MARK LEVINSON No.5105 MC

TR01.08.2022

Analog sources

Mark Levinson is not a turntable brand. Several years ago they introduced their first attempt, the praised № 515 turntable, so going another mile and making a statement vinyl deck was the logical next step. No matter how modern and stylistic it looks, it offers a very little degree of automatization and the operation is fully manual.

Funkce a forma

95%

Ergonomie

84%

Zvuk

100%

Zpracování

Mark Levinson joins the mainstream and focuses less on hardcore audiophiles (which the company had been famous for years ago), rather it tries do design products with wider appeal. The 5000 range, where the the № 5105 MC belongs, is the prime example of it.

The № 5105 MC has the stylistically clean look of glass and aluminum front panel, and a silver and black anodized aluminum plinth that is machined from a single billet that is responsible for the substantial weight of the device (34kg). The deck is driven by isolated 12V asynchronous motor, with a belt driven aluminum platter (6kg), and sits on three isolation feet.

The controls are limited to a speed button (that also starts the deck and changes the speed without the need of readjusting the belt) and a stand-by button. When the playback of a record is finished, you need to manually lift the 10” carbon tonearm and return it.

If you purchase the № 5105 MC, it will have the cartridge mounted and its tonearm adjusted. Mark Levinson provides Ortofon Quintet Black S in the package with the turntable. The platter also comes with a beautiful record clamp, made in the style of Levinson’s volume knobs. I like these small details.

The only thing you must do before listening to some music is to set the anti-skating, which is well described in the manual and happens via moving a string with a weight across anti-skating lever. And that is basically all you can adjust, together with the tracking force of the cartridge.

There are RCA outputs at the rear, as well as a grounding post and an IEC power cord socket. For the U.S. the № 5105 MC is produced in the U.S., for Europe the production is outsourced from Germany.

Nízké frekvence

Váha

Výbušnost

Artikulace

In the review of (now mine) № 526 preamplifier I noted: If I should outline two most prominent features to its sound, they would be: Clarity, clarity, clarity and drama, drama, drama. With a good power amplifier you get everything you dream of: silky spark on highs, smooth and rich midrange, deep and tight bass and cohesive soundstaging. All conveyed with startling clarity and transparency, pinpoint imaging, wonderful spatial separation, and huge dynamic contrasts. The № 5105 MC is not ameliorating any of those factors; if anything, it slightly emphasizes them.

Čistota rozlišení

Detail

Vzduch

Transparentnost

To characterize the № 5105 MC’s performance by two words, I would use darker and details. The tonality is a bit muted, as if slightly overdamped, yet ample details are heard. The darker background also helps keeping the record noise away, so the backgrounds through the № 5105 MC are a tad blacker than you’d expect from a vinyl deck. Of course, all my auditions were made with the Shibata-fitted Ortofon Quintet Black S cartridge which will partially dictate the (excellent) result. I have not experimented with other for two main reasons. One, the Ortofon was chosen by the manufacturer and the device tuned to it, and it is how most listeners will listen to the deck. Two, no matter which other cartridges would I try there is still huge number of other options in the market, so I would barely cover a few.

Tonální věrnost

Témbr

Dynamika

Časování

The № 5105 MC timbral accuracy will, once again, be highly dependent on the associated cartridge and the phono preamplifier used. In my all-Levinson set-up, I like what I am hearing. The tone is rich and subtle, abundantly colorful, and smooth and textured at the same time. Although it is not a champion in dynamic contrasts, it pleases with detailed and creamy presentation, that is open and rhythmic enough to make your feet tap.

Prostorovost

Trojrozměrnost

Šířka scény

Hloubka scény

The № 5105 MC is not cheap. There are many contenders in the market as good as the № 5105 MC, some at a lower price point. However, it makes sense to acquire this turntable deck if you are the Mark Levinson fan and want a manual turntable that screams simplicity yet provides modern and catchy appearance in the room. A certain robustness of the whole assembly may be also welcome in case kids and pets are around. I would recommend getting a good Perspex cover for it anyway.

Cena v době recenze:228 000,- Kč

Doporučení prodejci

Absolute Audio s.r.o., Praha, tel. +420 777 739 377

Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078

Web výrobce: http://www.marklevinson.com

Připojené komponenty

Sources: C.E.C. TL-51XR
Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.526 preamplifier, Mark Levinson No.423 power amplifier
Interconnects and speaker cables: Kubala-Sosna Emotion
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio2
Power conditioning: IsoTek Titan, Shunyata Research Sigma HC

Galerie

99%