From the Audio Files

We are proud to announce that the German magazine Fidelity has awarded the Mark Levinson Nº 5805 the prestigious “Premium Integrated Amp of 2020” award.

It’s no big surprise that Fidelity is fond of the amp.

Back in October 2019 when Fidelity reviewed the Nº 5805, the extensive 9-page review was headlined, “Mark Levinson 5805: American Gentleman with Excellent Manners.” The product received high-praise for design, craftsmanship and sound quality; values that are synonymous with the Mark Levinson name.

Read on for some of our favorite excerpts from the review (translated from German).

“If you connect the amplifier and connect it to a number of sources - its back is perfectly labeled - then you marvel at the cultivated sound of the approximately 28-kilo-heavy metal block standing in front of you. The design is unmistakably Mark Levinson.

“The 5805 replies what is and leaves no doubt what is stored in the software…. If there is any such a thing as a personal fingerprint of this control center, which is richly equipped with analog and digital inputs, then it is the impression of immense power and presence that the 5805 radiates even at low levels and freshly out of the box.

“The Mark Levinson, however, turns some hidden acoustic object much further in the direction of contour and sharpness, without overestimating the overall result, or dissecting it into unsightly pixel grape. A squaring of the circle, which only very few amplifiers (...) master in such perfection.

“To seriously beat the analogue phono leg of the amplifier, you have to take a lot of money into your hands - and let yourself put up with the question of what. Because, for example, what my Clear Audio Jubilee achieved on the 5805 earns without if and but the predicate 'big' - and that without fine tuning of the capacity.

“Because it makes the music so tangible in the listening room, this amplifier is also very gracious with poorly produced discs or data. (...) If I put Jeanne's 1985 debut in my 14 years younger Mark Levinson 319 (built in 1999), which at the time was reputed to be one of the best CD players in the world, then the lady is almost sitting on my lap….

“Mark Levinson's Nº 5805 sounded overwhelmingly fresh from the box, requiring no warm-up time, no playing time, no special racks, and no voodoo cables to break up in great shape. Set up, cable, listen to music. Nothing else.

“Bottom line, one of the greatest strength of this very well-tuned music machine is: It refrains from tricks, plays back what is hidden in the pits or record groove, while controlling the membranes of the transducer at any time.”

Learn more about the Mark Levinson Nº 5805 at marklevinson.com .