Just got my new EMC-1 MkII up and running, and cannot believe the improvement in bass dynamics and total lack of digital grain! Too smooth? I dunno...the clarity and detail is NOT compromised...just sounds wonderfully natural.
(Just read a European review showing the MkII's frequency response: razor-flat to +0.1db at 5k, rising to a peak of +0.4db at 16kHz, then falling. So its smoothness is NOT related to Wadia-like rolloff!). Doesn't have the "whitish smeariness" in the treble of the Bel Canto, for example, either.
I'll try it soon running balanced to see if there's any advantage outside the +6dB gain.
Sorry, no experience with the Levinson or Sony. Good luck!
Ernie
(Just read a European review showing the MkII's frequency response: razor-flat to +0.1db at 5k, rising to a peak of +0.4db at 16kHz, then falling. So its smoothness is NOT related to Wadia-like rolloff!). Doesn't have the "whitish smeariness" in the treble of the Bel Canto, for example, either.
I'll try it soon running balanced to see if there's any advantage outside the +6dB gain.
Sorry, no experience with the Levinson or Sony. Good luck!
Ernie