Mark Levinson No. 31 CD Transport

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General:
If you’ve never seen this unit in person - prepare to be shocked.

Too bad America doesn’t build audio equipment like this anymore!

This thing is ridiculous in both size, weight, and design.

Check out more from this video on our YouTube:

In 1993 this reference unit cost a staggering $8,495 (Over $15k in today's dollars). To buy a transport of this quality today you’d have to drop close to $20k. CD’s haven’t changed much since that era, so there would be few benefits to buying a current reference unit unless you’re into burning your own MP3 CD’s.

On the back you will find a highly regarded ST Glass Fiber interface of the 150MHz variety. If you are lucky enough to have a DAC with this sort of input - be sure to use it. There are also Toslink, Coax and XLR digital connections.

Flanking the unit you will notice two large power supplies in their own housing. It’s essentially a 3 piece transport with all pieces attached together. I challenge you to find a similar unit in design and extravagance. Shipping weight is a staggering 62 lbs!

Here's a great quote on this piece from Robert Harley at Stereophile:
“As with other aspects of the No.31's performance, the transport's features, user interface, and functionality are unprecedented. The No.31 operates like no other CD transport." 

Functionally this No. 31 transport is in perfect working condition. All buttons operate as they should, the mechanism works almost instantly, and tracks to perfection.
Switching between tracks is remarkably fast and you can hear the speed of the disk change as you go to the outer tracks. This fast switching is due to the fact that ML utilized a low mass CD damper.

The display is bright and clearly legible. The motorized top opens without hesitation, and is super solid feeling and sounding. The power button on the front has a wear mark on it (see photos).

Cosmetically the unit is not perfect by any means, although it looks really good and most people would be pleased. It has a few rub marks on the edges and a ding here and there. The rubber on the bottom of the feet has deteriorated and is replaced by stick-on pads.

The original remote is included and all buttons on the remote works as they should. The remote has some damage near the battery cover from corrosion caused by leaking batteries at some point. Very common with aluminum remotes unfortunately over time.

The unit will be double packed in an official, compatible, and brand new Mcintosh box (the very best packaging in the industry - period).

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Very Good condition with some light sings of use.

SkyFi Technical Notes:
On the very initial boot up, if the unit has been off for some time, you have to clear the "Bad Programs" message by pressing the "programs clear" button one time.

Brand Background:
After working in various recording studios and, as legend has it, creating the sound mixer for the Woodstock Music Festival, Mark Levinson began hand-crafting high-end stereo components. His first product, the LNP-1, was a rack-mounted system with two large VU meters and a high performance op-amp module. And with every subsequent product, the legend grew.

,After working in various recording studios and, as legend has it, creating the sound mixer for the Woodstock Music Festival, Mark Levinson began hand-crafting high-end stereo components. His first product, the LNP-1, was a rack-mounted system with two large VU meters and a high performance op-amp module. And with every subsequent product, the legend grew.

Ownership:
Second Owner

Connections:
One AES/EBU on XLR jack (110 ohms), one S/PDIF on RCA jack (75 ohms), one HP ST-Type optical (AT&T–compatible), one EIAJ (Toslink) optical.

General Sound:
Accurate to the recording

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested on our bench with both CD and DVD. XLR and RCA working as they should.

Included:
Unit, remote, manual and power cord.

Packing:
Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.Original MSRP:
$8,950.00

Specs:
Single-play CD transport

Outputs:
One AES/EBU on XLR jack (110 ohms), one S/PDIF on RCA jack (75 ohms), one HP ST-Type optical (AT&T–compatible), one EIAJ (Toslink) optical.

Additional inputs and outputs:
Slave in and slave out (for communication with other Mark Levinson digital products).

Dimensions:
19.375" W by 5.56" H by 13.726" D (14.426" H with lid open).

Weight:
50 lbs.

Approximate Age:
1993

Link to Manual:
Click Here

Recommended Cables:

Kimber Kable - Coaxial Digital Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Coaxial Digital Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Digital AES/EBU Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Good

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Better

Kimber Kable - 14AWG (Gauge) Power Cords - Best

Testing Process:
We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect resistors and other passive components for signs of overheating. When the unit is first powered on we check the drawer mechanism function. 

After the visual inspection we connect the CD Player RCA outputs to our Sencore PA81 Power Analyzer which simulates a real world input impedance and allows us to monitor the output on an oscilloscope. We start with a test CD with precision test signals to verify proper output on both channels. If the CD player has balanced outputs these are also tested at this time.

If this check passes, we move onto evaluation with actual music CDs. We listen for clicks, skips, and drops during playback. At this time we also check the transport functions including Play, Pause, Stop, Repeat Track, Next Track, Previous Track, Fast Forward, Rewind, and programming if applicable. If the unit has a remote control, all remote control functions are verified.

If the CD player is capable of SACD playback we test its ability to read SACD layers on multiple discs including standard and hybrid SACD's. At this time we also check the unit’s digital outputs where applicable. If SACD layers are being properly read we should see the digital outputs mute during playback. On redbook CD playback we verify that each digital output maintains proper lock on our bench DAC.

After bench testing is completed, CD players are set up for testing on our long term test rig. During extended testing we make sure that unit can play through several different discs from beginning to end with no skips or lockups.