Усилители мощности моно — Mark Levinson № 534

The № 534 is a Mark Levinson power amplifier for two channels that the company describes as dual-monaural, with a separate signal path for each channel inside one chassis. It was announced in May 2016 as part of the 500 Series and uses the Pure Path circuit design. The rear panel is laid out as two mirrored channel sections.

Key specs that matter

Rated output is 250 W RMS per channel into 8 ohm from 20 Hz to 20 kHz at under 0.3 % THD, doubling to 500 W into 4 ohm, and the amplifier stays stable into 2 ohm loads. Voltage gain is 26 dB, and 142 mV RMS at the input produces 2.83 V RMS at the output. Input impedance is 60 kOhm balanced and 30 kOhm unbalanced. The frequency response is 10 Hz to 20 kHz within 0.2 dB, while noise sits more than 85 dB below the signal. The case measures 45.1 cm wide, 19.7 cm high with feet and 50.8 cm deep, and net weight is 48.5 kg.

Engineering and use context

Mark Levinson builds this circuit as fully discrete, direct coupled and fully balanced, with a differential class AB topology that remains in class A at most listening levels. The voltage gain and drive stages operate in class A. Mark Levinson describes the design as high-current and low-feedback, with a linear signal path. JFET pairs are used in the gain stages, film capacitors take care of filtering, and tantalum nitride thin-film resistors are fitted. For sources, each channel offers an XLR socket alongside an RCA socket. The gold-plated speaker terminals, fitted with Hurricane knobs, come as two pairs for each channel, so bi-wiring is possible without jumpers. For integration into control systems the amplifier provides Ethernet, RS-232, an IR input, a USB port and 12 V trigger connections in both directions.

Pairing

A single chassis powers both loudspeakers of a stereo pair, so no second unit is needed. A preamplifier offering XLR outputs suits the balanced inputs best, while the trigger and Ethernet connections allow the amplifier to power up together with a Mark Levinson preamplifier or a home automation controller. Its stability into small impedances suits speakers with difficult loads. Because the chassis is heavy, it needs a solid shelf or floor position with space for ventilation.

Alternatives

The Mark Levinson № 536 is a fully discrete monaural amplifier from the same 500 Series, with one channel per chassis.