I owned the 39 for about a year but recently replaced it with the Sony XA7ES. The 39 was quite a nice unit and was very well built but so is the Sony at half the price. The Levinson did sound very slightly better than the Sony and has more flexibility in operation, but to me this is not enough to justify its additional cost.

external build quality and finish appear first rate. chunky remote control.very fine volume adjustment. i find it looks wonderful too.comparison was made between 39 driving preamp, and 39 driving power amp directly.
i must say that i didnt feel there was much difference between the 39 and my current cd when passing through my current pre-amp. when the 39 drove the power amp directly, it was very impressive. instruments and voices had a pretty convincing body. the sound was controlled, plausible. alot of clarity, precision.
rating doesn't mean much because i haven't compared to similar efforts from other manufacturers (wadia, krell, meridian 800). still it makes you think: if you only to cd what's the point of buying seperates and cables?

Build quality & features

Price

The 39 is a bold, dynamic player with bags of detail and great bass control. The variable outs are a nice extra but the unit does sound better when run through a proper preamp. The ML Playlist 2001 has a clear technical explanation why this is so but it is easily proven by trying it out for yourself. This is a stunning player but it's sound may not be for everyone. I found it a little bombastic and edgy but this probably works well when partnered with ML amps which can sound a little soft at times.

Similar Products Used:

Linn Ikemi, Meridian 508.24, Krell KAV-280cd

Build design

EXPENSIVE!!!!, Piece of crap

Piece of CRAP....when you compare the $$ per performance ratio this player gives in the $6000 range....you gotta laugh....Sonically inferior to the ECM 1 with its 24/96 high rez chip and at 1 and 1/3 the price!!!! For the status of owning one...........
If you're looking into buying this....do yourself a favor and check out the ECM 1 FIRST!!!! Thank me later.....

Similar Products Used:

Electrocompaniet ECM 1, Wadia 820, Musical Design CD2 Reference Player, Rotel 990

Detailed and wide well defined soundstage. Tight bass and neutral midrange with extended highs. Excellent build quality. No 39 can run directly into amps which is a benefit.

Transport is a bit tempermental. If the No 39 is used as a DAC, coax digital input doesn't respond all the time.

Associated equipment
B&W Nautilus 803
Bryston 7B-ST monoblocks
MIT MI-350 Twin Reference balanced interconnects (low impedance)
MIT Oracle V3 Biwire speaker cables
Black Diamond Racing cones
PS Audio Lab power cables.

The No 39 delivers a very wide expansive soundstage that is deep and detailed. Music sounds like music and voice sounds like voice. There is no smearing, no edginess that some CD players deliver. The No 39 just presents the music and that's it. Bass is well defined, midrange is neutral with no coloration or bloat, and the highs are crystal clear with no harshness. I can listen to music for 8-12 hrs straight with no fatigue. One thing, if the CD is not recorded well, the No 39 shows it. With the No 390S upgrade now available, one has to wonder how good Madrigal can improve on an already excellent well engineered piece of audio equipment.
Highly recommended!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Accuphase DP-75

Outstanding piece of high end equipment. Remarkable sound, functionality and build quality. Delivers the inner detail, presence, "air," silent background, etc. that makes true music. No flab in its bass, and the highs are natural with not a hint of "CD sound." Its outboard DAC capability allows me to listen to the satellite audio music channels (via the Toslink output of my satellite receiver)and get great serious sound, not just acceptable background music. No preamp needed for my setup; and the ML volume control is the best I've used on any product. Also 5 year warranty. Also intangible satisfaction of ownership.
One other note: My dealer was nice (smart?!) enough to let me borrow his demo for a few days. I ordered it immediately thereafter. So my review does not in any way reflect my need for "justifying" spending this much on a CD player; I was totally free to say thanks but no thanks. It really IS a great machine...and actually a decent value for someone with system requirements like mine. And just think...when I started buying my new system a few months ago, I thought I could get away with the Rega Planet or Ultech100!!....after all, CD players are more or less alike, right???

The Mark Levinson No. 39 is the brand new CD player in Madigral's high-end line. It's really a combination CD transport/d-to-a processor/preamp rolled into one box: there are digital in and out ports as well as the possibility of volume control. If you only use CDs as your audio source, this combination is a great value. You can get high-end sound in one component for the same price as a mid-range CD transport + DAC + preamp.
The No. 39 solves the jitter problem in the right way: a digital memory buffer and an ultra-accurate timer circuit, electrically isolated from the other components. Further, the DAC and the "transport" share the same clock.

The sound of the No. 39, to my ear, is warmer, smoother and sweeter than others I've heard in the same approximate price range. It's a very full, musical sound. Also auditioned were the Parasound D/AC-2000, Theta Basic IIIa, Theta Pro Gen Va and Proceed dac.

Price: $5995.

See http://madrigal.com/madrigal/39_lit.html for specs.

One of the most versatile, sexy looking and highest built quality CD player around.

First, if you are don't need the pre amp section of the ML39, I will suggest you getting something else cheaper.
Overall, I will rate the ML39 as a fine audio product and high value considering you can bypass the pre amp and save the cost. With its XLR and RCA variable output, you can just use it to drive the power amp directly. With those bell and whistles like custom disc programming(up to thousand) and it can be used as DAC or just transport. Basically you simplify your whole front end into one single chassis. Save money and space!
Sound wise, it is good, but not as great as the separate SF and ML or the BAT VKD5. With the SF and ML, I hear more bottom end definition and extended imaging, and less veil. With the BAT VKD5, more smooth and musical, but ML39 beats VKD5 in term of inner detail and accuracy.
I am not suprised ML39 earns Class A rating, as I think it should be there. However, there are still plenty great CD players for much less money especially if you don't need the pre amp section of the ML39. Built quality and reliability, like all Levinson gears, the top five in the industry.

Similar Products Used:

SF T3 and ML 35, BAT VKD5, VKD5SE, Sony SCD777ES, CDP-X707ES, and Krell KPS30i

build quality

Lack's that magic ingredient to grab you

I was really disapointed with the ML39. I finally submitted to the "hype" and borrowed one for a week from my dealer. It has a clear sound, no doubt about that but for me lacks the vocal warmth and detail displayed by my current setup (Roksan Attesa transport with Pink Triangle DaCapo DAC).

Certainly from a value for money point of view i would advise anyone in the UK to audition other comparable products. They may well find to their delight that they can get a better sound for a lot less money.

The ML39 left me with one big impression. Over hyped, over priced and over here !

Peter, London

Similar Products Used:

Roksan Attessa transport with Pink Triangle DaCapo DAC