Mark Levinson Media Player N51 - Manual (Page 2)

Introducing the Mark Levinson
Nº51 Media Player
The Nº51 is a milestone product for Mark
Levinson. An all-new design, the Nº51 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 Nº51.
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 Nº51 chassis is designed to integrate
with the Nº40 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 Nº51
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 Nº51 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
drawer’s motion. To provide a better sound,
the transport frame is shock-mounted, decou-
pling it from the chassis and further isolating
Nº51
MEDIA PLAYER
2