Mark Levinson No.383 How good is it ?

I must remind you that Mercedes 600 is a 600 cc small car, very popular in Europe. If this is the object of your comparison I have to agree. As a Levinson ex owner I must say that I was never happy with the sound produced at first by a 390 383 combo, upgraded later to a 390 380S 334.
There are two types of stereo systems: those that bring music to your room and those who take you to the place where music was played. Levinson is incapable of doing any of the above. If you don't have detail and dynamics you can talk all you want about soundstage etc. and Levinson is known as one of the most non dynamic amplifiers on the market.
I would also like to remind you that Mr. Levinson is now the designer of Cello and Mark Levinson, the company is part of Harman International which also purchased a few years ago Infinity and ruined their reputation on the hi end market.
So, How good is it? Not good! But don't trust me; Go to some live performances then listen to as much equipement as you can, then read the Stereophile reviewers associated equipement apendix and see how many of them are using Levinson and if, in fact, one of them is (JA), see what kind of Levinson is he using. I'm afraid that in order to keep the Mercedes comparison straight you'll have to look accross the ocean for electronics too.

Levinson gear is impeccably well made and throws a huge soundstage in terms of both width and depth. It may not be toe-tapping dynamic (PRAT) but it does have tremendous air for solid state equipment. I think the 383 alone would be a great piece but would consider using a different CD source to avoid over-emphasizing Levinson's sonic traits. It's definitely well made, probably the best in the US (Rowland is up there, too) and competes with Goldmund and Accuphase for build quality (I own/owned this all). 383 may be like a C320 not a CL600 (that would be the Levinson 32).

I owned the 383 for a year and enjoyed it the whole time. I got caught up in reading about audio and convinced myself I needed a change.

The 383 is an absolute joy to use, excellent design; it is a great performer as well. I found it very musical and never fatiguing, a joy to have on all the time.

I had talked with another person that said they found the performance to be nicely improved by upgrading the power cord, his words were something like, "it can sound bigger than it is...". As someone who just purchased his first aftermarket power cord, I can attest to the enhancements they add.

It's well known that separates give the most flexibility, but having the single unit is nice!

Someone above mentioned the Mac MA6900, I read, or rather skimmed, the comments of Sam Telig in Stereophile on this integrated and he was very pleased with it's performance; if possible try to listen to it as well.

I believe with some careful shopping you could meet or exceed the 383's performance at the price, but ask yourself "how you listen". If you spend most of your time between the speakers "critical" listening, you "may" want separates. If you spend a lot of time with it on while doing things, not just sitting between the speakers, the 383 may be perfect.

Dear Nicolae: With due respect, the M-B 600 is their limo, with a 6-liter engine. In the U.S., the numbers associated with M-B models refer to the engine displacement, which is in liters. Thus, a 560 is a 5.6 liter engine, a 300 is a 3.0 liter engine, etc. The M-B 600 is the top of the line model in the U.S., with a price to match. It's possible that M-B has a European model that uses a different numerical nomenclature than the U.S. I remember during the years that I lived in Germany I used to watch in awe when I'd get passed on the autobahn by someone in a 600 travelling in comfort at 130 mph. Truly awesome cars.

Mr. Sdcampbell, I was just beeing sarcastic: there is a Mercedes 600, a very small car, as I said 600 cc, half the size of a Renault 5, and I see no mistake in the comparison between the M.L. 383 and a motorized rain coat. It's cool to have one now, it has good reviews, but by May you'd wish you were smart enough to have purchased a motorcycle.
Mr. Clennon, don't waste your money on technology without style. Listen to live music and then find the system who can most accurately reproduce it. The "investment" of a 383 can almost buy you an active Linn system or a Nu Vista 3D and Nu Vista Integrated by Musical Fidelity. You were asking how musical is the 383... Try Naim if you want a truly musical system.
Looks are deciving, what you hear matters!