Published On: January 28, 2016

Mark Levinson Unveils N° 526 Dual-Mono Preamp

Published On: January 28, 2016
Last Updated on: March 9, 2022
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Mark Levinson Unveils N° 526 Dual-Mono Preamp

At CES, Harman's Mark Levinson brand announced and demonstrated the new N° 526 dual-mono preamplifier, which features a hi-res DAC and an integrated photo stage. The preamp has five analog ins, six digital ins (including asynchronous USB and AES/EBU balanced),...

Mark Levinson Unveils N° 526 Dual-Mono Preamp

By Author: Home Theater Review
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Mark-Levinson-No-526.jpgAt CES, Harman's Mark Levinson brand announced and demonstrated the new N° 526 dual-mono preamplifier, which features a hi-res DAC and an integrated photo stage. The preamp has five analog ins, six digital ins (including asynchronous USB and AES/EBU balanced), and an MM/MC photo input. The DAC supports 24-bit/192-kHz PCM and double-speed DSD, and the N° 526 includes Harman's Clari-Fi music restoration technology to improve the sound quality of compressed music files. The N° 526 will be available in May; pricing has not yet been announced.

From Harman
At CES, HARMAN's Mark Levinson previewed the forthcoming N° 526 Dual-Monaural Preamplifier with high-resolution DAC and integrated Phono stage. The complete preamplifier for enthusiasts of all music formats, the N° 526 combines five line-level analog, MM/MC phono, and six digital inputs with the acclaimed Mark Levinson DAC and HARMAN Clari-Fi music restoration technology in an uncompromising package featuring Mark Levinson proprietary system design and a 6000-series aluminum chassis.

"With the Mark Levinson N° 526, music lovers can enjoy the best possible sound from all of their music, whether listening to their treasured LP collection, discovering new music using streaming services, or enjoying high-resolution digital music," said Jim Garrett, Director of Marketing and Product Management, HARMAN. "The N° 526 delivers the ultra-high-end sound quality and faithfulness to the music that every Mark Levinson product is renowned for, in a component that is forward-looking and complete."

Designed and engineered at HARMAN's Engineering Center of Excellence in Shelton, CT, USA, the Mark Levinson N° 526 delivers musical experiences with extraordinary fidelity, enabling tremendous emotional involvement. Its proprietary Mark Levinson signal path is fully discrete, fully balanced and completely dual-monaural, with discrete, balanced R-2R ladder volume control to maintain the highest level of sonic purity, resolution, transparency and dynamic range.

The N° 526 offers connectivity to accommodate all analog and digital music sources. Its ultra-low-noise phono stage accommodates low-output moving-coil as well as moving-magnet cartridges and has selectable gain and resistive and capacitive loading settings as well as a selectable high-pass filter for reducing infrasonic rumble. The N° 526 also has two balanced analog and three single-ended analog audio inputs. The Mark Levinson N° 526 offers high-resolution digital decoding up to 24-bit/192-kHz from PCM and double-speed DSD. Its DAC incorporates an ESS Sabre32 Reference converter for superlative musical accuracy with exceptional resolution and dynamic range. Six digital audio inputs, including asynchronous USB, AES/EBU balanced, Toslink optical and coaxial unbalanced, feed the digital signal path. For listeners whose libraries contain older or lower resolution content, the N° 519 contains HARMAN Clari-Fi music restoration technology, which rebuilds musicality and detail lost in the compression process.

The N° 526 provides both balanced and single-ended analog outputs, which can be configured with optional low-pass filtering for integration of subwoofers. Adding to its versatility, the N° 526 features a front-panel headphone output with the ability to directly drive high-performance headphones.

The N° 526 is built to the absolute finest standards of materials, fit and finish, featuring a 6000-series aluminum housing in black with silver trim. The N° 526 can be operated from its front panel, included remote control and via a comprehensive range of system integration connections. Like all Mark Levinson products, the N° 526 is designed and handcrafted in the USA.

The Mark Levinson N° 526 Dual-Monaural Preamplifier with DAC will be available in May 2016.

Additional Resources
Mark Levinson Previews No 519 Digital Audio Player at HomeTheaterReview.com.
Harman Showcases Mark Levinson No 536 Mono Amp at HomeTheaterRevew.com.

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