Mark Levinson

[frenchmon]

Wow! Did not know this about Levinson. Apparently the product that has his name, Levinson amps that are sold through Harmon, really has nothing to do with Levinson other than the name. Also he started Cello Audio and then left it. He now builds amps and other gear in China...Red Rose Audio. But thats not the most shocking, (I know some good stuff comes out of China these days) The most shocking and surprising thing I discovered about Mark Levinson is in the original article out lined in red.

Red Rose Music SACDs

Mark Levinson
Born in Oakland, California in 1946, to Daniel J. Levinson and Maria Hertz Levinson, Mark Levinson grew up in the Boston area and later moved to New Haven, CT. His father was a professor of psychology at Harvard for 16 years and Yale University for 24 years. Daniel J. Levinson became a pioneer in the field of adult developmental psychology and was the author of the classic book "Seasons of a Man's Life."

Music (particularly jazz) quickly became the focus in Mark's life. Before the age of 20 he was sitting in, on double bass and trumpet, with the likes of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Johnny Griffin, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett. Foregoing a college education for music, as a young man he developed himself as a musician, touring Europe as a bassist with pianist Paul Bley and later going on to study classical Indian music with sarod master Ali Akbar Khan.

In his early twenties, Levinson began work in a recording studio, which became a springboard to his experimentation with electronics and sound reproduction. His first components included the mixer through which the Woodstock music festival sound system was fed. In 1971, mentored by electronics pioneer Richard S. Burwen, he founded Mark Levinson Audio Systems (MLAS, Ltd.), hand-building amplifiers that became standards of reference in the audio industry.

In 1982, Levinson parted company with MLAS, Ltd. and started Cello Ltd. in 1984. In 1998 he left Cello to found Red Rose Music.

Levinson is also a recording engineer and has recorded award-winning albums for Blue Note artists including Jacky Terrason, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Joe Lovano, and Music Maker Relief Foundation.

Just some interesting notes about Mark Levinson. Oh...and by the way....Mark Levinson's Red Rose Music sells rebadged OEM products by Korsun another audio company in China.

ANDREW'S AUDIO HIFI RECOMMENDATIONS

I'm sure most of you may have known this....I'm sure Ajani already knew this, but its new news to me.

[Hyfi]

I used to get to hear all his good toys back when they were his own.

Didn't know about the re-badging but had read all the rest many years ago.

[LeRoy]

Frenchmon, I did not know any of what you posted. I had always assumed the reason M.L. amps are named such is because M.L. was the man at the helm of his own product. I guess its kind of like Carver and Sunfire gear....no longer Bob Carvers.

[RGA]

I wasn't the least bit impressed by the current group of amps under the name Mark Levinson. Now I understand perhaps why I wasn't impressed - Harman is a typical corporation - yet to be impressed by a single product that has come out of their "group."

[Ajani]

I wasn't the least bit impressed by the current group of amps under the name Mark Levinson. Now I understand perhaps why I wasn't impressed - Harman is a typical corporation - yet to be impressed by a single product that has come out of their "group."

I'm not convinced that the typical small business is less likely to screw customers than corporations. Way too many small to mid size businesses are just as greedy and corrupt. Some are even worse as they don't have a reputation to uphold.

[frenchmon]

If you want to be surprised even more, go to Red Rose Audio and look at the price list of the stuff that's made in China at the Kurson factory. I thought stuff coming out of China was suppose to have good, cheaper prices? But if its got Mark Levinson's name behind it, then apparently not.

[TheHills44060]

I used to love the Cello speaker ads with the naked broads in Stereophile.

...yet to be impressed by a single product that has come out of their "group."

Never thought ML would make an integrated amp but I really really really liked the no.383.

[frenchmon]

I used to love the Cello speaker ads with the naked broads in Stereophile.


Never thought ML would make an integrated amp but I really really really liked the no.383.

Are you sure the no 383 is a Mark Levinson designed amp? He has integrated amps under the Red Rose gear.

