Sony X7ESD or Mark Levinson No 39?

[Galaxie65]

So I have the Sony and I have the chance to pick up a No 39 Levinson CD player. I’m curious is it’s a big step up or if it’s more like a side step. I could sell the Sony and get the No 39 but just have to know if it’s not much different or a new set of problems.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Audioraven]

I think the Levinson probably would be a slight sonic step up from your excellent Sony. Plus it can decode HDCD CD's. However, it also has the potential of becoming a large paperweight if the laser dies.

 

[Galaxie65]

Tha is that was what I was wondering about. I know the song that I have has a similar issue with the laser. So I didn’t know if I was exchanging one evil for another.

I’m tempted by the Levinson because of the quality. But I didn’t want to be blinded by that and make a lateral move or marginal.

 

[Sound Dragon]

It’s a difficult recommendation to make. The Sony ES 7 series players have this way of making the music so tangible. It just sounds good and you don’t get fatigued by the sound.

Whenever I have moved on from an ES player, it has usually been for a feature that the ES player didn’t have. That being said, the Esoteric CD Transport and Dac that I am running now give me all that my ES players did and more. If you can demo the Levinson before committing, that would be the best move.