Secrets Benchmark Product Review
 

Mark Levinson No 40 HD Media Console (Surround Sound and Video Processor)

Part VIII

July, 2007

Sumit Chawla

 

On the Bench

I measured the No 40 performance using an XLR input and output, in Stereo mode, with no surround sound mode engaged, and no crossover adjustments. It was tested into a load of 100 kOhms. THD+N measurements were within an 80 kHz bandwidth. There is no bypass mode, so there was A/D and D/A involved in the signal path, at 24 bits and 96 kHz.

At 1 kHz, and 2 volts output, THD+N was a very low 0.004%.

At 10 kHz, THD+N was the same as with a 1 kHz sine wave. Notice that, for 10 kHz, the third harmonic is larger than the second, while with the 1 kHz test, the second harmonic is larger than the third. This is why it is important to show the graphs rather than simply report a distortion number. Even though the distortion number is the same for both tests - 0.004% - the profile is different.

The SMPTE/DIN IMD test also showed very low distortion at 2 volts output. You can see that there are only a few peaks surrounding the 2 kHz fundamental, which is excellent. This translates to a very detailed sound.

With 10 kHz and 11 kHz sine waves, the intermodulation peaks are few and quite low.

THD+N vs. Frequency indicates a flat distortion picture in the audible band. This means a neutral sound, which is indicative of very high performance. It also tells us that the No 40 will deliver the same output level in the upper frequencies before clipping as it will at 1 kHz, which is the standard frequency for plotting THD+N vs. Output (see second graph below).

THD+N slopes downward beginning at 0.7% at 10 mV output, with a minimum of a little less than 0.002% at 4.2 volts output, then rises to clip (1% THD+N) at 5 volts output. This was at the Ref (Reference - 0 dB) volume setting. When I set the volume to Max, clipping was at a little more than 7 volts.

The frequency response was 10 Hz to 30 kHz, - 0.5 dB. The response drops off above 40 kHz due to the 24/96 A/D and D/A that is in the signal path. The maximum analog frequency that can be handled by 96 kHz digital sampling is 48 kHz.

Conclusions

It is always reassuring to see that an architecture which is touted for its modularity and expandability can prove that when a need arises. The HDMI card offering has done just that. This is particularly important since at present this is the only path over which to realize the improvements offered by the next generation compression formats being used by the next generation optical formats. The alternative would be to either receive a multi-channel analog input from the playback device or have the playback device re-encode the data and transmit a compliant compressed bitstream. Neither option is appealing when you have an audio section as good as what you get with the Mark Levinson No 40 Media Console.

While I am certainly pleased with the audio capabilities of the HDMI card, I find its video capabilities lacking. There is no synergy between this card and the video processor; they pretty much operate independently. None of the inputs on the video processor or the OSD can be output over HDMI. I suspect a future update will address this concern.

The high cost of admission will certainly limit the market, but it is perhaps a niche that ML wants to carve out for itself. This product will certainly appeal to existing ML customers who want to move into the multi-channel arena but still have a product which can excel in two-channel music reproduction. I hope that ML considers offering a product at a lower price point; maybe a single chassis solution which focuses more on the HDMI, since this is the path we appear to be headed down. But if you cannot afford this product, there are other competitive offerings to consider. The wonderful sounding MC12B from sister company Lexicon is one such product, and it offers Room EQ, something I would like to have seen here.

The No 40 is certainly a remarkable product. Its complexities are masked by an extremely intuitive user interface which is a delight to use. A lot of thought and care have gone into its design, and it shows. The companion processors maintain the simple yet elegant look and feel of other products with the Mark Levinson pedigree. The build-quality is outstanding. The part that is most important, however, is its audio reproduction capability. Here the No 40 simply shines.
 

- Sumit Chawla -

© Copyright 2007 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity

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