[TheHills44060]

Are you sure the no 383 is a Mark Levinson designed amp? He has integrated amps under the Red Rose gear.

No it's a Harmon product for sure but I meant Mark Levinson the company not the man. Of the products I've gotten to play around with it stands out as one of the nicer ones they've made since he left.

[frenchmon]

Oh...I see.

[frenchmon]

Hmmm....So I wonder if Mark Levinson is just a high end Harman Kardon amp or intergrated amp?

So I wonder how good the Harman Kardon HK 990 really is???? The Levinson amps have great control over speakers...so I assume the Karmon Kardon recievers and Integrated amps do as well.

[TheHills44060]

So I wonder how good the Harman Kardon HK 990 really is????

Great question. I've don't know anyone personally who has one and none of the dealers around me have had one in their showrooms.

[JohnMichael]

When I was looking for an integrated amp I looked at the Dussun T6. Then I learned I could buy the Red Rose int. amp which is identical at 3 x the price. Of course I do not know if the internal components were identical.

[TheHills44060]

When I was looking for an integrated amp I looked at the Dussun T6.

When I was shopping for integrateds about 10 years ago I narrowed my choices down to the Mark Levinson No. 383 and the McIntosh MA6900. Ended up going with neither and staying on the preamp/amp path.

[Ajani]

Hmmm....So I wonder if Mark Levinson is just a high end Harman Kardon amp or intergrated amp?

So I wonder how good the Harman Kardon HK 990 really is???? The Levinson amps have great control over speakers...so I assume the Karmon Kardon recievers and Integrated amps do as well.

Most likely the Levinsons are upgraded HKs or the HKs are stripped down Levinsons.

Just look at the specs for The Mark Levinson № 585 integrated amplifier revealed at CES:

he № 585 offers three analog line-level audio inputs plus an MC/MM phono input and six digital audio inputs, to accommodate a wide array of music sources, and can be operated via its remote control. The № 585 delivers a generous 225 watts per channel power output into 8 ohms, to easily drive even inefficient audiophile loudspeakers, and provides a dedicated subwoofer output.
The № 585’s analog circuitry is optimized to deliver extraordinary sonic refinement, and it incorporates leading-edge 32-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converters for unsurpassed digital audio performance. The Mark Levinson No 585 includes HDMI™ 1.3, USB, AES/EBU and coaxial S/PDIF inputs, and provides USB and S/PDIF digital outputs. A host of onboard sonic tailoring facilities are provided including full bass management with high-pass filtering, low-pass crossover controls for the subwoofer output and more. The № 585’s unity gain SSP mode enables easy integration with home theater systems, and the № 585 offers a full complement of system control ports.

It basically has upgraded versions of the DAC and DSP of the HK990

[Glen B]

Inspite of Mark Levinson's name being behind the pre-Harman products, he was just that -- the name. The first Mark Levinson products, like the JC-1 preamp and ML-2 amp were designed by John Curl (hence the J-C model designation of the preamp).

[Ajani]

Inspite of Mark Levinson's name being behind the pre-Harman products, he was just that -- the name. The first Mark Levinson products, like the JC-1 preamp and ML-2 amp were designed by John Curl (hence the J-C model designation of the preamp).

I suspect that part of the reason it was so easy for Madrigal Audio Labs (now part of Harman) to drop Mark Levinson (the man) from Mark Levinson (the brand) is because he was likely just a salesman and had little or nothing to do with the design of the products. Just like Peter Q at Audio Note (Sorry, I couldn't resist a cheap shot at RGA's favourite brand).

[Feanor]

I suspect that part of the reason it was so easy for Madrigal Audio Labs (now part of Harman) to drop Mark Levinson (the man) from Mark Levinson (the brand) is because he was likely just a sales man and had little of nothing to do with the design of the products. Just like Peter Q at Audio Note (Sorry, I couldn't resist a cheap shot at RGA's favourite brand).

No need to apologize.

