I had exactly the same experience with listening on B&W 803 D3. It's not really neutral, the mid is a bit big, the singer is right in the room and the treble is just absolutely stunning. The ML wasn't what I was looking for, but the amp may have been looking for me. Obviously I got a used one, because I can't afford new.
@@Sheisintomalakasdino I didn’t try the 585 but I have owned the 590aXII for a few years and love it! Spoke with Music Direct and got the impression that they also like the Luxman line better. But I’m sure that the 585 is amazing and some would prefer it.
David Tomsett that is why I make the song denonstration videos so you get to hear how the product performs in familiar (if you watch all the other song demo videos for other products I have reviewed)
Pursuit Perfect System Yes, after I watched this one I subscribed to your site as I think it’s really good. Really good show recordings with clear sound and great picture quality; thanks!
I'm choosing between this and the MA8000/MA9000. What would be your opinion? I used to have an MA6900 and liked it quite a bit, but the high-end was missing some sparkle and lack some resolution. However, that's a previous generation design compared to the much newer MA8000/MA9000. The speaker I have is a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica II. Thanks in advance :)
Wow that is a lovely place to be in choosing between these 2 beasts - Fair play to you. Its a very tough one for me as I havent heard the McIntosh amps you are considering. If the decision was based on looks the McIntosh would win all day. There is something veryu special about sitting and looking at Mc kit but you have already owned Mc kit so that novelty would have worn off. I can only make a guess as to the differences - the Levinson 585 is all about a big dynamic sound, an on the edge of your seat with excitement type of sound but with good precision, and refinement - fun to listen to and seriously impressive. If you see in my channel now I have made some changes to our reference system Audiquest Niagara 7000 and some cables the performance of the 585 has gone crazy. I could only make a guess as to how the McIntosh would sound so sorry I cant help you there. I would be very interested to know which amp you end up going for and why - please do let me know Thanks for commenting - all the best
As a reply, I actually chose none of them :) I went all the way and got a pair of Bryston 7B3 plus a Wyred4Sound STP-SE. quite a bit more than my original budget...
I appreciate the differences are subtle at times but are you able to divulge to me your presence out of all the amps you have heard so far.I am interested in this vs Luxman 700 combo.
Jonny Bingham Hi Jonny. this is a tough one because the Luxman could be paired with a variety of components altering the end result. The Luxman wins on looks but for me this Mark Levinson is an outsanding all in one I dont want to give it back. If your spending this level of money take your time and have a good listen to the options available inc others if you can. start with the levinson as your benchmark and see if you can better it with a combo for similar money / within your budget.
Great review! I am looking for an integrated amp (to save space and cables) for Revel Salon2. I've heard of that speaker's sound from ML No.53 with a tube pre-amp in a listening room about 450 sq ft, and I loved it. Not sure can ML No.585 do the same magic for a listening room about 200 sq ft? I am also interested in Dan DÁgostino's Momentum Integrated/Lifestyle Amp. Which integrated amp (from DD, ML, PASS, Jeff Roland, Burmaster, Simaudio or any others) drives well with Salon2 and have a little tube amp sound? Thanks ^_^
Franki Hung thanks for the kind words. you are selecting from some very top brands there. Revel is part of Harmon so you would assume they use Revel speakers for some of the ML testing and would be a nice match however that doesn't make it the right match for you. Its a very good integrated with a lot of power and control. The Dagostino line is far more lavish to look at and from what I have heard sound amazing not sure if either sound like small tube amps you need to listen for that decision / comparison. I would be interested in how you get on and which you end up going with
Thank you for your reply; I really appreciate it ^_^ DÁgostino's Int Amp definitely looks really good and their reviews are very good too. I haven't got a chance to listen to it yet and probably won't be able to listen to it with Revel Salon2 because of different dealers. I listened to Krells (750W mono blocks) in the early 2000's with Sonus Faber Stradivari, and I didn't quite like the sound. Later on I got a chance to listen to Stradivari driven by Linn Klimax Kontrol + Solo (+ JR 302 amp), and they sounded very good to me (I liked Linn Kontrol + JR 302 more). Not sure does DÁgostino's amps sound like the old Krells?
