Mark Levinson 37 transport or new cdp today..?

Rwwear, I don't have to "read the forums". I have several Levinson components and I just had a discussion with the factory recently about support for the amps, which are out of warranty. (Nothing is broken, we were discussing cap renewal.) Enough with the rumor-spreading. Either you have the facts or you don't, and you clearly don't. Service is definitely not cheap, but what do you expect for components with a prices that range from $6000 to $35,000? Are you thinking labor will cost you only $50/hour? I think service costs should make anyone question buying a 10-15 year-old electronic component that cost $6000 new, regardless of manufacturer. I remember talking to Krell about service for my old KMA-100s. Let's just say anything is possible, but it costs.

The #37,#39 & #390s are/were great transports/CD players. I believe all have long been discontinued by Levinson except perhaps the #390s. There should be parts available. Having owned one for several years, I know firsthand the the drawer has issues and will need servicing at some point. The new Levinson under Harman is a mere shadow of itself. They do not service the equipment themselves but have I believe 2 repair centers in the U.S.A. They have instituted a flat repair rate for each product which must be apporved to bill to your charge card before they will issue an R.A. The service price is always the maximum amount approved. The service may take quite a while.

As for transports, there are great differences in how they sound. A Levinson transport/DAC/CD Player was one of the best at the time and probably can still hold their own.

My Reference 31.5 transport and 30.6 DAC were easily bested by the P.S. Audio Perfect Wave Transport and DAC. Which retail about $6000. for the pair. However there is a trade in program for old DACS and transports towards the new P.S. Audio stuff through Music Direct and other dealers for the next couple of weeks. One can even purchase the bridge that will soon be available insert it in the DAC and then use the system as one of the currently best music servers available.

As for older components eventually breaking and being expensive to repair this is a fact. So unless you could never part with your favorite Levinson, Theta, etc. Then it is probably a great idea to look at newer technology.
However there are great older amps and preamps out there that can be purchased for a fraction of the price, and can be repaired fairly easily by others than the original manufacuter that makes them a real bargain. For instance my speakers (Legacy Helix) are quad amped and need at least 3 stereo amps to run them. I'd love to purchase Krell EVO amps for them but that would cost about $75000.00 for the amps I'd want new. Instead I've invested in Krell MDA-500 monoblocks, MDA-300 monoblocks, and the KSA 250 amps to run my speakers. So I have about $10,000.00 in amps that sound incredible in my system instead of the $75,000.00 and even if they do need some repair work in the next few years costing let's say $5000.00 to rebuild them all, I'm still ahead. And the sound. . . has to be heard to be believed.
I'm certainly not a Krellaholoic, there are many amps I admire and could use to build my system around.
Even Audio Research has an update for the legendary SP3-1a preamp listed on the website. That was an incredible piece that I'm sure sounds great today!

In conclusion, the best thing that could happen to Levinson/Revel product is for some other audio group purchase the name from Harman and revitalize a great and legendary line from sheer folly.

Good listening!
Sgr

My Reference 31.5 transport and 30.6 DAC were easily bested by the P.S. Audio Perfect Wave Transport and DAC.

Sgr, I would be very interested in a bit more info on how the PS Audio compared to this great classic gear (which I have heard many times).

I have the facts. I've been in the audio business for over 25 years. A company that charges like Levinson does should have better support. I don't blame the old Levinson but I do blame Harman who couldn't care less about customers. I know for a fact that our Shure rep had all of their Harman products taken away from them because they wouldn't drop Shure and replace it with a Harman product.

Tony a friend has the Perfect Wave DAC and transport and they do sound very good.

Irvrobinson I had an interesting talk with the Harman guys at CEDIA and they acknowledged they had had a problem with their service but assured me things have been improved. And they no longer charge upfront for service. So, I owe you an apology. They also had a great setup at the show.