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Mark Levinson is a brand
synonymous with high-performance audio, delivering some of the most respected
and jaw-dropping amps and turntables in the industry. Though the No.5805
has been dubbed an “entry-level” component – considering hi-fi price points -
Levinson is by no means a “budget brand”. Aesthetically, the No. 5805
Integrated Amplifier is a classic
Levinson design with a sculpted black aluminum finish front panel and curved
brushed aluminum controls. The distilled, modern simplicity of design on the
outside of this piece exudes pure class, with a power button, headphone jack,
and menu button on the front glass panel. Inside, is 62 pounds of pure power
with a whole lot of functionality (specs below). To test this guy out in our
Ardmore showroom, we paired it with Revel's magnificent, brand new F226
PerformaBe loudspeakers – (unveiled at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest and CEDIA
Expo 2019 just last week). Follow Tommy’s overview in the video above for a
full product tour.
Highlights:
- Fully discrete PurePath circuitry
- PrecisionLink II DAC
- MainDrive headphone power
- MM/MC Phono Preamp
- Robust dual-monaural AB amplification
- Bluetooth aptX-HD
- 4 analog inputs
- 6 digital inputs: USB, AES/EBU, SPDIF
- 200W at 8 ohms; 300-350W at 4 Ohms
- Designed and handcrafted in the USA
Mark Levinson No 5805 Integrated Amplifier
Video Transcript
Hi, Tommy here with World Wide Stereo, here to talk to you about the new Mark Levinson No. 5805 Integrated Amplifier. For those of you that don't know what an integrated amplifier is, it's basically a preamp and an amp in one box. The preamplifier handles your inputs and outputs and your volume control. And your amplifier takes that signal from the preamp and amplifies your speakers. On top of being an amazing integrated amplifier built in Shelton, Connecticut, it's also a DAC, a selectable moving magnet or a moving coil phono preamp, and a dedicated Class A headphone amplifier.
Let's talk a little bit about the amplifier. Well, it's a dual monaural design. What that means is, it's like having two singular amplifiers inside one for the left channel and one for the right channel, with its built-in oversized 500 volt-amp power supply. This thing can produce 500 watts into 2 ohms. It means this thing could power almost speaker on the planet.
Part of the DNA of the 5805 is the Pure Path design. They use direct-coupled, fully-discrete circuits with wide bandwidth and low negative feedback, and no capacitors in the signal path. It means you get ultra-low distortion but fast and detailed signal path that captures all the nuances of what you're listening to. Before we go too far into the inputs and outputs of this thing, let's talk a little bit about the design.
By the way, I had to get a hand to carry this thing in here, it weighs in at 62 pounds. But there's this really nice industrial design. On the front here, you could see this is actually one-inch thick aluminum that is smoothly transitioned right into a thick glass front panel, where you find your menu, your standby button, and your headphone jack.
Over here on your left, you've got your input knob. As you rotate this, you can cycle through your different inputs. And over here on the right, this is your volume control. But it's a really nice design, and if you look at the top here, it's debossed was where they pushed the form into this for the vents. So, they've got these huge heat sinks underneath here to let...I mean, literally get some foil and an egg and you're ready to have breakfast.
So now, let's talk about those inputs and outputs that I mentioned earlier. Let's turn around to get a better look. Starting with your analog input section, you're going to find your XLR connection, two RCA jacks, and your phono preamp. Now, the phono preamp is where you're going to connect your turntable to, and you'll select either a moving magnet or a moving coil based on the cartridge that you have.
The RCA connections could be used for many things, from a CD player to cassette deck, or your cable box. The XLR connection will be used on higher-end CD players and other universal disc products. Now, on to the digital inputs. You've got four of them, a USB, a digital coax, and two optical. You also have an aptX HD Bluetooth receiver built in.
Out to the left and right side, you'll notice the line output. That's your variable output for connecting to another amplifier. Just below that, you've got your high-current binding posts that'll accept banana jacks, spades, and bare wire. Let's talk about the control ports. On the back you'll find an ethernet, an RS-232, a 12-volt trigger, and an IR input.
To control this, you can use those with a third-party control system, or the included IR remote control. Another two key features that I absolutely love about this amplifier is the dedicated Class A headphone input in the front. So, that way, when you want to listen to your music really loud like I do, late at night. And then on the back, like you saw before, those inputs, they've got input relay disconnectors so that when the inputs are not being used, they disconnect, so you don't pick up unwanted noise.
We did a head-to-head comparison with this integrated amplifier and another one of our favorites. And it blew us away with how much more detail, how more dynamic, the sound stage, everything about the system sounded better. Even the customers that were in the store agreed. So, if you're serious about music and you want to take your system to a whole another level, look no further than the 5805.
This has everything you need. It's got more than enough power. You've got on this model, analog inputs, digital inputs, home theater pass-through, dedicated headphone amp for quiet listening. I mean, you name it, it's got it. It's super flexible. This is the Mark Levinson No. 5805 Integrated Amplifier.
It's available to view online at worldwidestereo.com. Or if you want to experience it in person, stop by the Ardmore or Montgomeryville showrooms in Pennsylvania. We have a 60-day money-back guarantee, free shipping. We're an authorized dealer for everything that we sell. If you have questions or comments, go ahead and leave them in that section below. Or pick up the phone or email us.
And don't forget to subscribe. This is Tommy with World Wide
Stereo. See you next time. ♪ [music] ♪"