Franki Hung I am sure you know Dan Dagostino is the man behind the original Krell for What it's worth. I have only heard Dagostino kit at shows its very impressive but I don't know if it sounds like a small tube amp. Maybe only a small tube amp sounds that way not sure.
The Momentum Integrated/Lifestyle Amp is definitely on top of my list. I also came across Vitus Audio's integrated amps from my research -- their new MP-1201 weights126kg!!
I will be honest, that controls design alone is a deal breaker for me, it would absolutely drive me nuts. In this day and age of smartphones and touch screen, a few brands out there have long surpassed that such as Jeff Rowland and Classe. Or otherwise just don't make it so complicated.
Never seen a red display? What? You guys have never reviewed any Simaudio Moon Evolution components? Huge red dot matrix displays, much larger and easier to read than the tiny readout on this Mark Levinson.
I remember the bass being a little dry not the whole sound, I had the amp for good few weeks plenty of time to get going. Its a great amp sounds really good. I would have liked to have tried it with a different Dac but didnt have one sadly
Pursuit Perfect System I think it was only one in your mind, Ps audio :) . The Hugo tt i think would not be a good choice right now because should be coming soon a new version, unless there some nice discount... There is a huge gap in price to Dave and the gap in performance was reduced with the new hugo2... So Ps audio looks like a smart choice to me , it is upgradable and all that jazzzz... Problem is i never heard it, i heard the hugo tt recently and liked, if the Ps audio is a litle better i think i found my Dac ;) . How is the the Ps audio as pre amp? It would suit a high end power stereo amp? Keep uploading these videos they are very informative and you are doing a great job... Thanks
moonlight I can potentially see why but that seems a little harsh. it won an EISA award for best amplifier so you have a big difference of opinion there. I think great amplifier but can get better dacs and said in the review it could do with the clarity of a better dac I didn't have one to hand to try with it. It's a little dry sounding but still a wonderful listen
@@PursuitPerfectSystem @moonlight - You are WRONG. Stereophile recommended a "strong Class A. Here is the reviewers quote - "The doubling of its predecessor's power output, the addition of a superb DAC, and the unmatched sophistication of the No.585's easily learned control system set the new model apart from every other integrated amplifier I've reviewed. While its integration with my Quad electrostatics wasn't the smoothest, the sound was the very best I've gotten from those speakers. Which is why I'm giving the No.585 a strong Class A "Recommended Components" rating" It's certainly fine to not like a component. I for one do not care for the Bel Canto integrated although it is a fine piece of equipment. But try being factual. Read more at www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no585-integrated-amplifier-page-2#ZJyMkl4D62D8zsHf.99
@@howardshafran928 the dac in this Levinson is not as good as other stand alone Dacs that I have reviewed Couldn't care less what Stereophile says doesn't make me wrong
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Look you don't have to like the way the 585 sounds. You can think its DAC is junk - that's fine. You can think its worse than a transistor radio, that's cool too. But what isn't okay is purposefully misquoting a reviewer, whether "you couldn't care less" or not. You misquoted a review. That is unhelpful to the audio community and disrespectful to the reviewer. So that DOES make you wrong.
@@howardshafran928 because I think an external dac is better than what's included is not the same as calling it junk? I dont really know where you are going with this? Other reviewers can have a different opinion to me that is fine as can you that is fine also. I am confused by what has offended you so much and what I am supposed to have misquoted?
Mark Levinson made pure marketing products! Have much design, but sound quality don't perfect! Because Mark Levinson use middle quality components and capacitors.... Yes, Mark Levinson better than Naim, Arcam, Cambridge Audio amplifiers of England 🇬🇧, but true High-End company's made amplifiers much better... Look to Perreaux 255i and AVM A6.2...Perreaux 255i and AVM A6.2 kill Mark Levinson 5805 and 585...Because Perreaux and AVM amps made engineers, no marketers...
Jan Mokrý that would be an interesting comparison. luxman pre and power vs this ML but you would still need a dac and that would end up costing more than this ML.
