March 23, 1999
New Product: Madrigal updates the Mark Levinson digital audio processor line for the DVD-Audio era

Middletown, CT. Madrigal Audio Labs has begun shipping a new generation of its Mark Levinson digital audio processor line. The No.30.6 Reference Digital Processor replaces the top-of-the-line No.30.5, which first shipped in 1994. The new models No.360 and No.360S replace their ancestors, the No.36 and No.36S.

New digital formats including DVD-based audio and video, and 24-bit/96 kHz audio resolution have spawned demands from audio and video purists who want high-end performance. The new Mark Levinson processors -- designed to handle the direct output from high-quality CD and DVD decks and provide superior signal processing compared to all-in-one CD and DVD players -- use an all-new software-based design topology, which will allow them to adapt to new formats and requirements.

The No.30.6 is built on a two-piece Reference chassis, constructed of four separately-shielded boxes, symbolic of the digital and analog circuitry it contains.

These are the first Levinson units capable of handling 24-bit/96 kHz signals from input to output. They can even be programmed to handle 192 kHz signals, or other possible formats such as Direct Stream Digital (DSD), if that becomes necessary.

Despite the future-oriented nature of the new designs, Madrigal says that many of their performance advancements are evident using standard 16-bit/44.1 kHz CD's. "We believe these processors set a new standard for digital playback, regardless of price. Listen to compact disc sources through them, and you will hear a more detailed, rich and dynamic sound than ever before."

SHARC® (Super Harvard Architecture) 32-bit DSP's by Analog Devices are at the heart of the new processor architecture. In addition to software-based digital filtering, the SHARC's can handle algorithms such as HDCD, DSD and others. The No.360 uses two SHARC DSPs, while the No.360S and No.30.6 have four, allowing for more future upgrade options.

"The SHARC decoders give us the ability to offer superior, software-based solutions to the confusion wrought by the many new digital audio standards," says Madrigal's Jon Herron. "These range from the simple 16/44 CD standard, to the 24/96 standard contained within DVD-Video, and through to the many 'flavors' of the DVD-Audio standard."

All models use 24-bit multi-bit digital-to-analog convertors (DAC's) built around the Burr Brown PCM 1704 chip. In the higher-end models (No.360S, No.30.6), the two DAC's are matched to each other using hand-trimmed resistors.

All models also use a new Madrigal-designed digital interface receiver (DIR). This is the first "smart" component in the signal path, processesing the incoming signal and sending the various signal elements to the proper destinations (display, digital filter, etc.). Madrigal says its design has enough bandwidth to cope with very high speed signals, enough to handle anything a DVD player can output, while typical "off-the-shelf" DIR circuits are not forward compatible in this way.

In keeping with Mark Levinson tradition and philsophy, the new processors feature over-built power supplies. Transistor and integrated circuit components rely on a quiet, stable and instantaneous supply of power for optimum performance. According to Madrigal, nothing compares with the demands of D-to-A converters when it comes to the relationship between clean power and clean sound. Higher resolution signals (such as 20- or 24-bit vs.16-bit) require an ever quieter and more stable power source to accurately resolve the additional bits in the recording.

In the case of the reference standard No.30.6, the power supply architecture dominates and defines the appearance of the component. It uses the PLS-330 power supply, which houses three separate power supplies: one dedicated to the digital section in the center and one for each analog module, located in the left and right towers of the chassis. The "digital" supply is completely independent from the left and right DAC/analog modules.

Less extreme measures are employed on the less-costly units. On the No.360 and No.360S, left and right channel D-to-A conversion and output circuitry is performed on separate circuit boards located on the left and right sides of the chassis, and each audio board is equipped with independent power supply regulators. Two transformers maximize isolation between digital and analog circuits, and maximum channel separation is achieved using separate secondary windings from the analog supply transformer.

All models include a large and extremely flexible range of inputs and outputs, including XLR (for AES/EBU-format digital), RCA (for S/PDIF), ST-optical, and EIAJ-optical (for Toslink™).

Upgrades from earlier Mark Levinson processors are available: owners of the No.30.5 or even the older No.30 reference processors can have their units made over as the No.30.6; and owners of the No.36 and No.36S can upgrade to the No.360 and No.360S respectively. In some cases, the upgrade must be handled at the factory, in other cases it may be performed by the dealer.

Web Site: Mark Levinson
Web Site: Madrigal Audio Labs

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