READ OUR REVIEW: [ Ссылка ]
BUY NOW:
Mark Levinson Model 519: [ Ссылка ]
Back in the early 70s Mark Levinson worked in recording studios throughout New York designing different mixing consoles, one of them being the mixer of choice at Woodstock. With his early products setting new standards in the music world, Madrigal Audio Labs came on board and continued the tradition of sparing no expense for pure sound and a timeless design. With Harman International acquiring the company in the 90s, Mark Levinson had the ability to continue to create groundbreaking audio gear.
One of the pieces of groundbreaking gear from Mark Levinson that we are reviewing today is the Model 519 CD Player.
Mark Levinson has always had some of the best looking products on the market and the Model 519 is no different. With the high quality black finish highlighted by silver accents and controls, this player fits the classic Mark Levinson look.
The 519 is built like a tank weighing in at 36 pounds and is a great example of American boutique manufacturing with nothing spared to create a wonderful product.
Out of all the Mark Levinson pieces, The 519 is the most feature filled. Input wise, you have a balanced digital input, two coax digital inputs, two toslink digital inputs, a USB input for computer audio, ethernet for streaming from a network drive, and two USB inputs for either an attached drive or USB stick.
There is also Spotify Connect, Tidal, and other streaming services built in along with internet radio. In addition, you can connect your wireless device to the 519 via bluetooth allowing you to play music off of your phone.
You can control all these features through the interface, the included remote, or the functional control app available for both Android or iOS.
In terms of outputs, the Model 519 has balanced, coax, and toslink digital outs should you need to get a digital signal to another system. There are two pair of audio outs, one balanced and one RCA, that can be configured to be fixed or variable. This gives the 519 the versatility to be a CD Player, DAC, and Streamer, and full function digital preamp.
Inside the Mark Levinson Model 519 is basically a mini computer. With a 32bit Sabre DAC, 32 bit processor, and 4GB of both RAM and flash, the 519 will be to handle any technology updates in the future, giving it a longer lifespan.
A benefit of having all of that processing power on board the Model 519 is Clari-Fi Music Restoration Technology. This system takes digital audio signals like Bluetooth and figures out what parts of the music were left off due to compression. You can turn it on or off and adjust the amount of correction, which makes a difference when streaming from most digital streaming platforms.
Another interesting feature of the Model 519 is the ability to apply different filters to incoming digital signals. Everyone has different listening sensitivities and having the ability to play around with the signal greatly affects your listening experience.
We’ve got the 519 set up here with the Mark Levinson 534 power amp and Revel Salon 2 speakers. The sound is just simply amazing. Everything we have played is just a ton of fun to listen to with never the slightest trace of harshness we sometimes hear from digital sources. The app it s joy to use and if you are like us you’ll wind up sitting in front of the system for hours enjoying music you thought you knew well, hearing all kinds of nuances you never knew existed, which of course draws you closer into the music.
Obviously at $20,000, the Model 519 won’t be in everyone’s systems. However, if you have the means, we highly recommend this piece. With its ability to serve as either a DAC, CD player, or preamp, a multitude of amazing features, and its incredible sound the Model 519 by Mark Levinson is totally worth it!
MUSIC: Ryan Little - [ Ссылка ]
