Published On: September 23, 2008

Mark Levinson Introduces the N° 532 Dual Monaural Power Amplifier

Published On: September 23, 2008
Last Updated on: March 9, 2022
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Mark Levinson Introduces the N° 532 Dual Monaural Power Amplifier

Mark Levinson is out with a new flagship dual mono power amp to pick up in the long lineage of Levinson amps like it before including the Mark Levinson no. 23, no. 23.5, no. 332 and Mark Levinson N° 336

Mark Levinson Introduces the N° 532 Dual Monaural Power Amplifier

By Author: Olivia Deveau
Olivia Deveau is a former staff writer for HomeTheaterReview.com and previously served as print opinion editor for the Oak Park Talon. During her tenure with HomeTheaterReview.com, she was in charge of posting daily news and feature stories, and also proved herself to be an excellent gear reviewer. In addition to being passionate about music playback, she's also a musician in her own right, being a self-taught bass player.

marklevinson_no532.gifMark Levinson just introduced the No532 Dual Monaural Power Amplifier. Following closely on the heels of the No502 Media Console, the No532 marks the latest addition to Mark Levinson's product range representing the next generation in home entertainment. 

  
The No532 features two 400-watt monaural power amplifiers housed in a single chassis. The chassis of the No532 is designed to isolate the audio circuits from interference and noise. When viewed from above, the rear portion of the power amplifier has three distinct piers. Control and power circuitry reside in the center pier, separate from the audio circuitry, which resides in the two outer piers - one dedicated to each channel. The power transformers are located at the front of the chassis, away from the audio circuits. According to the company, this design provides isolation of the potentially noisy power and control circuits from the audio circuits, additional heat sink surface area for cooling, and short signal and power delivery paths.

Multiple stages of regulator circuits are employed, using a combination of series and shunt elements, custom-tailored to the audio circuitry for which they provide power. These discrete, low-noise, wide-bandwidth circuits are in close proximity to the audio signal path that they power, but placed on a separate circuit board to minimize interaction with the audio signals and prevent the corruption of low-level signals. The toroidal power transformers filter mains-born noise from the secondary power supply and help ensure that any capacitance that normally exists between the windings is knocked down to prevent it from finding its way into the delicate audio circuits. The power supplies are placed close together to maximize magnetic field cancellation, and far away from the audio signal path to reduce interference.

The compact design of the No532's circuitry allows the signal path to be tighter and shorter, reducing parasitic capacitances and minimizing propagation delay and phase shift. The end result is a faster, wider bandwidth, cleaner output signal with low impedance level and minimal signal degradation. Lastly, the audio signal output path contains 24 output devices per channel.

The first non-Reference Mark Levinson amplifier to be fully differential, the No532 provides both RCA and XLR connectors that accept balanced signals directly into the input stage of the amplifier, with no additional circuitry. Also, it is the first Mark Levinson linear amplifier to incorporate through-hole parts specifically for critical signal path components and surface mount components, for building smaller circuits with higher performance.

The No532 features Mark Levinson's proprietary ML Net and Link2 inter-device communication protocols, allowing the No532 to be easily integrated and controlled by other Mark Levinson devices. The No532 also provides a traditional 12V trigger input and output to synchronize on/standby status with other devices that do not include ML Net or Link2. An RS-232 port also allows the No532 to be controlled by units from industry leaders such as AMX•, Crestron® and other third party integrated control systems.

Commenting on the launch of the new No532 Dual Monaural Power Amplifier, Mark Levinson Director of Sales Ed Stadlen stated, "Just like every series of Mark Levinson power amplifiers before it, the No532 represents an evolution in design. We have pulled from our experience and end-user feedback, and used the best possible design practices and materials, in order to come up with a new design that achieves the very best sound quality possible. The No532 offers unparalleled performance and Mark Levinson's recognizable sonic signature, and you will be astounded by the increased resolution and dynamics."

The No532 Dual Monaural Power Amplifier is now available from authorized Mark Levinson dealers.

www.marklevinson.com

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