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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

Showing 2 responses by sdecker

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...
sdecker's avatar
sdecker OP
143 posts
 
Sgr, the Proceed was thoroughly upgraded by Madrigal 1/03, with a receipt outlining all the hours and parts that went into it, incl a whole new drive ass'y and support pieces. Two different customer support techs at Madrigal told me that this drive unit is now shared with CDD/37/39/390s, as there are fewer options to choose from, and all these units share the same block diagram/architecture. Looking at the insides of the CDD and 37 show many shared parts and circuit elements, incl power supply and clocking. The 37 and CDD were designed in parallel in '95, and even the current 390s uses essentially the same transport. The big diff is in the chintzy Proceed chassis and front panel, and some feature omissions and cheaper parts - and even then this was a $2500 transport, so not chump change. No beef against ML, just that I didn't want to spend the extra $ for the cache, resale, packaging and perhaps 5% (??) better sonics.

I likewise have 30 years into this hobby, and wanted to hear what a well-designed transport sounded like driving a well-regarded DAC. After more listening the CDD DOES sound better than my other CDPs, but not as much a sonic near-transformation as the Denon DVD-2900 digital outs provided. Perhaps like yourself, and as an EE, I too have to reconcile the packaging and engineering inside a good high-end piece vs the actual sound. And sometimes I get a rude surprise that something that shouldn't sound better does...
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