Mark Levinson® No502 Media Console: First In The Next Generation Of High-Performance Products

Following in the Tradition of the Legendary No40 Media Console, the No502 is the First in a New Range of Mark Levinson® Luxury High-Performance Components [The following is a release from Mark Levinson]

September 19, 2008

Mark Levinson®, a business unit of Harman International Industries, Incorporated, famed for 35 years for its elegant high-performance products, announces the launch of a new series of products, marking the next generation in elite home entertainment. The first introduction in this new product range, the No502 Media Console, is a remarkably powerful and flexible audio and video processor designed to provide the absolute best in film, video, and music reproduction and to become the centerpiece of ultimate home entertainment systems. With its meticulous attention to detail, the No502 sets a new standard for luxury high-performance audio/visual products. The media console is the heart and soul of the modern home entertainment system, defining the system’s overall boundaries and directly influencing all aspects of picture and sound. Connoisseurs take great pride in their audio and video components, and in the performance, appearance and overall experience they offer. As such, the No502 – a forward-looking interpretation of the Mark Levinson aesthetic – offers breathtaking beauty and simplicity of use, setting the benchmark for media consoles to come. From the precisely machined aluminum surfaces of the chassis to the elegant backlit engraved-glass logo embedded in the front panel, the No502 Media Console is defined by its appearance, a mix of classic elegance and modernism that complements nearly any décor. Following in the tradition of the critically acclaimed No40 Media Console, the No502 raises media-console expectations and introduces advanced technologies and innovations that could bear only the Mark Levinson name. Mark Levinson products have always been highly regarded for their sound quality, and the No502 is no exception. Every part of the audio path, from input to output, was carefully considered and designed to ensure optimal sound quality. The chassis, for example, was engineered to double as an integrated Radio Frequency (RF) shield, providing immunity from sound degradation caused by RF emissions commonly radiated by other devices. Also, the No502’s input and output connectors are electrically isolated from the chassis, preventing noise from entering the chassis in this manner. In addition, the digital and analog signal paths are completely isolated, as the No502 utilizes two separate power supplies (both of which are carefully shielded in a chamber inside the chassis to further isolate them). The No502 uses an 18-layer video circuit board with minimal surface etches, helping to lower radiated emissions within the chassis. And, in the event that any common-mode noise is present inside the system, all of the analog audio signals are routed inside the chassis as differential (balanced) signals to cancel out this noise. Finally, a specially designed low-voltage differential signaling circuit is utilized to reduce jitter and digital noise. The No502’s level controls offer an adjustment range of 120dB, preserving the full resolution of the signal. The No502 features Harman International’s proprietary Logic 7® technology, in addition to the standard suite of Dolby® and DTS® listening modes, and its bass-management system utilizes phase-matched signal paths to prevent signal cancellation. With the No502, the listener is able to hear every detail – the way it was intended to be heard. Although Mark Levinson products are known for their superlative sound quality, the No502 also establishes a new standard for picture quality. In addition to providing an array of analog and High-Definition Multimedia Interface™ (HDMI™) inputs and outputs, the No502 also includes a state-of-the-art video processor that can convert all of the inputs into a single output and scale them to the optimum resolution for driving the display device, simplifying the overall system configuration while providing the absolute best picture quality available. It also offers advanced noise-reduction and detail-enhancement algorithms to clean up and sharpen compressed images from standard DVDs and TV broadcasts. In addition, the console includes motion- adaptive video de-interlacing with edge interpolation, as well as the capability to handle 1080P/24Hz video inputs and outputs, for the highest quality film sources currently available. Simply put, the No502 sets the new standard for picture quality, even when compared to stand-alone video processors. Aside from its extremely high marks for appearance and performance, the No502 is a joy to operate. The impressive Graphical User Interface (GUI) is the same on both the theater screen and the screen on the console’s front panel. Operation is a breeze with the GUI’s intuitive hierarchical menu structure. The No502 is also equipped with a state-of-the-art auto-calibration system that accurately calculates speaker distances and output levels, providing full room correction in less than ten minutes. Users can program various dedicated activities, such as “Watch a film,” “Watch TV” or “Listen to music,” for optimized, personal settings for each different activity. Finally, the No502 includes a backlit metal remote control, which looks and feels both substantial and elegant. Commenting on the launch of the new No502 Media Console, Mark Levinson National Sales Manager Ed Stadlen stated, “The No502 is the first component in our next generation of Mark Levinson high-performance products. The new products in the range not only represent the best in class in their respective product categories, but also pay tribute to the Mark Levinson commitment to excellence.” The No502 Media Console is available now from authorized Mark Levinson dealers.

Read More: