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Introducing the Mark Levinson
N
º51 Media Player
The N º51 is a milestone product for Mark
Levinson. An all new design, the N
º51 is the
first media player to wear the Mark Levinson
name. Its goal is to provide superb playback
of DVD Videos and Compact Discs. As such,
it can be viewed as two products in one; a
DVD Video processor that provides extreme
ly high quality picture and sound for the ulti
mate in movie cinema reproduction and a
CD processor capable of music playback that
exceeds that of high end stand alone CD
players.
There are five areas of design in the N
º51.
Each carefully crafted element surpasses its
design criteria and integrates seamlessly with
the other elements to create a product that
performs well beyond the sum of its parts.
The Chassis
The N º51 chassis is designed to integrate
with the N
º40 Media Console and the 400
series Power Amplifiers. The front panel uti
lizes thick, machined aluminum pieces, a
combination of brushed and painted finishes,and laser engraved artwork. The chassis
cover is formed from a single piece of alu
minum which incorporates a secondary
shield to provide a seamless electro magnetic
barrier. The chassis itself is partitioned to pro
vide electrical isolation for critical circuits
where needed. In every respect, the N
º51
conveys the impression of a product built to
withstand the test of time.
The Transport
The heart of any media player is the trans
port. The N
º51 starts with a solid cast alu
minum frame for exceptional rigidity and sta
bility. The drawer is precision milled from
aluminum and is mounted on polished stain
less steel drawer guides. The loader assembly
is comprised of custom designed compo
nents, including the drive lift and the rack
and pinion drawer actuator, which uses spe
cial damping material to isolate the drawer
from nearby components. Optical encoders
are used to send feedback to the motor con
trol circuit providing precise control over the
drawers motion. To provide a better sound,
the transport frame is shock mounted, decou
pling it from the chassis and further isolating
Nº51
MEDIA PLAYER
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