[Glen B]

I suspect that part of the reason it was so easy for Madrigal Audio Labs (now part of Harman) to drop Mark Levinson (the man) from Mark Levinson (the brand) is because he was likely just a salesman and had little or nothing to do with the design of the products. Just like Peter Q at Audio Note (Sorry, I couldn't resist a cheap shot at RGA's favourite brand).

I hope my previous statement did not demean the man Mark Levinson's role in the company. There is more to bringing out a product than circuit design. Parts have to be selected, prototypes have to be listened to, and the product "voiced" prior to going to production. Levinson's trained ear as a musician and recording engineer would have come in handy. There's nothing wrong with that. If one looks at the history of Marantz as an example, Saul Marantz did not design every product that bore his name. He had others employed as chief engineer and developer throughout the years he was company president.

[RGA]

Mr. P

If you follow the speaker thread about Horns you will read the exchange I had with Joe. Peter and Audio Not don't have all that much interest in the U.S market. Only 5% of AN's business is in the U.S. Here in HK their dealer recently sold 3 M10 preamps halfway through the month.

AN gear mixed and matched may or may not yield good results - especially not with SS gear.

I have heard only three ML products labelled as such - a CD player that was very expensive and didn't sound it, a so-so amplifier that was also very expensive. I wasn't impressed with the build quality at the price either. Then the whole - is it an ML or is it something else - and the Chinese knockoffs but not knockoffs or are they routine.

There is a guy on Vancouver Island who has had Mark Levinson himself come and set up his stereo system with his top flight ML gear. That guy now owns an AN level 5 system. Levinson has a home on Vancouver Island and was/is married to an actress from Sex and the City (who was born on Vancouver Island) - not far from Diana Krall's home apparently.

I don't hate SS - it's either good or it isn't at a given price - and a number of SS amps at high dollars are not much if at all better than lower priced SS. Certainly blind listening indicates this. People are attracted to names, looks, physical weight of the box, prestige factor of owning a "high end" brand - same as spending $400 on a pair of jeans that are no better than Wrangler at $29. Sometimes of course they are better made and better sounding but that should not be "assumed"

I don't recall hearing ML amps that existed before he sold out. Those may have been great - the new stuff sounds like new Anthem - old Anthem sounded better - the Anthem with tubes coincidentally.

[E-Stat]

The first Mark Levinson products, like the JC-1 preamp and ML-2 amp were designed by John Curl (hence the J-C model designation of the preamp).

I still have fond memories of the original JC-2. It was a landmark product in its day which was in some respects better than the Audio Research SP-3a-1, my previous reference circa 1975. My DIY attenuator box pays homage to its slim and elegant form factor.

[tube fan]

I still have fond memories of the original JC-2. It was a landmark product in its day which was in some respects better than the Audio Research SP-3a-1, my previous reference circa 1975. My DIY attenuator box pays homage to its slim and elegant form factor.

I did a blind test of the JC-2 to the audio research SP-8, and I preferred the SP8 by a mile. I have NEVER heard a ss pre-amp that matches the SP8 (yes, of course, IMO).

[E-Stat]

I did a blind test of the JC-2 to the audio research SP-8, and I preferred the SP8 by a mile. I have NEVER heard a ss pre-amp that matches the SP8 (yes, of course, IMO).

Agreed. The SP-6 series (I had one) and SP-8 series were elevated over the SP-3s.

My favorite line stages remain tube based.

[Ajani]

I'm sure most of you may have known this....I'm sure Ajani already knew this, but its new news to me.

LOL... I guess I read way too much about HiFi...

[frenchmon]

LOL... I guess I read way too much about HiFi...

LOL! No...you're ok. Some of us study car mechanic literature, some of us study theology literature, some computer literature. Your study is in the area of audio and HiFi more so than some of us. That's a good thing. Some times your're really technical in your posting which is a good thing and shows you have a good understanding of things HiFi. You, Glen B, E-stat and Feanor and a few others. Nothing wrong with that. And as much as your read things audio and HiFi, I figured you had read up on Levinson. If I have questions, and cant find the answers, I know who to ask.