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. |
