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Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC

CD and SACD playback combined with a streaming client and a PrecisionLink II DAC with Pure Path Analog Output Stage is available with the latest addition to the Mark Levinson 5000 Series, the Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC. It is therefore a 3-in-1 solution with CD/ SACD transport, streamer and DAC.


Last year, the US-American high-end hi-fi manufacturer Mark Levinson founded the so-called Mark Levinson 5000 Series as an extremely committed project. The classic virtues of the Americans were to be made available here at a particularly attractive price point so that a somewhat broader target group could be addressed.

The first two stereo integrated amplifiers were presented by Mark Levinson for the first time at the CES 2019 in Las Vegas, namely the Mark Levinson N°5805 Integrated Amplifier and Mark Levinson N°5802 Integrated Amplifier systems. Other components will follow in the near future, with an initial focus on amplifiers: the Mark Levinson N°5206 Dual Monaural Preamplifier and Mark Levinson N°5302 Bridgeable Dual Monaural Amplifier. As if that were not enough, the Mark Levinson 5000 Series finally offers a source device for the first time, one of the finest in the industry, the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC.

The developers have set themselves ambitious goals for the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC, as for all solutions in the Mark Levinson 5000 Series. Impeccable performance is to be delivered, packed into an elegant, virtually solid case, all of which is handcrafted to ensure the best results in every respect. The Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC combines the playback of classic optical media such as CD and SACD with the possibilities of modern streaming solutions, and also uses a tried and tested D/A converter and a high-quality output stage, making the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC particularly exciting.

The manufacturer even speaks of a playback on an absolutely audiophile level, which they want to guarantee for all contents, paired with a comfortable, even intuitive operation.

The focus of the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC is, of course, first and foremost on the possibilities of streaming, which is clearly the future of music reproduction.

The new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC has a network interface in the form of a RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet interface, but also offers an integrated WiFi module according to IEEE 802.11n, so that you have the free choice of integration into the network.

In the network, the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC can be used to access your own content, which is available in the formats MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, WAV, AIFF or FLAC, as well as content in DSD as DSF or DFF. With Linear PCM, the spectrum extends up to 24 bits and 192 kHz, DSD is supported including DSD 5.6 MHz.

Even if not explicitly stated, streaming is likely to be UPnP, so that you can rely on any storage system in the network (NAS, Network Attached Storage), but also on a large number of apps.

It should also be mentioned that the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC has a USB interface for the integration of appropriate storage media, so that audio files can also be played directly locally.

The second option for playback is of course the integrated drive for optical media, which is designed as a slot-in and supports not only audio CDs but also CD-R, CD-RW and above all SACD.

Regardless of whether digital data comes from the network or from optical media, the signal processing of the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC is carried out by a so-called PrecisionLink II DAC, the heart of which is an ESS Sabre 32 Bit Pro Series DAC. Five individual ultra-low-noise power supplies are used here to provide the integrated circuits with the necessary basis for the best possible signal processing. Proprietary jitter reduction circuitry and user-selectable digital filters – seven for PCM and four for DSD – combined with generously controlled power output, provide the best possible digital reproduction, Mark Levinson’s designers are confident.

It should not go unmentioned that the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC also has digital inputs, even if it is only one optical and one coaxial S/PDIF interface each. Both optical and coaxial S/PDIF interfaces are also available as digital outputs.

On the analogue level, the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC is intended to score with an output stage based on PurePath Circuitry, i.e. a fully discrete, directly coupled, dual-mono circuit. According to the manufacturer, a linear power supply with an oversized toroidal transformer guarantees a high bandwidth and impressive dynamics.

In addition to the digital outputs mentioned above, the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC is equipped with an unbalanced pair of RCA sockets on the analogue side as well as a balanced output in the form of XLR sockets.

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It goes without saying that the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC also has all the necessary features to be integrated into control solutions. Via the network interface already mentioned, it can be controlled via IP, for example, it has an RS232 interface, trigger inputs and outputs and an IR connection. Appropriate drivers are to be made available for all common platforms.

Robust materials, elaborate surfaces and, in the manufacturer’s opinion, an almost audacious geometry are characteristic features of Mark Levinson’s design, and thus should not be missing from the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC. The centimetre-thick, glass bead blasted, black anodised solid aluminium front panels are machined and contoured to blend seamlessly into the slim glass display, which in turn is set into a glass bead blasted, clear anodised aluminium frame. With embossed openings in the top cover, screen-printed logo and machined aluminium buttons, no detail has been overlooked.

“The N°5101 provides an outstanding platform for the playback of CD and SACD collections, stored audio libraries and internet streaming platforms. It creates a unique synthesis for music lovers between the enormous amount of high-definition digital recordings and the audio technologies with the best sound and most sophisticated processing on the planet.”

Jim Garrett, Senior Director, Product Strategy and Planning, HARMAN Luxury Audio

The new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC comes with a matching infrared remote control.

This system weighs 11.5 kg with dimensions of 438 mm width, 466 mm depth and 126 mm height.

According to the manufacturer, the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC should already be available in specialist shops these days. The recommended retail price for this solution is € 6.000,-.

Getting to the point

The developers have set ambitious goals for the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC, as for all solutions of the Mark Levinson 5000 Series. Impeccable performance is to be delivered, packed into an elegant, virtually solid case, all handcrafted to ensure the best results in every respect. The Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC combines the playback of classic optical media such as CD and SACD with the possibilities of modern streaming solutions, and also uses a tried and tested D/A converter and a high-quality output stage, making the new Mark Levinson N°5101 Network Streaming SACD Player and DAC particularly exciting.

Manufacturer:Mark Levinson
Distribution:Harman Luxury Audio Group
Price:€ 6.000,-
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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