Linn Unidisc 1.1 with B&Ws?

[SRT-10 Viper]

I've got B&W 800s, with a Levinson 320s Prepro and Classe 350/CAM amps. I currently have a Denon 5910 and have a chance to buy a used Linn Unidisc 1.1. Do you think It will make a big difference in audio (2Ch and Multi)? I am going to Blueray so if the video isn't that great, I'll use the BlueRay to upscale
DVDs.

[chinets]

Go for the LINN Unidisk IMHO !!!

[SRT-10 Viper]

Chinets, Thanks... Anyone else have input?

[akhter]

I've got B&W 800s, with a Levinson 320s Prepro and Classe 350/CAM amps. I currently have a Denon 5910 and have a chance to buy a used Linn Unidisc 1.1. Do you think It will make a big difference in audio (2Ch and Multi)? I am going to Blueray so if the video isn't that great, I'll use the BlueRay to upscale
DVDs.

I have only heard the cheaper linn CD players and they are the best sounding I have ever heard. From what I ahve read, the unidisk is the best of the best, so I have no doubt that it will be much better than ur 5910. Even the (comparetively) cheap linn genki imho is better sounding than the 5910 (its strength lies with video).

[chinets]

I have the Majik CD player and it really is magic !! So the Unidisk 1.1 ,which I have auditioned is brilliant. I bought for DVD-V, SACD and DVD-A the Marantz DV9600 ,which I preferred over the Unidisk 1.1 for picture and very musical. The Unidisk does the same thing, but i preferred the quality picture and Multichannel sound of the Marantz more, because it was more musical, but in 2 channel music the LINN NO DOUBT !!
Let your ears have an audition, and take it from there. However, if you you had to pick from your choices in the thread you posted above, then the LINN wins hands down NO DOUBT !
Cheers

[SRT-10 Viper]

Thanks for the input!

[RNKC]

A few weeks ago I listened to CD players by Linn, Krell, Ayre and Mark Levinson.

Ayre was very good and quite attractive from a price point. The trouble was I was listening in an unfamiliar environment - I had never heard of the speakers and amps the guy was using at the store. I tried to buy the player and get a money-back guarantee if I didn't like it on my system but no dice. He basically told me that once I bought it that would be it. So I moved on.

Linn and Krell were at the same store, playing on Bryston and 803D speakers. I used to have Bryston and of course, I'm quite familiar with the B&W sound. I was able to do an A/B test with the 2 brands and even tried a few different players by both Linn & Krell. For my tastes (classical music) I found that the top of the line Linn vs top of the line Krell was pretty close. Both of them gave a detailed sound, but for some reason I felt the soundstage was a bit lacking. I could kind of hear the trombones in the back with the violins up front, but not always. Even within a CD track, the soundstage seemed to drift sometimes but less so with the Linn. The Linn I found a bit more analytical (which I liked) whereas the Krell was somewhat more rounded. But pricetags (around $10K Canadian) were just a little too high for my chequebook given the sound I was and wasn't getting.

So then it was off to the Mark Levinson store. (I basically spent the whole day listening to CD players. It was a good day. ) The setup there was pure Mark Levinson - 432 amp (400w per channel), 320s Preamp and 802D speakers. The CD player was the 390s. What a difference! The sound was there, the soundstage was exactly what I was looking for, the musicality was there ... This was the total package for me. Out of curiosity we tried a top of the line Rotel player and ... it sounded like crap after the Levinson 390s. So we switched back to the Levinson for some more serious listening. There was an airyness to the sound that much more approximated the real thing in a concert hall. A good orchestra playing in a good hall has a distinct sound; it's as though you can hear the sound between the notes themselves. Listening to the Levinson 390s brought this out. So after a day of listening to different players, I dove in and got the Levinson.

If you want multichannel audio, Mark Levinson is not for you. I would recommend you also try out Classe for multi. But if you want a great 2 channel setup, I would highly recommend the Levinson 390s.

[VictorHRS]

....So then it was off to the Mark Levinson store. (I basically spent the whole day listening to CD players. It was a good day. ) The setup there was pure Mark Levinson - 432 amp (400w per channel), 320s Preamp and 802D speakers. The CD player was the 390s. What a difference!.... .

Good to hear this, RNKC!

I'm about to buy a 432 amp and a 326S preamp, my speakers are 802Ds and in the future I might buy the 390S! I'm also considering the Ayre C-5xe and the Unidisk 1.1 and even the Majik have been suggested to me. I currently own the Denon 5910 for video and mch duties and a Marantz SA14v2 for cd and 2ch SACDs...

So I'll be following closely this thread :T