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ML No.39 or Proceed transport + BelCanto DAC2?

I was going to buy a Proceed CDD transport ($2500 msrp/$1K used) for use with my Bel Canto DAC2. It has the same architecture as the Levinson No.37 transport, much of the same feature set, though cheaper parts and packaging. Plenty good for my DAC's needs with a top digital interconnect.

But for another $1K net (say $2800 - $800 for my dac - $1K not spent on CDD) I could have a Levinson No.39 cdp. For all the advantages the 39 brings in flexibility, resale, HDCD, preamp functions, appearance etc, will it sound as good as the BelCanto driven by a decent transport? This is the '95-designed No.39, not the current 390S (yet, as the upgrade is another $1500).

If I knew the 39 would sound at least as good as my known-great-sounding BC I could fairly easily justify the extra $1K for a few years until the hi-rez formats take hold (or not). But I don't know that it will even sound as good. Please provide some personal experiences and educated guesses.
128x128sdecker
sgr's avatar
sgr
689 posts
 
I owned the #39 for quite a while and used it as just a transport,(it sounded about the same as the #37 as for as I could tell.) a CD Player, it sounded much better than the highly regarded Cambridge Iso-Magic DAC and CD-Magic transport, and as a preamp straight into my amps. This is an excellent piece. The unit might rival your Sonic Frontiers preamp it sounds that good (It won't have that tube sound though. SF is tubes right?) One way it came in handy, I sent my ML#380s preamp in for service and could still listen to my system using just the #39. Very flexible. Also the update to the #390s wouild be a big plus at some point.
Concerning the Proceed. A number of Proceed units had real service issues. The whole line is discontinued. I wouldn't consider the Proceed if you have the cash.

Hope this helps!
SGR (Steven)
promod's avatar
promod
6 posts
 
Ihad a 39 and a denon dvd5000 for dvds. The 39 was very musical. I tried the sony9000es when it came out and it had more detail than the 39 and better video than the denon. I sold the 39 and denon and bought the sony. I now have a msb gold dac3 with p1000 power supply on cd playback and it is even better. I sometimes think that more detail doesnt mean more musical and in the future might try a levinson 390s.The sony is a great deal used and you might be happy without even using the dac you have. It is also a great transport and great dvd player and sacd player. That is the way to go without spending much and will be easily resold if not your cup of tea.
sdecker's avatar
sdecker OP
143 posts
 
Well I took the cheaper route and found a just-rebuilt Proceed CDD: all-new current-model drive mechanism (now identical with No. 37/39/390s) with the new SW and HW to support it. As a transport it sounds no better than my $700 Yamaha single-drawer cd recorder or my 1990 Philips CD80 cdp(limited by its SPDIF interface). Both responses are correct in that the 39 offers more flexibility and resale, and that the newer cheaper japanese universal players can make better-sounding trasnports with their dvd-based drives when implemented correctly. I now doubt the 39 would sound as good as my BelCanto with a universal transport.

Oh well, back to the digital 'browse' section...
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