Manley reference preamp vs levinson 38 for s/state

I do not have any experience with the Manley, but I once owned a ML 38S. IMO it was a very colored pre-amp and was a disapointment sonically in my system. I still have other ML components (31.5 transport) in my system that I am very happy with, but the 38S did not do it for me. I guess the 380 series is suppose to be improved but I have not heard it.

Dog_lover, I haven't heard a 38 in many years (and wasn't all that crazy about them when I did, the sound being somewhat hard and foward as I remember it), but I recently got a 380S, and whatever else one may say about it (and I like mine quite a lot), "very colored" would not be on the menu...In fact, I would as far as to suggest that most folks who wouldn't agree with the sound of this preamp are probably looking for some sort of coloration that it doesn't have.