Mark Levinson No. 31
The Mark Levinson No. 31 is a reference-grade CD transport. It sits at the front of the company's top-tier digital playback system, next to the No. 30/30.5 outboard processor. It is a transport only, with no audio outputs on the unit. It has to be connected digitally to the No. 30.5 or a similar processor to make any sound.
Documentation on the No. 31 is thin. The model's relationship to its successor, the No. 31.5, makes it worse. The exact differences between the two are not clearly documented. The sources that name the No. 31 and the sources that cover the No. 31.5 do not say whether the two are identical in specification or merely related by name.
What the record does show is that the No. 31 was a top-loading design, built around getting data off the disc as successfully as possible. It required AC power to spin the disc and decode data. It also accepted a digital input from an external Master Tape Recorder for dubbing. Period reviews noted this feature, though one reviewer found it limiting when trying to evaluate the transport on its own merits. Audio (March 1995, p.78) reported the No. 31 CD transport at $8,495.
A later review in Audio (May 1997, p.176) covered the No. 31.5. Paired with the No. 30.5 over a balanced AES/EBU connection, it offered significantly more low-level detail than earlier Levinson digital components. The same review acknowledged that numerous CD transports provided fine sound at considerably lower prices. The 31.5 added a ruggedized version of the Philips CDM-12 mechanism and a gentler lid assembly.
Known facts, briefly:
- Top-loading CD transport; no analog audio outputs
- Requires external processor (No. 30/30.5) for audio output
- Accepts digital input from a Master Tape Recorder for dubbing
- No. 31 priced at $8,495 (1995); No. 31.5 reviewed in 1997
- Production years, full specifications, and current market pricing are not documented
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