Mark Levinson today introduced the № 534 Dual-Monaural Amplifier, building upon the success of its recently introduced № 536 Monaural Amplifier. Featuring Mark Levinson’s proprietary Pure Path circuit design, the № 534 delivers a deep, expansive soundstage, accurate image placement, extended low bass response with exceptional pitch definition, and detailed high frequencies free from “etching.” This high-current, low-feedback two-channel amplifier delivers 250 watts per channel into 8 ohms, operating purely in class A for most listening conditions, doubling to 500W into 4 ohms, with stable operation into 2-ohm loads.

Harman_ML No.536

This fully discrete, dual-monaural amplifier drives virtually any loudspeaker effortlessly for impeccable imaging, musicality, and openness. A direct-coupled signal path; a highly linear, low-feedback design; and voltage gain and drive stages operating in class A, are joined by the modern system integration capabilities provided by Ethernet, RS-232, and USB for monitoring and network control. Housed in a cold-rolled steel and 6000-series aluminum chassis, the № 534 is designed and handcrafted in the USA.

The № 534 offers balanced and single-ended inputs for use with virtually any preamplifier or source player with variable output. For connection to loudspeakers without needing tools for a secure link, the № 534 features four pairs of gold-plated binding posts with Mark Levinson Hurricane terminal knobs to support either standard or bi-wired loudspeaker connections.

“Since 1972, Mark Levinson has been dedicated to the uncompromising art of sound, with the guiding principle of musical purity above all else. To achieve that goal like never before, Mark Levinson engineers in our Shelton, Connecticut Electronics Center of Excellence scoured company archives, ultimately developing a circuit-design philosophy called Pure Path. On a conceptual level, its hallmark principles include a discrete, direct-coupled, high linearity, wide bandwidth, dual-monaural signal path that delivers unrestricted, uncompromised sonic purity,” stated Jim Garrett, Director of Marketing and Product Management, HARMAN.

All Mark Levinson equipment employs electronic components carefully chosen for their specific task. Gain-stage JFET pairs have high gain, low noise, low distortion, and because they are encapsulated in the same package, the two devices operate under nearly identical conditions. Capacitors used in critical filtering locations are film types, noted for their consistent performance regardless of temperature and frequency. Finally, resistors in critical gain-setting and feedback locations use tantalum nitride thin-film elements. An extremely costly material, tantalum nitride typically finds use in sensitive military equipment because it is unusually stable with respect to temperature, exhibits very low noise, and is unaffected by magnetic fields. In fine audio equipment, those characteristics make the sound even more revealing and effortless, free of the low-level nonlinearities caused by lesser resistive materials as they heat and cool under dynamic conditions.

The № 534 Dual-Monaural Amplifier and its sibling № 536 Monaural Amplifier will be on display at the High End Munich show, (Atrium 4.1, Room F119). The № 534 will be available from authorized Mark Levinson dealers worldwide in Summer 2016, and the № 536 is available now.