Is the Mark Levinson 390S still a reference player

I agree with Lewinskih01 for the most part... do not go crazy into a DAC setup as things will change as time goes on. What is "crazy money" to some however, may not be to others. I buy as demo or used when possible to get a better quality piece for less than retail.

You will have a tough time beating a discless systems with a decent DAC and the correct ripping/file type/bit rate.

I have compared my LINN Akurate DS to CD players at or over $10k. Add in the fact that your entire music library is at your finger tips (iPad), and any argument against going discless is just silly. If you enjoy searching through a large CD collection, loading the disc, playing the few songs on that disc you like, then unloading it, finding another disc, etc. then a DAC setup may not be for you.

The M.L. 390S was a great player, I owned a 390 then upgraded to a 390S, I've seen them for sale at very reasonable prices, don't think you could do better. They can have a slightly dark sound if not connected to the right associated gear. It's no match for the Ayre C5MP and Audio Research DAC8 that I now own, but nothing out there is, including the Linn. I also have all my music on a Mac but much prefer spinning disc's.

Anyone compare the 390S with the 512?

I have the 512 and it is fantastic! I've done blind listening tests and it is superior to the Sony SCD-XA5400ES as well as the Oppo BDP-95. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to listen to any of the players. I'm within 20 minutes of Boston, MA.

Aaronmadler, I certainly would hope so.....the 512 is a 15K player, 10x the price of the Sony and Oppo. Have you compared it to upper echelon players like the Puccini, Playback Designs, Isis, ARC, EMM, Meridian, etc?