Mark Levinson № 536 Monaural Power Amplifier Preview

There are few brands that evoke the image of ultra high-end audio as Mark Levinson.  The eponymous audio brand, which is now part of Harman International’s luxury division, has just announced a new monoblock amplifier, the No. 536, at CES 2015 in Las Vegas.  While final specs are still being set, here’s what we know:

The new Mark Levinson No. 536 monoblock amplifier is slated to be a class AB design.  All the voltage gain and driver stages operate in full class A; the output devices operate in class AB.  Although the company is still fine-tuning the unit’s performance, Mark Levinson is targeting the No. 536 to deliver or exceed 400 Watts of power into 8 ohms and double down to provide 800 Watts into 4 ohms.  It will be stable into 2 ohm loads so ESL lovers rejoice.

The No. 536 is slated to replace the current No. 532 (not the No. 532H), which has been part of the Levinson lineup for many years.  Levinson says the No. 536 is an entirely different design that’s new from the ground up.  The analog circuitry is based in many respects on the gain stage developed for their preamp in the No. 585 integrated amp, but with an extraordinarily high speed/high current output stage.  And, unlike the “H” series amplifiers, which include different channel configurations, the No. 536 will only be available as a monoblock and cannot be reconfigured.  As you can see in the accompanying photos, the engineering team at Mark Levinson has packed almost every available inch of the amplifier’s chassis with little room to spare.  

The No. 536 is an entirely new design.  The entire chassis of the Mark Levinson No. 536 is packed with little room to spare.

As is standard with other Levinson amplifiers, the No. 536 includes both an XLR balanced and an RCA unbalanced input. There are two pairs of heavy-duty speaker binding posts with Mark Levinson’s characteristic hurricane knobs.  The hurricane design allows audiophiles to tighten speaker-cables easily without the use of any tools.

The No. 536 also follows Levinson’s recent trend towards digital integration.  The amplifier includes Ethernet, RS-232 and 12-volt IR trigger inputs and outputs that enable interfacing with Mark Levinson preamplifiers, networked installations and automation and control systems.  It’s safe to assume that like other Levinson amps custom installers and tech savvy customers will be able to modify network parameters via the amplifier’s built-in administration web page.  The internal server’s page should give installers and end users status information as well as any error reporting on the amplifier.  This can serve as a handy diagnostic tool for any integration issues or support issues down the road.

As a discerning audiophile would demand in a luxury amplifier, the No. 536 is fully differential from input to output. In a fully differential topology, you basically have two amplifier channels that are bridged together to form the differential amplification stage.  Thus, the loudspeaker has no ground reference.   All things being equal, differential topologies are superior to single ended designs, because they offer better noise immunity (up to a 6dB improvement) and lower distortion.

On paper, the No. 536 promises to be a powerhouse.  The capacitors in the high-current supplies (main power for the output stages) are 63 volts.  The total capacitance in these power supplies is 169,200 microfarads.  The capacitors in the high voltage supplies (power for the voltage gain stages) are 100 volts.

Harman’s Luxury Audio business unit has built an Engineering Center of Excellence in Shelton, Connecticut, and hired a staff of the finest hardware, software, and mechanical engineers out there.  All new Mark Levinson products, from the No585 integrated amp going forward, are being designed in house unlike prior amplifier designs that were done in cooperation with ATI.  

We’re looking forward to seeing the final product specifications for the No. 536 and would love to get a pair of this promised powerhouse amplifier in for review.

Projected US retail price is $15,000 each/$30,000 per pair with availability in the Fall of 2015.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.