# Mark Levinson's New No 53 Hybrid Digital Amp



## SSSnake (Mar 8, 2007)

First off, the link to the article...

Mark Levinson No 53 Hybrid Digital Power Amplifier Reviewed

There was a LOT of subjective crap in the post but I thought several things were of interest.

1.) If MLs top of the line $25K amp is digital then you must be able to get good SQ out of a digital amp. I don't belive Harman International (mother company) would stake the reputation of their ultimate flagship amplifier line on a technology incapable of generating high sound quality outputs. (BTW - this is somewhat self serving as I already believe that digital amps can sound every bit as good as their class A & A/B couterparts.)

2.) The author assets that



> The upside to digital or switching amplification goes beyond high power output, they're generally very fast, articulate and smooth sounding when done right, though I've yet to encounter a digital amplifier that can match a Class A or A/B amplifier in terms of bass performance.


This seemed contrary to the popularly held opinion on this forum and somewhat contrary to my own experience (I have used and listened to multiple Class D bass amps that produced exceptional amounts and quality of bass while only a few that I thought did as well with the highs).

3.) The author also referred to "dead bands" as a major problem addressed byt these amps



> Another issue with many of today's digital amplifiers is the phenomenon known as "dead bands." Dead bands are quite literally gaps in the audio output, which are created when the output devices that control their respected parts of the waveform are off at the same time. According to Mark Levinson this occurs at every "zero crossing point" and is a constant phenomenon that can occur up to 40,000 times a second in a 20kHz signal.


I am admittedly not well read on this subject. It seems to me that "dead bands" would be very difficult if not impossible to hear. Does anyone have any background/experience with "dead bands" (other than the Beatles, Lynard SKynard, etc.)

Maybe Andy W can weigh in with a few comments.


----------



## Volenti (Feb 17, 2010)

I would think that dead bands would be difficult to hear, or perhaps, not as big of an issue as is being presented, especially since the dead bands aren't frequency dependent (none of this 40,000 times a second at 20kHz, it'll be a lot higher) , and occur at double the switching frequency of the amp, the harmfull effects will be filtered out by the same components that make the chopped up bunch of square waves that is the output of the drive mosfets listenable in the first place.


----------



## tyort1 (Jun 2, 2010)

Wow, that's a pretty expensive digital amp.


----------



## DS-21 (Apr 16, 2005)

Wow, the author of that article is either deaf or a paid PR mouthpiece. What a bunch of garbage wrapped up in pseudotechnical blather!

As for the amp, I wonder if it's just another Icepower module in an expensive case. The fact that they explicitly say it's not makes me what to see what's inside.

After all, Levinson's sibling company Lexicon just clad a new cover around an Oppo BDP-83, and they and charge north of three grand for the thing!

Not that it matters one way or the other. Unless their engineers really screwed up, it'll sound just like a Crown K2 or any other pro or "high end" home amp of similar output potential. (Or car amp of the same output potential, with the appropriate power supply.) And I never understood the appeal of Levinson as a brand. They've always had very gaudy stuff. The only stuff under that umbrella that looked good enough for me to ever remotely consider was from their diffusion line back in the day, Proceed.


----------



## dhershberger (Apr 2, 2010)

Ha, I suppose next to a Crown, Levinson would appear gaudy. I always kind of thought of them as "button-up" conservative... except for their price points, of course. Theta Digital on the other hand...

Edit: On further thought - any piece of audio equipment that can command that kind of coin is gaudy to most people. Levinson did power the best audio system I ever heard, though. Now I'll stop hijacking this thread as I'm wont to do.


----------



## trigg007 (Feb 24, 2010)

IME, every Levinson piece I've heard (even before Harman) sounded like crap. Definately not musical. But, I've never really been a big fan of any solid state amps. Killer digital (if it exists :surprised surely can be had for considerably less.


----------



## DS-21 (Apr 16, 2005)

dhershberger said:


> Ha, I suppose next to a Crown, Levinson would appear gaudy. I always kind of thought of them as "button-up" conservative... except for their price points, of course. Theta Digital on the other hand...
> 
> Edit: On further thought - any piece of audio equipment that can command that kind of coin is gaudy to most people. Levinson did power the best audio system I ever heard, though. Now I'll stop hijacking this thread as I'm wont to do.


I mean, if Megatron from the Transformers is your idea of classy, then I suppose Levinson stuff was non-awful. And the aesthetics have nothing to do with the price. Lots of expensive audio gear is nice to look at. Levinson just always looked like a 14 year-old boy's idea of expensive audio gear to me. (Ditto Wilson Audio. Only at least Levinson was identical-sounding to competitors. Wilsons always seem to sound bad on an absolute scale, never mind "for the money.")


----------



## Aznattic (Jul 4, 2007)

My dad always said Mark Levinson and Krell amplifiers were overhyped and he never liked the sound from them. Never heard either or so i couldn't say. I just know he liked McIntosh.


----------



## dhershberger (Apr 2, 2010)

DS-21 said:


> I mean, if Megatron from the Transformers is your idea of classy, then I suppose Levinson stuff was non-awful.


:laugh:


----------

