Breakthrough Mark Levinson Performance for Less: Nº 5805 Integrated Amplifier Has Dual-Mono Circuitry, Pure Direct Signal Path, MM/MC Phono Preamp, PrecisionLink II DAC

When you think of premier Mark Levinson gear, big five-figure price tags normally come to mind. Which helps explain why the fully loaded Nº 5805 integrated amplifier constitutes a sort of breakthrough. Nothing here has been reduced. All of the company's hallmark technology, trailblazing engineering, refined luxury, and elegant finishes remain in tact. It is meticulously handcrafted in the U.S.A. The only change pertains to a cost that immediately makes the brand more accessible to a wider audience that will get to experience the connoisseur-level fidelity, authoritative control, and do-anything flexibility that many fortunate audio listeners have known for decades.

Fully discrete, direct-coupled, dual-monaural, line-level preamp circuitry in the form of the trademarked PureDirect signal path beats as the heart of the Stereophile Class A Recommended Nº 5805. A unique single gain stage mated to a digitally controlled resistor network for volume adjustment maintains maximum signal integrity and wide-open bandwidth. All three stereo line level inputs use customized Mark Levinson RCA connectors possesses their own individual high-reliability signal switching relays.

With Nº 5805, listening to vinyl or high-resolution files in sensory-awakening sound is a breeze. A hybrid gain MM/MC phono preamplifier integrates discrete components from the company's Nº 500 Pure Phono stage as well as an active/passive RIAA equalizer with precision resistors. Equipped with the Mark Levinson Precision Link II DAC and four digital inputs, it handles up to 32-bit/192kHz and 2x DSD. Full MQA decoding and aptX HD Bluetooth further take care of your streaming needs. if you want to plug in ‘phones, a MainDrive headphone output employs a preamplifier output stage specifically designed with the current and power capacity to directly drive any pair you connect.

In the amplification stage, fully discrete, direct-coupled, Class AB amplifier channels are fueled by an oversized (500+ VA) toroidal transformer with individual secondary windings for the left and right channels. The voltage gain stage employs trickle-down topology directly from the acclaimed Nº 534 amplifier and gets mated to an output stage comprising two high-speed driver transistors. Two Thermal-Trak devices in a unique configuration guarantee stable output bias regardless of load or temperature. Four 10,000-microfarad capacitors per channel, located directly on the output stage circuit board, provide enough current for conservatively rated 125Wpc (eight ohms) and nearly 250Wpc at four ohms.

Nº 5805's advantages extend to its system integration abilities and Ethernet, USB, RS-232, IR input, and 12V communication ports. A solid aluminum remote control, Mark Levinson web support, home-theater pass-thru mode, and stunning industrial looks complete an integrated amplifier that takes you into another musical dimension. 100% Music Direct Guaranteed.

"The No. 5805 offers excellent sound in an attractive, versatile package. There's little or nothing to fault."
—Jim Austin, Stereophile, Class A Recommended Component

"One never feels any less than entirely involved in what a recording is trying to convey, not least because the No. 5805's rich, generous bass provides a firm foundation for the sound, both exploiting the qualities of fine speakers and flattering those a bit shy in the lower frequencies."
–Andrew Everard, Hi-Fi News, Outstanding Product

"[It's] Mark Levinson for a new generation; a generation that appreciates good things, but is time-poor, space-poor, and therefore unwilling to accept the plethora of different boxes that makes up a traditional audio system. In other words, it's Mark Levinson for right now!"
—Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+

"This is a luxury component aimed at a luxury buyer, and although I feel that its price is justified by its performance--especially in its bass control and the depth of its soundstage--you're also paying a good bit for the build quality, the styling, the ergonomics (my glob, I didn't even mention the drop-dead sexy and luxurious feeling volume knob above for fear that I wouldn't be able to shut up about it once I started typing) and indeed the nameplate."
—Home Theater Review