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POWER
Power amplification is a critical determining factor
in the performance of any home entertainment
system. The amplifier must be powerful and
versatile enough to drive the most demanding
loudspeaker loads, yet it must exercise its power
with the grace and effortlessness essential to high-
quality sound.
To create the optimal power-delivery system, the
chassis of the N
o
532 is compartmentalized to
protect the delicate audio circuits from interference
and noise. The rear portion of the amplifier is
divided into three distinct piers. Control and power
circuitry reside in the center pier, while circuitry
for each audio channel resides in the outer piers.
Power transformers are separately housed at the
front of the chassis. In addition to safely isolating
the audio circuits, this unconventional design
results in very short signal and power-delivery
paths, and creates additional heatsink surfaces for
improved cooling.
The internal layout of the N
o
532 is exceptionally
clean. Because bus bars are used for all high-
current interchanges, there’s no need for point-to-
point wires or ribbon cables. Special care was
taken in the design and implementation of the
voltage-regulator circuitry. Multiple discrete
regulator circuits, with series and shunt elements
custom-tailored to the audio circuits they power,
are mounted on separate boards, close to their
audio signal paths. This minimizes cross talk
and prevents the corruption of low-level signals,
resulting in higher resolution, better bass
definition, greater focus and more precise
control of dynamics.
The extremely low-noise toroidal power trans-
formers used in the N
o
532 are custom-designed
to Mark Levinson specifications. They feature an
interwinding screen between the coils, which
filters mains-born noise from the secondary power
supply. This helps ensure that any capacitance from
the windings is stepped down, preventing it from
reaching the audio circuits. A separate dedicated
power supply for the voltage-gain stages provides
double isolation between the main audio supply
and the higher current that powers the rest of the
amplifier, ensuring minimal noise introduction.
The power supplies are placed close to each
other to maximize magnetic-field cancellation,
but they are placed as far away from the audio
signal path as possible, further reducing the
potential for interference.
SIGNAL PATH
The signal paths for both audio channels of the
N
o
532 are electrically identical and contain no
relays, capacitors or inductors. This helps maintain
very low output impedance levels, and minimizes
nonlinearity. The compact design of the circuitry,
made possible by an advanced new generation of
semiconductors, allows the signal path to be tighter
and shorter than in previous Mark Levinson dual-
mono amplifiers, reducing parasitic capacitances
and minimizing propagation delay and phase shift.
The result is a faster, wider bandwidth with
minimal signal degradation.
N
o
532
DUAL-MONO POWER AMPLIFIER
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