I'm thinking about new Luxman L-509x and some good player/DAC combo or maybe this beast... It is heavy to decide and of course nearly impossible to be sure that all components will fit together. I have Dynaudio C2 Sign. and I'm wondering how KEF reference3 sounds in comparison to C2 too. And it is a lot of money of course... :-)
Jan Mokrý I havent heard those speakers this ML is very smooth and an easy listen with a lot of power. But if its for you only you can decide and at this price you want it to be a perfect decision. You need a good long listen to all options ideally.
Fantastic video you have made. I was looking for a review like that for a while and then I have found it. As an owner of 585, I agree with most of you said on the video. I have Wilson audio Sasha speakers playing with the 585 and I’m very happy with the results I’ve got in my system even with the bass. It was definitely an evolution comparing with my previous integrated amplifier (accuphase E-560). I would like to know more about your opinions of the 585 sound modes and other setup features this amplifier has, if it is possible. Once again, thank you for the great work. Best regards, Renato. PS: are you going to review mark Levinson 519? I’m thinking about purchasing this gear to use with the 585 and I want to know if it is a good deal.
Hi Renato - you have a stunning system by the sounds of it - Congrats on that. I would review the 519 if the opportunity arose - I dont know if you have seen this video I made but I listened to the 519 at the HiFi show live th-cam.com/video/M8kHxIYhdyc/w-d-xo.html - with the JBL speakers it was very dynamic sounding. I think with the sound modes you have the choice - of more direct sound with stronger bass but less clarity and soundstage - to the Minimum Phase Mode where its all about the clarity and soundstage which is what some people are going for - leaner but cleaner. I did all the testing using a Coax Connection - now trying balanced digital cable connection this might mean a slightly different end result. See this video here th-cam.com/video/8k-7jzZ8L4s/w-d-xo.html With the Coax I preferred the in the middle setting - Slow I think it is - however I havent done the testing again with the balanced digital cable - I just put it in and just loved the sound straight away - however you have made me want to test it again :)
You have a ton of great sounding videos but I thought the ones with this particular amp was some of your best ! Sounded outstanding
Great review - Mark Levinson so versatile sound is simply superb. Voice and bass reproduction especially.
How do you compare mark levinson 585, nuvista 800 and luxman 509x? Only theirs amps sections.
How dos the ML No. 585 compare to the Diablo 300 in sound?
I had exactly the same experience with listening on B&W 803 D3. It's not really neutral, the mid is a bit big, the singer is right in the room and the treble is just absolutely stunning. The ML wasn't what I was looking for, but the amp may have been looking for me. Obviously I got a used one, because I can't afford new.
Have you tried the Luxman 590axii , if not you need to it is very special
Great review mate. As usual. I've been looking for this one sh for quite some time. Won't stop till I get it
could you review Mark Levinson's new hifi venture 'Daniel Hertz' ...it apparently uses new technologies in amp / speaker / DAC design ?
Great hifi product. Can´t wait to get mine!!!
A fool who buys Mark Levinson despises their customers and does not provide service
A fool who buys Mark Levinson despises their customers and does not provide service
Fantastic review, I agree 100% I love pairing Mark Levinson with the B&W 800 series diamond tweeters for exactly that reason a match made in heaven.
A fool who buys Mark Levinson despises their customers and does not provide service
Thorough review, thank you. Would you be able to briefly compare this to the 383?
So would the 585 be an upgrade to a Luxman L-590aXII?
Did you ever find an answer to this?
@@Sheisintomalakasdino I didn’t try the 585 but I have owned the 590aXII for a few years and love it! Spoke with Music Direct and got the impression that they also like the Luxman line better. But I’m sure that the 585 is amazing and some would prefer it.
ML or luxman integrated?
Which amp do you prefer Yba 650/550 or this one
I prefer your show reports. No amount of your excellent verbal reviews are a substitute for the listening experience!
David Tomsett that is why I make the song denonstration videos so you get to hear how the product performs in familiar (if you watch all the other song demo videos for other products I have reviewed)
Pursuit Perfect System Yes, after I watched this one I subscribed to your site as I think it’s really good. Really good show recordings with clear sound and great picture quality; thanks!
