Mark Levinson owner manual Nº53 Power Amplifier

Nº53 Power Amplifier

to maintain separation while minimizing critical current loop areas. The top compartment contains the control circuitry, also with its own independent regulated supplies and shielding from the heart of the amplifier. Special attention was made to critical signals that need to pass between different boards. Extensive use of low- voltage-differential signaling (LVDS) for control signals is used to maximize signal integrity while all critical analog signals remain balanced to offer superb noise rejection.

The four interleaved amplifier modules are the crux of the superior performance offered by the Nº53 - a larger dynamic range, cleaner operation, and higher power levels. Our proprietary Interleaved Power Technology (IPT), developed and perfected through years of extensive listening tests and measurements, is based on the rudiments of digital switching while avoiding the common problems of most switching amplifiers.

“Dead bands” and output device limitations are common problems in typical switching amplifiers, which use different output devices for the positive and negative parts of the audio signal. Since both devices cannot be active at once without overloading their power capability, dead bands are caused by the lack of signal during the transition between the devices. Adding to the audible distortion resulting from these dead bands is the signal degradation caused by device limitations, such as output power and switching frequency.

To compensate for these deficiencies, an aggressive filter is placed at 3 the audio output to eliminate introduced switching noise but this

in turn degrades the audio signal. The end result is an amplifier with very poor sound reproduction ability.

The Nº53 supports the activation of both switching devices concurrently, totally eliminating the problem of dead bands while reducing stress on the output devices, permitting much higher voltage rails and output power. Our proprietary IPT technology features the use of four separate amplifiers, each of which digitally manages a portion of the audio signal. The outputs of the amplifiers are then recombined for the final output stage. This approach provides the Nº53 with a very high switching frequency, enabling a much smoother, cleaner roll-off by moving the noisier switching frequencies further out of the audible range – and since the frequency response extends well beyond the audio band, the output filter is much less aggressive, minimizing audio signal degradation.

With phenomenal output power capability, a larger dynamic range, cleaner operation, higher switching frequency, and a much lower noise floor than even most traditional linear amplifiers, the Nº53 provides extraordinary audio performance and proves once again that Mark Levinson power amplifiers truly represent the finest audio amplifiers available.