| Pre-Amplifiers -> No. 32 Reference Pre-Amplifier For more than a decade, the most enthusiastic of our customers have luxuriated in Mark Levinson Reference products. A Reference Preamplifier, however, has been conspicuously absent. The No32 is the first Mark Levinson Reference Preamplifier. Its innovative architecture and unusual feature-set make it the first preamp revolutionary enough to be labeled as a Reference product. Background and Overview Mark Levinson products have never followed marketing trends. Starting with the first Mark Levinson product in 1972, the JC-1 phono preamplifier, our designs have always led the market by addressing legitimate operational, performance and technical issues. The No32 Reference Preamplifier personifies this tradition. When phono was the primary source and circuitry was single-ended, an outboard power supply was the most obvious characteristic of high-end preamplifier designs. Even today, many low-gain line stage preamplifier designs call for an external power supply despite the fact that balanced circuitry is generally much less sensitive to noise. In most cases where balanced line stage preamplifiers employ an external power supply, the cost of the additional chassis far outweighs the benefit. However, many companies ignore this in order to give high-end customers a product that fits their perception of how a high-end preamplifier should be configured. Mark Levinson preamplifiers have pioneered such innovative features as inter-component linking and remote control. Technical and performance advantages have been achieved by properly implementing balanced circuitry, relay switching and microprocessor control. The No32 takes an evolutionary step forward by packaging power supply and control circuitry together (the No32 Reference Controller) and housing the entire audio preamplifier "outboard" (the No32 Reference Preamplifier). This separation of tasks is logical in a modern, Reference-level preamplifier. AC power supplies, microprocessors, LED displays, anything that generates noise in other words, are housed in a separate chassis from the low-level audio signals. The only thing the audio circuits are exposed to is quiet, regulated DC power and the audio signal itself. The No32 Reference Controller's machined chassis houses five important "housekeeping" subsystems which support the preamplifier system: AC power supply, AC power regeneration, DC power regulation, control circuitry (for input selection, volume and other microprocessor-controlled functions) and communications (control links to other components). The Sound Exhaustive listening tests were conducted over several years to select topologies, component parts and operating parameters for the No32 Reference Preamplifier. Venturing a description of the sound, we find ourselves reaching for superlatives. Our usual words and phrases seem inadequate to the task. The No32 is spectacular in an unexpected way; it is a masterpiece of complexity and subtlety. It does not call attention to any single attribute, as some products do, only to disappoint over time. Just as a fine wine reveals more of itself throughout the night, or from one year to the next, so too does the No32. Music-loving, careful listeners will find themselves discovering new and subtle meaning in familiar recordings. With time, recordings of great performances reveal more of themselves through the No32. The Reference Preamplifier sorts out complexity the way the proper light can reveal the artistry of a great painting. New and interesting aspects of the music reveal themselves with each playing of the recording, promising new secrets waiting to be discovered. The No32 is for the serious music devotee, whose audio system is the means to an end, not the end itself. While it can sound breathtaking, it is designed for a sophisticated, refined and patient listener. Please take an evening to enjoy the new Reference. We are confident you will hear expressiveness in your favorite recordings that you have never heard before. Like all Mark Levinson Reference Products, the No32 is available only at select Mark Levinson dealers. More Details... |
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Mark Levinson • 3 Oak Park, Bedford, MA 01730
• Tel: 781-280-0300 • Fax 781-280-0490
© 2003 Harman Speciality Group
All rights reserved