I'm choosing between this and the MA8000/MA9000. What would be your opinion?
I used to have an MA6900 and liked it quite a bit, but the high-end was missing some sparkle and lack some resolution. However, that's a previous generation design compared to the much newer MA8000/MA9000. The speaker I have is a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica II. Thanks in advance :)
Wow that is a lovely place to be in choosing between these 2 beasts - Fair play to you.
Its a very tough one for me as I havent heard the McIntosh amps you are considering. If the decision was based on looks the McIntosh would win all day. There is something veryu special about sitting and looking at Mc kit but you have already owned Mc kit so that novelty would have worn off.
I can only make a guess as to the differences - the Levinson 585 is all about a big dynamic sound, an on the edge of your seat with excitement type of sound but with good precision, and refinement - fun to listen to and seriously impressive. If you see in my channel now I have made some changes to our reference system Audiquest Niagara 7000 and some cables the performance of the 585 has gone crazy.
I could only make a guess as to how the McIntosh would sound so sorry I cant help you there. I would be very interested to know which amp you end up going for and why - please do let me know
Thanks for commenting - all the best
As a reply, I actually chose none of them :)
I went all the way and got a pair of Bryston 7B3 plus a Wyred4Sound STP-SE. quite a bit more than my original budget...
ousi00 Bryston Monos are bad boys a pal has a pair with some huge Pmc speakers and they sound great. nice choice and thanks for letting me know
great real world review, thank you once again.
I appreciate the differences are subtle at times but are you able to divulge to me your presence out of all the amps you have heard so far.I am interested in this vs Luxman 700 combo.
Preference that should say - not presnce!
Jonny Bingham Hi Jonny. this is a tough one because the Luxman could be paired with a variety of components altering the end result. The Luxman wins on looks but for me this Mark Levinson is an outsanding all in one I dont want to give it back. If your spending this level of money take your time and have a good listen to the options available inc others if you can. start with the levinson as your benchmark and see if you can better it with a combo for similar money / within your budget.
knobs and flick'y meters! The best look!
Gryphon Diablo , the best !
very cool integrated amp.
Great review!
I am looking for an integrated amp (to save space and cables) for Revel Salon2. I've heard of that speaker's sound from ML No.53 with a tube pre-amp in a listening room about 450 sq ft, and I loved it. Not sure can ML No.585 do the same magic for a listening room about 200 sq ft? I am also interested in Dan DÁgostino's Momentum Integrated/Lifestyle Amp. Which integrated amp (from DD, ML, PASS, Jeff Roland, Burmaster, Simaudio or any others) drives well with Salon2 and have a little tube amp sound? Thanks ^_^
Franki Hung thanks for the kind words. you are selecting from some very top brands there. Revel is part of Harmon so you would assume they use Revel speakers for some of the ML testing and would be a nice match however that doesn't make it the right match for you. Its a very good integrated with a lot of power and control. The Dagostino line is far more lavish to look at and from what I have heard sound amazing not sure if either sound like small tube amps you need to listen for that decision / comparison. I would be interested in how you get on and which you end up going with
Thank you for your reply; I really appreciate it ^_^
DÁgostino's Int Amp definitely looks really good and their reviews are very good too. I haven't got a chance to listen to it yet and probably won't be able to listen to it with Revel Salon2 because of different dealers. I listened to Krells (750W mono blocks) in the early 2000's with Sonus Faber Stradivari, and I didn't quite like the sound. Later on I got a chance to listen to Stradivari driven by Linn Klimax Kontrol + Solo (+ JR 302 amp), and they sounded very good to me (I liked Linn Kontrol + JR 302 more). Not sure does DÁgostino's amps sound like the old Krells?
Franki Hung I am sure you know Dan Dagostino is the man behind the original Krell for What it's worth. I have only heard Dagostino kit at shows its very impressive but I don't know if it sounds like a small tube amp. Maybe only a small tube amp sounds that way not sure.
The Momentum Integrated/Lifestyle Amp is definitely on top of my list. I also came across Vitus Audio's integrated amps from my research -- their new MP-1201 weights126kg!!
Are you going to play that harp or what ?
