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The Advent Loudspeaker Manufacturer's Comment

Manufacturer's Comment

Editor: We are very grateful that Stereophile has evaluated the Advent loudspeaker on the basis of absolute sound quality rather than restricting comparisons to its price peers.

We are a bit confounded by the statement that the speaker is "noticeably amplifier sensitive," because this does not agree with our experience. The Advent loudspeaker is critically damped, having an almost ideal system Q of slightly less than 1. As a result, it does not change character when used with different amplifiers that differ only in damping factor, so long as each of them…

Fine Tunes #5

I've touched on loudspeaker placement in irregularly shaped rooms several times in the last few "Fine Tunes," but reader Peter Machare (Peter.MACHARE@usda.gov) wants more information about setting up L-shaped and other nonstandard listening areas. Here's how he describes his layout: "I have an L-shaped room. The speakers are at the bottom of the L and point up the long part of the L. Not all of us are perfect rectangles, you know."

That's true, Peter—a lot of us are squares! [badaBOOM] (Thanks, it's been a while since my last rim shot.) As some of you may recall from an earlier article…

Digital Sound

Everybody, including myself, was astonished to find that it was impossible to distinguish between my own voice, and Mr. Edison's re-creation of it.—Anna Case, Metropolitan Opera Soprano, 1915

In the July 1990 "As We See It" (Vol.13 No.7, p.5), I examined the conflict between those who believe existing measurements can reveal and quantify every audible aspect of a component's behavior, and those who consider the listening experience a far better indicator of a component's performance than the numbers generated by "objective" measurements. Implicit in the objectivist position is the…

Digital Sound Page 2

Dr. Lagadec supports his thesis with a very simple analysis of what happens when changing level in the digital domain and the nature of the attendant requantization error. This function is considered perhaps the simplest and best-understood type of digital signal processing. However, he has discovered a previously unknown form of error created by this simple processing: the digital gain control's transfer function (difference between input and output signals) varies according to the amount of gain or attenuation. The nature of the transfer function's non-linearity (imprecision), introduced…

Mark Levinson No.436 monoblock power amplifier

All high-end audio companies turn over their product lines periodically. Even those amplifiers I have depended on as references go out of production. Although my reference amplifier can remain a part of the reviewing sequence, readers won't be able to purchase a discontinued model and get the results I describe. Thus I am compelled to get a review sample of a new amplifier or speaker, and hope for the best.

Such was the case with the Mark Levinson No.334 amplifier (reviewed in September 1999, Vol.22 No.9), which has been my reference dual-mono, solid-state power amplifier for…

Mark Levinson No.436 monoblock power amplifier Page 2

Circuitry
The No.436 shares many design features with the dual-mono amplifiers in Levinson's 300 series. This includes robust, low-impedance power supplies and balanced circuit technology derived from the Mark Levinson No.33 and No.33H monoblocks. A soft-clipping circuit reduces the audible effects of amplifier clipping or overload. A special turn-on circuit prevents sudden thumps and damage to components from the current inrush as the power supply's large filter capacitors charge.

All sensitive voltage-gain stages are fully balanced and independently regulated. Adaptively biased…

Mark Levinson No.436 monoblock power amplifier Page 3

The No.436 produced fast, solid bass with great pitch definition, and had no problems reproducing the solid, sustained pedal chords of the Lay Family Concert Organ during John Rutter's "The Lord is My Light and My Salvation" (CD, Reference RR-57CD). The explosive plucked bass and synthesizer notes that open "Something's Wrong," from the My Cousin Vinny soundtrack (CD, Varèse Sarabande VSD-5364), were stunning. Terry Dorsey's "Ascent," from Time Warp (CD, Telarc CD-80106), rumbled through my listening room. Each change in synthesizer pitch was clear and authoritative in "Behind the Veil,"…

Mark Levinson No.436 monoblock power amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier with one pair Madrigal speaker binding posts, one 3-pin XLR balanced input, two 1/8" minijacks for remote turn-on, one RS-232 port on RJ-11, two Mark Levinson communication ports on RJ-45, and two PHAST communications ports on RJ-45. Rated power output (20Hz-20kHz, <0.3%. THD, FTC): 350Wpc into 8 ohms (25.4dBW), 700W minimum continuous into 4 ohms (25.4dBW), 1400W minimum continuous RMS power at 2 ohms (25.4dBW). Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz, ±0.2dB. Output impedance: ±0.05 ohm, 20Hz-20kHz. S/N Ratio:…

Mark Levinson No.436 monoblock power amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog source: Linn Sondek LP12/Lingo turntable, Linn Ittok tonearm, Spectral moving-coil cartridge.
Digital source: Krell KRC-28 CD transport, Sony SCD-C555ES multichannel SACD player.
FM tuners: Day-Sequerra FM Reference Classic, Magnum Dynalab MD-102 with Model 205 Sleuth RF amplifier, Fanfare FT-1A, McIntosh MR-78, Sony ST-5000.
Preamplification: Krell KCT, Sony TA-P9000ES, Mark Levinson ML-7A with L3A moving-coil phono stage; Margulis phono preamplifier; Duntech MX 10 moving-coil preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Krell FPB 600c; Bryston 7B-…

Mark Levinson No.436 monoblock power amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

One difference between a modestly priced amplifier and something like the Mark Levinson No.436 is that the latter will run forever without overheating. Following the usual preconditioning period of driving one-third power into 8 ohms for one hour, the No.436's internal heatsinks were too hot to touch, but its cooling fan hadn't come on, and its chassis was merely warm.

The voltage gain was the same through the unbalanced and balanced inputs, at 26.75dB into 8 ohms. (Pins 1 and 3 of the balanced XLR jack were shorted with the supplied jumper when the…