Industrial Design; Convenience Features; Communications Links - Madrigal Audio Mark Levinson 39 Operating Manual

Industrial Design

Convenience Features

Communications Links

Two high quality digital output configurations are also supported in the Nº39. A
new complementary driver for the balanced
standing performance to the high quality XLR connector. A single-ended
electrical output is also provided via an RCA connector. These digital outputs
may be used to feed the input of digital recorders or an outboard digital proces-
sor, and they both benefit from the closed-loop jitter reduction circuitry de-
scribed above. (In effect, they duplicate the functionality and performance of the
corresponding outputs on a Mark Levinson Nº37 CD transport.)
All digital interfaces have been carefully optimized to deliver the finest perfor-
mance each interface standard allows. As a direct result, the Nº39 performs opti-
mally with any digital processor, without having to resort to techniques which
would limit its compatibility with other products.
The Nº39 shares the handsome industrial design of other Mark Levinson compo-
nents such as the Nº38 preamplifier. The combination of the hand-brushed,
black-anodized aluminum faceplate and bead-blasted custom-machined buttons
make operating the Nº39 a tactile as well as a sonic pleasure.
A large, easily read display provides information as to the operational status of the
Nº39 from across the room, making the supplied remote control more genuinely
useful than on products lacking such a display .
In keeping with its sophisticated design, the Nº39 also incorporates a Madrigal-
designed loading mechanism. Contrasting strongly with the bulky, plastic drawers
commonly used, the slim
num and rides on highly polished bearings. Its variable-speed design opens and
closes quickly , but without jarring the disc contained within, nor risking a jam
from dislodging it.
Too often, high performance CD players have eschewed convenience in the
hopes of seeming more "performance-oriented." While there were good argu-
ments for such a "minimalist" design in the days of analog turntables, the time is
long gone when the audiophile needed to give up operational convenience for
musical performance. After all, convenience features in a digital product are
largely a matter of writing appropriate software, and have no affect on the quality
of the digital data itself.
The Nº39 supports a variety of custom programming options, including "delete
programming" wherein selected tracks are omitted from the playlist. This allows
the user to skip the one or two songs on an otherwise good disc that have been
overplayed ad nauseam. The Nº39 will remember such programs for thousands
of discs, should you want to save that many programs.
As with all Mark Levinson 30-series components, the Nº39 incorporates a sophis-
ticated inter-component communications bus. Unique among high performance
audio systems, Mark Levinson 30-series components offer a degree of system in-
tegration that makes even complex systems a pleasure to use.
For example, bringing the Nº39 CD Processor out of standby will also bring the
Linked preamplifier and power amplifier(s) out of standby, and select the appro-
priate inputs on the preamplifier so that a CD can be enjoyed. Even a sophisti-
cated system with many components can thus offer one-button simplicity of op-
eration.
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AES EBU
1 ⁄ inch drawer is machined from a solid piece of alumi-
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electrical output delivers out-
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S PDIF
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