Mark Levinson announces, effective immediately, shipment of the No40 Media Console. This is the first-ever Media Console to bear the Mark Levinson name. Designed to provide the highest level of performance and flexibility, the No40 is built around two expandable, modular chassis, supplying multiple ‘card slots’ to easily accommodate different system requirements. Offering up to five independent zones, with audio frequency response from 20 Hz to 40 kHz (+0.5 dB/-1.1 dB) at a THD+N of <0.005% with a signal-to-noise ratio in excess of 98 dB, the No40 lives up to its legendary heritage.
Adding to the simplicity of use and beauty of the machine, the No40 has a built-in LCD screen on the video chassis, allowing for menu-driven control and setup in an easy-to-understand layout. The No40 is THX Ultra2 approved and also allows for decoding and playback of widely accepted formats including variations of Dolby Digital, dts and THX.
High-quality, high-resolution 24-bit/96 kHz analog-to-digital converters (ADC’s) allow the No40 to achieve performance exceeding most analog preamplifiers. Reducing noise pickup and possible interference with the use of high-density surface mount construction, the No40 has its own local regulator for both the digital IC’s and the analog circuitry, with a low-jitter clock oscillator providing the ADC’s an ideal clock reference. Further control of extraneous noise source is accomplished by enclosing the ADC module in a mu-metal shield box. All data and clock signals carrying the digital audio information to the digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are sent via a balanced Low Voltage Differential transmission line from the processors. Digital-to-analog conversion is handled by superior quality DACs from Analog Devices. One 2-channel DAC is dedicated to each individual channel in the No40, in order to provide a balanced architecture and superior sound quality throughout the audio output signal path. Locking onto a digital signal from 32 kHz to 96 kHz, the programmable Digital Interface Receiver (first used in the 30.6 Reference Processor), controls the digital signal entering the No40.
Digital signal processing in the main zone is accomplished using four SHARC chips providing 32-bit fixed-point as well as 32-bit and 40-bit floating-point processing. Volume control attenuators are one of the most important parts of any preamplifier and the No40 provides for the best possible control and sound. Based on the No32 Reference Preamplifier and incorporating several circuit innovations, the new power supply filtering technique reduces noise at the critical part to a few microvolts (millionths of a volt). Unmatched precision speaker level control is provided for by the use of a hybrid analog/digital attenuation design, allowing for a control range of 100 dB with 0.1 dB resolution. The No40 Audio Processor preamplifier stage is fully balanced before the analog signal is converted to digital.
On the video side of the new Mark Levinson No40, a high-performance video switcher starts out with a hybrid linear/switching power supply, offering high efficiency, and the lowest possible RF noise. In its most simplistic form, the No40, operating as a video switcher, offers video performance comparable to the finest professional component video switchers used in the studio today. With acceptance of component, s-video and composite signals, the No40 will convert all these formats simultaneously on the main zone and will ‘up’ or ‘down’ convert the signal as needed, ensuring that all outputs are active, all of the time, regardless of input. This alleviates the angst over which format should be switched for a selected source as the No40 controls all of this. In the remote zones, both s-video and composite connections are active even if the selected source is from a component signal. Video signals remain uncompromised as they pass through circuitry with a bandwidth exceeding 70 MHz and a signal-to-noise ratio better than 60 dB. In continuing the design philosophy of the No40, the eight-layer PC board housing the video back plane provides for routing of analog video, SDTV and HDTV in anticipation of possible future needs. External control is provided for with two RS-232 ports, three programmable DC triggers and an infrared input jack.
After careful examination and extensive research and development, the No40 demonstrates Mark Levinson’s continuing commitment to offering the finest products. Bringing the best audiophile products and now an audio/video product to market further solidifies the name Mark Levinson in audiophiles’ hearts.
The model No40 is available immediately from authorized Mark Levinson dealers.
