Source: Press Release, Last Accessed: 2014/11/06

Harman's Luxury Audio Group displayed the No 585 during the High End 2014 Show at MOC Munich, as an amp designed to deliver ultimate-quality music reproduction from analog and digital sources, including computers and music servers. The No 585 combines a host of engineering advancements with complete ease of use and Mark Levinson’s striking, next-generation industrial design.
According to the press release, the No 585 is engineered to be the finest integrated amplifier ever created by Mark Levinson and is the first of a new generation of products to be designed at Harman's new state-of-the-art engineering facility located in Shelton, CT. According to Todd Eichenbaum, Luxury Audio’s Director of Engineering, “The No 585 is engineered for ultimate audio quality in every respect. It combines exceptional versatility with a powerful Class AB amplifier delivering 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 350 watts per channel into 4 ohms and will accommodate a wide variety of digital music sources including high resolution 32-bit/192kHz computer audio and DSD over USB. As we all know, many owners of high-end systems also want the convenience of playing compressed audio files but do not want to sacrifice sound quality. As an industry first, we have solved this challenge by incorporating HARMAN Clari-Fi processing, which employs proprietary signal-enhancement techniques to any compressed file format selectable at the user’s option.”
The No 585 offers six digital and four analog inputs including USB, optical, coaxial, AES/EBU XLR and RCA for ultimate flexibility. It employs fully discrete, dual-monaural analog input and output circuitry and individual signal switching relays for each of its four analog stereo inputs: one XLR and three RCA. The volume control use discrete 15-bit R-2R resistor ladder networks and low-noise analog switches for maximum signal integrity with the widest possible bandwidth.
Its high-current, fully differential Class AB power amplifier section utilizes an oversized 900VA custom toroidal transformer with individual secondary windings for the left and right channels. Separate left- and right-channel regulated linear power supplies are used for all the analog circuitry, to maintain maximum signal purity. Each amplifier channel employs 12 output transistors for a power rating of 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms.
At the heart of the No 585’s digital audio processing stage is an ESS Sabre 32-bit D/A converter with proprietary jitter elimination and fully balanced, discrete I/V (current-to-voltage) circuitry. The Cmedia USB audio processor is capable of asynchronous data transfer of high-resolution DSD and PCM files at up to 192kHz/32-bit resolution. For lossy compressed audio formats, Harman's Clari-Fi signal processing reconstructs information and bandwidth that is lost during the encoding process, restoring higher-fidelity sound.
The No 585 provides a stereo preamp/subwoofer output with a selectable 80Hz high-pass filter for use in a properly implemented 2.1-channel system, and includes Ethernet, RS-232, IR and 12V trigger ports to facilitate its use audio/video installations with integrated systems control.
The No 585 is built to the highest standards, using a heavy-gauge chassis and card-cage architecture to isolate critical low-level analog and digital circuitry, and featuring audiophile-grade internal components and premium rear-panel connectors.
Though sophisticated in its capabilities, the Mark Levinson No 585 is simplicity itself to operate via its dual front-panel knobs and six function buttons or using its included remote control.
It is available from September 2014 at a suggested retail price of $12,000.

For more information: http://www.marklevinson.com/

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