Hifi Pig

The No 585 is engineered to be the finest integrated amplifier ever created by Mark Levinson and is the first of a new generation of products to be designed at HARMAN’s new state-of-the-art engineering facility located in Shelton, Connecticut.

It combines versatility with a Class AB amplifier delivering 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 350 watts per channel into 4 ohms and will accommodate a wide variety of digital music sources including high resolution 32-bit/192kHz computer audio and DSD over USB.  In an industry first, the No 585 incorporates HARMAN Clari-Fi™ processing, which applies proprietary signal-enhancement techniques to “restore the sound quality of any compressed file format”.

The No 585 integrated amplifier is built using a heavy-gauge chassis and card-cage architecture to isolate critical low-level analogue and digital circuitry, which comprises audiophile-grade internal components and premium rear-panel connectors.

The No 585 offers six digital and four analogue inputs including USB, optical, coaxial, AES/EBU XLR and RCA.  It employs fully discrete, mirror-imaged, dual-monaural analogue input and output circuitry, optimised for sonic integrity and uses individual signal switching relays for each of its four analogue stereo inputs: one XLR and three RCA. The volume controls use discrete 15-bit R-2R resistor ladder networks and low-noise analogue switches.

Its high-current, fully differential (balanced) Class AB power amplifier section utilises an oversized 900VA custom toroidal transformer with individual secondary windings for the left and right channels. Separate left and right channel regulated linear power supplies are used for all the analogue circuitry. Each amplifier channel employs 12 output transistors.

At the heart of the No. 585’s digital audio processing stage is an ESS Sabre 32-bit D/A converter with proprietary jitter elimination and fully balanced, discrete I/V (current-to-voltage) circuitry. The Cmedia USB audio processor is capable of asynchronous data transfer of high-resolution DSD and PCM files at up to 192kHz/32-bit resolution. For lower-resolution audio formats, HARMAN’s Clari-Fi signal processing reconstructs information and bandwidth that is lost in compressed file formats restoring higher-fidelity sound.  Clari-Fi™ does not add equalization, bass boost, or other effects to the listening experience.

The No 585 provides a stereo preamp/subwoofer output with a selectable 80Hz high-pass filter for use in a properly implemented 2.1-channel system, and includes Ethernet, RS-232, IR and 12V trigger ports to facilitate its use audio/video installations with integrated systems control. 

Typical retail price will be £10,500 and Mark Levinson No.585 Integrated Amplifier will be available December 2014.

Colin Wonfor the Technical Director at Tellurium Q is well known in hifi circles for the IncaTech Claymore amp from the 80s. In this long awaited review Stuart Smith takes a listen to the Claymore for the 21st Century.

“I’m used to listening with just 20 Watts of Class A from Tellurium Q’s Iridium amp but I have to say I really enjoyed having the extra power on tap, though I struggled to turn the volume knob much past 10 o’clock (and I do listen pretty loud) with the 95db Mummys. With the little Q Acoustics Concept 20s (possibly a more realistic partnering) there’s a real feeling that the Claymore has grabbed the speakers firmly and is taking control of them to get the best from them.”

The new MA6700 is a solid-state integrated amplifier combining amp and preamp functionality, along with a DAC and MM/MC phono stage, in an unmistakably McIntosh chassis. The optional AM/FM radio module effectively makes the MA6700 McIntosh’s first receiver since 1993.

The dual-layer-chassis MA6700 offers plenty of flexibility and has been designed to act as a centrepiece or ‘hub’, in a music system. It contains loads of inputs and includes McIntosh’s new internal High Drive headphone amplifier.

The 200-watt MA6700’s preamp section features a total of eleven inputs including coaxial and optical input, plus a dedicated asynchronous USB 2.0 input (operating at up to 32-bit). The MA6700 has a dedicated phono section for Moving Magnet and Moving.

The MA6700’s Home Theatre Pass Through feature allows integration into existing multichannel systems and an optional AM/FM tuner module (£800), featuring the same technology as McIntosh’s standalone tuners, brings radio playback to the amp. The optional module offers 20 presets for each radio band, as well as a remote AM antenna. The amplifier also offers bypassable tone controls (bass and treble) plus assignable inputs. RS232 control is also offered, along with rear-panel system data and power controls.

At 34kg and 200 watts per channel, the amplifier has enough power to properly drive virtually all loudspeakers McIntosh say. products, the MA6700 is skilfully handcrafted in the Binghamton, NY factory and boasts classic styling with contemporary features and technology.

The MA6700 sells for £7,295 and is available now. The optional AM/FM module is priced at £800.