at a great price buy one today.

Similar Products Used:

Theta, krell, naim and linn

Excellent construction quality. Neutral sounding. Clear and large display. Nicely designed remote controller, feels very comfortable in hand.

Slightly expensive

First of all, I have to admit that with the SACD format in the market, it is somewhat crazy at this time to spend $6K for a conventional CD player. I cannot remember how I reached the decision of getting this player, but I do believe that I have made a right one after owning this unit for 6 months.

In contrast to a previous review, this player works perfectly on all CD-Rs that I have. (The demo unit in the dealer's place also works fine with all of the CD-Rs.) I have compared this player to the WADIA 860. Both are very nice players. The WADIA has a unique pleasing "metallic" sounding but it deos not have HDCD and is more expensive. Furthermore, WADIA at that time was going out of business. The 39 has a large LED display and can be viewed clearly from a distance. Nicely made remote controller. The controller is very sensitive - you do not have aim at the player to work. This CD player has a good resolution and is very neutral in sound, appears to match my Krell FPB200 very well.

Excellent sound quality
Built like a battletank
Excellent remote control

No way to connect analog signals from a TV or VCR

My system consists of the ML No39, ML331 and MG3.6R. Cables are AnalysisPlus Oval 9s and Transparent balanced interconnects.
The sound is mellow and grain-free. Sound stage is wide, but bass is not optimal due to close proximity from the back wall. In my old house, the bass was much better due to a less interaction with the back wall. The No39 is extremely versatile and the inclusion of the HDCD decoder improves the sound further.

With the built-in pre-amp, I connected them directly to the 331, bypassing the Sonic Frontiers Line3, thereby improving the transparency of the system.
With the Line 3 included, the bass slam is better, but the midrange took on a grainy sound which I didn't like. In the end I removed the Line3.

The change from the JPS Labs superconductor to the AP Oval 9s brought about further gains in midrange and treble clarity. The AP Oval 9s are very good value for money.

I am contented with the system for the time being. Perhaps an upgrade to the No 390S later. Can anyone describe the sound of the upgrade? Is a worth it, with the current unit already so good?

Similar Products Used:

Meridian 508.24
Sony DVP S9000
EAD1000Mk3
Philips DVD1000

Quality sound, construction, looks and now upgradeable to the 390s

none

I've owned this product for 18 months and in this time it has given me imnence pleasure with it sound and usability and now it beening upgradeable to the 390s. Its great to see a company like Mark Levinson looking after their customer and not having sell the product to upgrade and the money I've invested has not gone to waste

Similar Products Used:

Krell, theta

Detail, bass, imaging, voice clarity

None

Upgraded to 390S--Incredible difference---much
lower noise floor opening up soundstage, detail,
voice clarity and character..Substantial bass
improvement...Truly a different product not just a
better 39(as per Levinson ad copy)..Amazing--can
not imagine SACD or others being much better..I am
impressed..
associated equip ML390S,ML380S,ML 336, trasparent
reference, monster 2500 power cond,Eggleston Fontaine
on Sound Anchor Stands..dedicated electrical for amp and
front end...

Similar Products Used:

Mark Levinson 39

neutral and transparent, No digital sound, accurated, 3d soundstage, bass control, detail, natural midrange and treble, live images, and music.

the red big digi-display i think it should be smaller, Price a bit high but no.39 combines no.36 D/A, no.37 transport, and no.38 pre-amp.

being directly from a balance out-put to a poweramp is more clarity, open, more soundstage, and more in everything. but the down side is that the sound's also a bit lack of the body. at this point i can see a string bass line. using a preamp sounds more body and sweeter but i couldn't see those string bass lines. it feels like a string bass line covered by the cloud. i seem to like no.39 without a preamp. 'caz i love the neutral and transparent-more clarity. the no.39 be able to expression from a song note sheet. i's very impressed. i think you got what you pay for ...


my systems:

conrad-johnson pv-10a
mark levinson no.336
mark levinson no.39
vpi tnt tunetable
wilson watt/puppy 6
transparent XL ref speaker & interconnect

Similar Products Used:

accuphase DC-75, meridian 508.24, theta miles, linn cd-12