Mark Levinson 37 transport or new cdp today..?


Hi all,

Considering purchasing a dedicated transport for my system, and had in mind a 2nd hand Mark Levinson No.37.

My question is - how does a ML No.37 (given its age) stack up against even something like a Rega Apollo(transport section only) these days? 10 years is a long long time in digital, and I'm wondering if a relatively inexpensive CDP today like the Apollo (as a transport) or another (new) transport would better the older ML No.37?

Budget is a factor for me - I can probably only spend around 1K (maybe $1200USD) used or new, which is why I was thinking of something like an Apollo..

Can anyone provide me with their thoughts pls ? =)

I currently have a Meridian 598 (DVD transport) running (via coax digital) directly into a Meridian 568.2mm. Whilst the Meridian 598 is ok, I've seen a few posts here from people who've own it who've advised it is a bit uninvolving compared to other players. I know for example that even compared to my older, far cheaper, Rega Planet, that, the Meridian 598 seems to lack definite 'involvement'/boogie factor in the music, even considering the Rega is a far far cheaper player.

Wondering if a new source (transport) may be the answer.

Appreciate people's thoughts as to whether older (reference) transports such as Mark Levinson are still worth it today, compared to the transport sections of new 2010 model cd players? (Price considered given my budget =)

Thanks!!

Andrew
rippingtonblue
i agree with Rwwear. A 10 year old transport could fail at any moment. Repairs could be costly and a big pain. I havn't had a transport last 10 years with the laser going out.
Thanks guys!

Sincerely appreciate your responses. I had heard the No.37's second hand are a bit of a lottery (with problems) - you're taking your chances.

So I guess my other main question is would the transport section of some current cd players provide pretty good sound in comparison to a ML 37? (ie, Rega Apollo/Saturn etc..?)

Thanks for your advice everyone!
The DAC makes the biggest difference. Get a good universal like the Oppo, Pioneer, Denon, Marantz etc unless you are just interested in playing CDs.
I still use my ML 37 after 12 years.

A good transport needs to not miss any info on the CD and deliver it in a timely manner to the external DAC.

The ML37 does this in spades.

If you like the "sound" of the ML37 transport, then go for it as I have proved for myself that the unique Mark Levinson "sound" of the transport is coming from its clock circuit. By hooking up my Logitech Transporter to be a slave of the clock signal from the ML37 using a Big Ben audio clock, the Transporter sounded exactly like the ML37.

The only issue I've ever had with the ML37 is when a friend misfed a CD into it and the CD got trapped in the drive-drawer mechanism inside the box. Taking the lid off soon had the problem identified and fixed. Apart from that, nothing has gone wrong with it and it remembers play lists you set up for each disk and other neat tricks like that.

So it is still relevant today even in the ever diminishing world of CD playback.