ML 39 w/Bryston amp and Thiel 2.3?

dweller, Iam sorry but there is nothing wrong with my unit. Maybe its because mine is newer than yours was? I deal with Madrigal directly with a few things I have going on and they wouldnt sell units that dont work in an unsuffient manner.They didnt get there name by doing such things. The 39 has been tested on the bench with much more supireor cd players than the msb and has beaten them out by a noticable margin. I like what ever sounds good to me and I dont care who makes it. Thats the name of the game. Its all about the music and how close will that peice of equipment bring me to the real thing. So in that I rate the 39 as top quality from sound to build quality. All the reviews by magazines and people who have owned it are always great ones. I have the final word and I agree it is one amazing cd player and very hard to beat.

Interesting points about reliability...but can anyone answer the question?

Rsuminsby, I owned the 3B-ST and then moved to the 4B-ST with the Thiel 2.3. Then I moved to the 7B-ST with the Thiel CS-6. The Bryston/Thiel combination is a bit bright and can lead to some upper mid congestion, depending on room acoustics -- but it can also sound so live, it can be fun. The right speaker cable (e.g., MIT) can go a long way to smooth things out as reporting in numerous prior posts (I took that advice and, holy cow, there's a huge difference). I've worked with a couple of different digital front ends, the latest being the Perpetual Technologies, and haven't noticed a lot of difference in the brightness but did notice a big difference in the detail, smoothness, soundstage and musicality. I'm sorry I have no experience with the 39 but would suggest that the "laid back" vs. "brightness" issue is less affected by the front end then it is with the total system. And again, the MIT goes a long way to help that out. IMHO. Hope that helps. Cheers!

A better answer to your question is most of the people who own theil speakers use Levinson because it smooths the theils out. They can be brite. The Brystons are very good but they are not as refined as the Levinson gear.so by adding the 39 it will smooth out your overall presentation.The 39 is a cdplayer you will buy and have for many many years to come.If I where you buy the 39 and use your system the way it is and then sell the brystons and get a Levinson amp and run the 39 directly to your amp. And you will be blown away with the results. Good luck

I owned a No. 39 for several years and did not have the reported problem with it, though I had other quirky problems from time to time. It's a very good unit but is getting a little long in the tooth.

I have some experience with the MSB Platinum and agree that it outperforms the Levinson, but you will still need a good transport. If you want a one-box CDP, there are others to consider for sure, but the No. 39 does sound very good and is on the laid-back, soft side of things (not a criticism at all), which will probably balance well with the rest of your system.

Mr. Lev335 tends to act as a Madrigal apologist around here, which diminishes his credibility, I'm sorry to say.