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The second, more common category is that of components which appear neutral but actually have subtle problems which detract from the enjoyment of the music, resulting in cold, rather clinical sounds. Examples which spring to mind are the original PS Audio IV, the West German Burmester, the Klyne SK-5A, the Krell PAM-3, the original British Fidelity MVT, the Meitner, the now-obsolete Meridian 101, Quad's 44, and the Audio Research SP9 (footnote 6). These models are termed "accurate" by many listeners (and their designers, of course), who point out that if the music isn't enjoyable, it is…
Presumably due to its combination of regulated power supply and class-A operation (though such conjecture over the correlation between art and technology is treading on thin ice), the No.20 proved more capable than almost any other amplifier I have used in the ability to "decode" dense musical lines. Take the heavy left-hand block chording in Liszt's B-minor piano sonata (in particular, the superb new Reference Recordings version with Minoru Nojima, RR-25). In the double-speed recapitulation of the triple-time Grandioso theme, Liszt has written 1-3-5 F# triads an octave below the bass clef.…
John Atkinson wrote about the Mark Levinson No.20.5 in September 1989 (Vol.12 No.9):
Some things are down to timing. When Madrigal's Mike Wesley visited Santa Fe just before Christmas 1988 with this revised version of the Mark Levinson No.20 power amplifier that I had reviewed back in Vol.11 No.5, I was in the middle of listening sessions for a number of loudspeaker reviews. I did not wish to insert a radically different power amplifier into my system halfway through those tests. Although I did plan to write a review of the amplifiers, at that time it seemed appropriate, therefore, that…
The 20.5 has two sets of inputs: inverting and non-inverting via Camacs, and a balanced input via a Neutrik XLR socket, offering three modes of operation. If the amp is required to be used unbalanced, a shorting Camac plug (supplied) is inserted into the socket not used to connect the other "half" of the balanced input to ground. The output is via gold-plated Fischer sockets, continuously rated at 50A, which provide a gas-tight connection.
The sound
The listening sessions broke up into two broad periods, broken by a vacation (during which you won't be surprised to learn that the No.…
It is this ability to convince the listener that there is apparently limitless power in reserve, coupled with a wealth of detail that is presented in a musically natural fashion, that most impresses me about the No.20.5. With lesser, if still worthy, amplification, there is a level of added fuzz that overlays the sound to an extent dependent on absolute level. As the music plays softly, all is well. But as things either get louder or more complicated, individual instrumental or vocal voices start to lose that individuality, the whole starting to blend, much as they do on all but the very…
John Atkinson wrote about the Mark Levinson No.20.6 in April 1992 (Vol.15 No.4):
Madrigal Audio Laboratories launched their first new Mark Levinson product, the No.20 "reference" power amplifier, in 1986. This massive monoblock featured an output stage running in class-A up to 100W into 8 ohms, and full regulation of the output stage voltage rails. When I reviewed it in 1988 (Vol.11 No.5), I thought it one of the finest amplifiers I'd auditioned, particularly regarding soundstaging and low-frequency authority. (Stereophile subsequently bought the review pair!)
Madrigal's thinking…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
No.26: Dual monaural preamplifier with remote power supply. As supplied: one MC phono input with adjustable gain and loading; five line-level inputs. (Can be supplied with six line-level inputs, one of which can optionally be balanced; phono input can also be supplied in MM/low-gain form.) Input impedance: see text. THD: less than 0.005%. IMD: less than 0.005%. RIAA accuracy: <0.2dB. Maximum output: greater than 13V (balanced).
Dimensions: (preamplifier chassis): 17.5" (445mm) W x 3" (76mm) H x 13.375" (340mm) D (add 3" for connecting plugs). Dimensions (…
Sidebar 2: No.20.5 Measurements
According to the specifications in the heading, the No.20.5 appears to be a "perfect" amplifier in that its output power almost exactly doubles when the load impedance is halved from 8 to 4 ohms, and again when it drops from 4 to 2 ohms. On the test bench, the measured continuous maximum output power into 8 ohms (actually 8.1 ohms) for a 1% distortion figure was 139.3W (21.4dBW footnote 1). Into 4 ohms, it raised 258.5W (21.1dBW), and into 2 ohms, 410.5W (20.1dBW), which is not far removed from the specification. (That these figures are a little higher…
The Glimmer Twins were right: If you can't always get what you want, sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need. Take Ayre's K-1 preamplifier, for instance. I'd been trying to get Ayre to send me their $3750 V-3 power amplifier since the moment I started writing for Stereophile; after approximately a year and a half, I finally got a phone call from then Marketing Director Bruce Van Allen.
"So when are you going to send me that verklempt amplifier?" I demanded.
"Actually, we're more excited about our new K-1 preamplifier. Let us send you that instead."
…
Empty
Looking inside the K-1, one is tempted to comment upon how empty the box seems. There's a circuit board attached to the front panel to handle logic functions, and affixed to both the right and left side-walls are the phono modules. But what dominates the interior is the massive, component-packed board that runs across the height and breadth of the rear panel. Attached to it is a second panel that houses the Rube Goldberg-like gears and ladder-belts which connect the motor to the complementary volume controls and allow for stereo source and recording switching. The device looks…
Looking inside the K-1, one is tempted to comment upon how empty the box seems. There's a circuit board attached to the front panel to handle logic functions, and affixed to both the right and left side-walls are the phono modules. But what dominates the interior is the massive, component-packed board that runs across the height and breadth of the rear panel. Attached to it is a second panel that houses the Rube Goldberg-like gears and ladder-belts which connect the motor to the complementary volume controls and allow for stereo source and recording switching. The device looks…