Home
entertainment systems come with a number of
components, but the heart of a good sounding
system is the central media console, which
influences the systems' performance the most.
That dull-looking rectangular box is responsible
for many critical functions and has a direct
effect on everything – from the picture on the
screen to the sound that emanates from your
speakers, the media console controls it all.
That being the case, it is wise to go in for the
best the world has to offer. Why should you
compromise on the quality of your home
entertainment system, especially if you have
spent a packet on it.
One media console to consider is the Dh141,680
Mark Levinson No 502 Media Console. Mark
Levinson products have always been highly
regarded for their sound quality and the No502
is no exception. In building it, every part of
the audio path from the input to output was
carefully considered and designed to ensure
optimal sound quality.
Andy Baker, head of marketing at Mark Levinson,
told Emirates Business: "Though Mark Levinson
products are known around the world for their
superlative sound quality, the No502 processor
now establishes a new benchmark for video
quality.
"It has unique features, such as the
state-of-the-art 18-layer video board, which has
one layer as purely embedded capacitance. This
minimises emissions from the board and enhances
video signal to noise ratio.
"No502 includes proprietary noise reduction and
detail enhancement circuitry to improve video
signals from compressed sources such as cable TV
or standard DVD. For improvement of both
standard and high definition sources, the No502
also includes motion adaptive video
de-interlacing with edge interpolation. Using
these proprietary circuits, a standard
definition video source can be scaled up to
1080p and made to look just like a high
definition format.
"The No502 also has two completely independent
HDMI paths. For example, when throwing a party,
you could run HDMI audio from an audio server
and show a slideshow from your computer on your
display devices around the home at the same
time."
The No502 replaces the No40, which was a two-box
design with separate audio and video boxes. With
the advent of HDMI there is no need to use two
chassis as both video and audio signals are
carried via a signal cable. In fact, the company
says it is beneficial to utilise a single
chassis.
The design symbolises its heritage in that it
retains the look of two separate boxes – the
lower part is a similar design to that of a Mark
Levinson two-channel stereo pre-amplifier, and
the upper section is the video processing
section, as witnessed by the large colour
display on the front of the unit.
Giving details about the technology, Baker said:
"Every part of the audio path was carefully
considered to ensure the very best sound quality
possible. The chassis itself doubles as a shield
against radio frequency emissions from other
devices that can adversely affect sound quality.
The 18-layer circuit boards are unusually
complex for most electronics manufacturers, but
almost unheard of in high-end circles where
volumes are far lower for products when compared
with the Sonys or Samsungs. No other high-end
audio/video specialty manufacturer has this
capability, to my knowledge."
In addition to the usual collection of Dolby and
DTS listening modes, the No502 also incorporates
Harman International's proprietary Logic 7
surround processing, which is widely regarded as
the best process available at any cost.
Baker said: "Logic 7 is a unique algorithm,
which by analysing the spatial cues in a movie
or music video soundtrack, presents them in a
way that makes the final performance far more
engaging and realistic for the listener."
Mark Levinson do not recommend a particular
video display device, except to say that it
should have 1080p capability to get the very
best resolution performance from the No502.
Also, the size of the screen should reflect the
size of room, the viewing/listening positions
and be large enough to maintain suspense of
belief when coupled with the audio soundtrack.
Baker said: "There is no point having a display
image where the human characters appear to be
0.5 metres tall when the sound is telling you
that the character is 1.5 metres tall. Regarding
speakers, again the choice is personal, and the
room design and décor need to be taken into
account. What I can tell you is that all Mark
Levinson products are voiced using Revel
loudspeakers, which we consider to be the
world's finest."
The No 502, which can be bought at Dubai Audio
Showroom, is not a limited edition and is not
hand-built like other Mark Levinson products,
because of the complexity of its components and
component boards. So it has been hand-assembled,
but that does not change the fact that it is a
great product and you can expect years of
pleasure from it.
Home
entertainment systems come with a number of
components, but the heart of a good sounding
system is the central media console, which
influences the systems' performance the most.
