No. 53
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Overview
No. 53
As with all Mark Levinson Reference products, it goes without saying that the primary function of the Nº53 is to reproduce sound at the purest level possible. Following in the tradition of such Mark Levinson solid state power amplifier products as the ML-2 and the Nº33, the new Nº53 continues to prove that solid state electronics can rival the best sounding tube-based designs. More specifically, the Nº53 is the first ever switching power amplifier from Mark Levinson. Despite their numerous advantages – increased efficiency, more power, compact dimensions, less weight and less heat dissipation than their linear counterparts – switching power amplifiers have generally been viewed with skepticism from the audiophile community, due to the technical limitations inherent in switching designs and assumptions about the resultant sound quality. The Nº53, however, is the end result of an extensive R&D effort to find ways to emphasize the advantages of switching power amplifiers while overcoming their weaknesses, creating a landmark product truly worthy of the Mark Levinson Reference designation.The Nº53 is rated at an impressive 500 Watts into 8 Ohms, measures merely 21" H × 9" W × 21" D and weighs only 135 lbs, certainly playing up the strengths for which switching power amplifiers are known. It is capable of generating truly phenomenal power levels into virtually any speaker load to support both instantaneous and continuous demands. More impressive still, the Nº53 accomplishes this feat without the slightest change in performance capability while maintaining a constant, thermally-balanced operating temperature. Unlike most switching amplifiers, the Nº53 has superbly efficient power management capabilities, so its operating temperature does not change, no matter how hard or long the amplifier is driven.
