General Asylum: REVIEW: Mark Levinson No. 39 CD Player/Recorder by DK

Outstanding CD player. I've been breaking in an extremely revealing amp/speaker combo that I now own (Atma-Sphere M60 MkII OTL tube monos, Merlin VSM-SEs) but I'm still running a decidely imperfect front-end (Arcam Alpha 7 CD transport, Meridian 518 digital enhancer, Lexicon DC-1 home theater pre/pro). Concerned about the sound I was hearing out of the Atmas/Merlin combo, I requested a home demo from my local dealer of the Levinson No. 39 CDP, driving the M60s directly via some Tara Labs Master Gen II balanced XLR interconnects. My suspision was that the poor source was causing the sound I was hearing in-home: poor definition, ill-defined soundstage, excessive grain.

Wow, I guess the source does matter! This is a terrific CD player. It clearly will not suit all tastes, and in the end I don't think it quite suits mine either. But that does not mean it is not very good. It simply has a particular sound that is can be quite overpowering. And that sound is extreme detail and resolving power. Are you one of those listeners (you know who you are) that wants to hear EVERYTHING, warts and all. of your system and your CDs? Then this is your CDP. Run direct into the already revealing M60s/Merlins combo, the result was at times exciting and at times too much of a good thing.

The soundstage is ENORMOUS. Definition is razor-sharp, and the space between instruments is beyond what I've experienced before. But is that really natural? I'm not so sure. In the end, I think I want a little smoother sound, the edges not quite so razor sharp but a little more rounded and polite. However, in a system that is already a little on the polite side, I think this CDP might be just the ticket. One thing's for sure; no one will mistake this player for anything but digital!

Some side issues. The player is well-built, though not as robust as what you might think for a $6K CDP (e.g., Wadia). The disk tray is wafer-thin and does not inspire confidence. However, the remote is solid and chunky and very easy to use.

And speaking of easy to use, this player has features up the wazoo. It has a built-in memory to remember a custom playlist for something like 150 of your compact discs. You can even program the player to remember your absolute polarity settings for each disc, on a per-track basis. And yes sports fans, I did hear a subtle difference when switching polarity on different discs and tracks, but I'm not so neurotic as to get excited about it.

In addition, the No. 39 can be operated as a digital preamp. It has a variable analog volume control, very transparent I might add, with both balanced and single-ended outputs. This was convenient, as I used the SE outputs to separately drive a Paradigm X-30 crossover and Paradigm Reference Servo 15 sub as an experiment, and it brought in the bass nicely with the Merlins thank you very much. The No. 39 also has digital outputs so it can be used as a transport or sent to a CD-recorder or DAT deck, and two digital inputs (Toslink and S/PDIF Coax, no AES/EBU--boo!) so you can use the No. 39's internal 20-bit DACs with other source equipment. I used the digital output of my Sony DSS receiver/Meridian 518 combo into the No. 39 and it worked very well. To say the No. 39s DACs are better than those in the DC-1 is an understatement.

In short, this is an unusual device in the dawn of the SACD era. Given the cost, and my reservations about the sonic signature, I'm not sure it is a good buy. But this is definitely about as good as 16/44 redbook CD gets folks. If you're looking for a player with extreme detail and resolution, airy highs, and pace to make you get up and boogie, this is the one. But those looking for a more polite and ultimately more musical presentation will probably be happier elsewhere. Since I put myself in the latter camp, I will not be buying this CDP, but it is nonetheless highly recommended. At least I now know that my front-end is holding me up--time to spend some more money!

REVIEW: Mark Levinson No. 39 CD Player/Recorder Review by DK at Audio Asylum