Mark Levinson No.53 Mono Amplifiers

Nothing is forever, and its time for someone else to own these.  One of the greatest and still considered one of the most iconic amplifiers of all time. 

Quote

As with all Mark Levinson Reference products, the Nº53 is made to reproduce sound at the purest level possible. It truly exemplifies the fact that solid state electronics can rival even the best sounding tube-based designs.

Highlights

• Patented Interleaved Power Technology (IPT) raises the switching frequency to an extemely high 2MHz
• Elimination of dead bands by permitting both sets of output devices to be on simultaneously for short periods of time
• Compact vertical design with four separate internal compartments to shield and isolate different kinds of circuitry
• One balanced XLR input
• One unbalanced RCA input

General Specifications

• Frequency Response: Within ±0.1dB from 10Hz to 20kHz
• Input Impedance: 100 kΩ (balanced); 50 kΩ (unbalanced)
• Height: 20.87 in (530mm), Width: 8.42 in (214mm), Depth: 20.4 in (518mm), Weight: Net weight: 135 lb (61.3kg); Shipping weight: 165 lb (75kg)
• Communication and Control: Two Link2 ports (one input and one output); One Ethernet port; One 3.5mm mono (tip/sleeve) mini plug trigger input, 3-12Vdc; One 3.5mm mono (tip/sleeve) mini plug trigger output, 3-12Vdc; 3-Pin IEC standard power connector
• Rated Output Power Into 4 Ohms: 1000W, Rated Output Power Into 8 Ohms: 500W
• Gain: 26.8dB
• Speaker Connections: Two pairs of "Hurricane" loudspeaker output binding posts with banana-plug sockets

These were always a dream amplifier of mine and I jumped at the chance to own one of (if not) the only pairs in Australia, I'm told. Most have now been shipped to discerning overseas buyers. One owner (me), and they were official Australian stock, and come complete with their timber crates. 

They're one of the most honest amplifiers I've used - what goes in is what comes out, with a big dollop of balls and power to go with it. If you've got speakers up to the task, they will extend well beyond most people's comfortable listening levels and still be idling. An absolute perfect match with most big JBL's, particularly the K2s, and now the Everest DD67000s which I spent the most time powering. I've also used them on just about anything that has come through from inefficient stand mounters to big floorstanders. They handle anything with ease.

I'm not setting a good example with these photos, but for over two years they have been tucked into the custom spaces I built into my baffle wall. For those wondering, yes the back and top are open to allow for adequate ventilation. Unfortunately, they're not easy to get out because of their weight, and I have some 80+kg amplifiers sitting in front of them right now. I will endeavour to get more photos for genuine buyers, but have included some stock photos from the net for eye-candy purposes.

These can be shipped in their original crates at your expense, or else pickup from Sunbury (VIC).

The retail price for these in Australia was $100,000 if you could actually get them - they sold in the US for USD$50,000+. 

Display version shown here ^^^ - no wonder when you look at that engineering art! (to be clear what is on sale here does not include the plexi sides shown above).