Can anyone talk about the Levinson 40.


How does it stack up against the # 32 and # 380S preamps, and the # 30.6 and # 360S Digital Audio Processors?
melhughes
Thanks Ksales. So, I believe you are saying that you think the #40 is equal to the Levinson audio reference pieces (#32 preamp and #30.6 digital audio processor). There are really has no Levinson video pieces from which to draw a conclusion. Am I correct in your meaning? Would Levinson agree? Would seem to work against their reference customers to now say that the # 40 is better and I believe they have NOT designated the # 40 as a refernece piece.
Well, Levinson themselves states that it is not equally good
as the No 32 + No 30.6 combo. Instead it is an all in one
box solution of almost the same quality with added video
capability of the highest quality.
Rhagen is right that Levinson does not list as a reference piece. I have a hard time distinguishing the quality from their reference preamps. Frankly it sounds great. I had the PAV combo and the video on this is far better and that was great. It is light years ahead of other pieces on the market who are now copying the design. At the price I paid I could have bought something and didn't.
I had/got them All, The 32 buries the 380s, the 30.6 dac is close to equal with the 360s. the no40 dacs beats all dacs.
now, the preamp side of the no.40 Exceeds the 380s by a good amount, coming really close to the no.32. Now is it worth keeping the no.32 with the 40? If you spin records, definitly, cant beat the phono section in the 32..
The sales group at levinson, Admited , the no40 exceeded their expectations in many ways, especially in the dac section.

so my current setup, is the No.40 with the no32 with phono,
connected to the 40, I use Electrocompaniet upsampling cd player, a Audiomeca Mephisto II transport and a Audiomeca Enkianthus dac, and sharing the Electrocompaniet as a transport connected to the No.40.... So i have 3 flavors in playing a cd. from there is the 33h's, valhalla throughout,
and Elrods p/c's.

Madrigal mention of making a Refrence H/t processor, but I cant see it getting any beter than this.
IMO IMO

Anthony