The last song demo link no longer works, too bad I love them
sorry about that maybe you tube has copyright protected the song in that video and it's no longer allowed to be played. I havent touched it :)
So what happened to Mark??
I will be honest, that controls design alone is a deal breaker for me, it would absolutely drive me nuts. In this day and age of smartphones and touch screen, a few brands out there have long surpassed that such as Jeff Rowland and Classe. Or otherwise just don't make it so complicated.
I hate screens and love this balance
Аппарат супер!
I'd rather get an Ayre AX-5 though they are different. the AX-5 has no DAC and no phono stage
Never seen a red display? What? You guys have never reviewed any Simaudio Moon Evolution components? Huge red dot matrix displays, much larger and easier to read than the tiny readout on this Mark Levinson.
Sound a bit dry is new needs burn in time will tell mine has got better over time..
I remember the bass being a little dry not the whole sound, I had the amp for good few weeks plenty of time to get going. Its a great amp sounds really good.
I would have liked to have tried it with a different Dac but didnt have one sadly
Gorgeous amp but i hare red displays, awful
Nice sound but doesn’t last
The question is.... what Dac you had in your mind for 6000 pounds? :)
I was referencing the price range from Hugo TT to PS Audio DirectStream / Chord Dave range :)
Pursuit Perfect System I think it was only one in your mind, Ps audio :) . The Hugo tt i think would not be a good choice right now because should be coming soon a new version, unless there some nice discount... There is a huge gap in price to Dave and the gap in performance was reduced with the new hugo2... So Ps audio looks like a smart choice to me , it is upgradable and all that jazzzz... Problem is i never heard it, i heard the hugo tt recently and liked, if the Ps audio is a litle better i think i found my Dac ;) . How is the the Ps audio as pre amp? It would suit a high end power stereo amp? Keep uploading these videos they are very informative and you are doing a great job... Thanks
Stereophile placed this integrated to their "B" class of components
moonlight I can potentially see why but that seems a little harsh.
it won an EISA award for best amplifier so you have a big difference of opinion there.
I think great amplifier but can get better dacs and said in the review it could do with the clarity of a better dac I didn't have one to hand to try with it. It's a little dry sounding but still a wonderful listen
@@PursuitPerfectSystem @moonlight - You are WRONG. Stereophile recommended a "strong Class A. Here is the reviewers quote - "The doubling of its predecessor's power output, the addition of a superb DAC, and the unmatched sophistication of the No.585's easily learned control system set the new model apart from every other integrated amplifier I've reviewed. While its integration with my Quad electrostatics wasn't the smoothest, the sound was the very best I've gotten from those speakers. Which is why I'm giving the No.585 a strong Class A "Recommended Components" rating"
It's certainly fine to not like a component. I for one do not care for the Bel Canto integrated although it is a fine piece of equipment. But try being factual.
Read more at www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no585-integrated-amplifier-page-2#ZJyMkl4D62D8zsHf.99
@@howardshafran928 the dac in this Levinson is not as good as other stand alone Dacs that I have reviewed Couldn't care less what Stereophile says doesn't make me wrong
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Look you don't have to like the way the 585 sounds. You can think its DAC is junk - that's fine. You can think its worse than a transistor radio, that's cool too. But what isn't okay is purposefully misquoting a reviewer, whether "you couldn't care less" or not. You misquoted a review. That is unhelpful to the audio community and disrespectful to the reviewer. So that DOES make you wrong.
@@howardshafran928 because I think an external dac is better than what's included is not the same as calling it junk? I dont really know where you are going with this?
Other reviewers can have a different opinion to me that is fine as can you that is fine also.
I am confused by what has offended you so much and what I am supposed to have misquoted?
Очень дорогой
no headphone jack disqualify this amp
why not just buy a different headphone amplifier instead?
Mark Levinson made pure marketing products! Have much design, but sound quality don't perfect! Because Mark Levinson use middle quality components and capacitors.... Yes, Mark Levinson better than Naim, Arcam, Cambridge Audio amplifiers of England 🇬🇧, but true High-End company's made amplifiers much better... Look to Perreaux 255i and AVM A6.2...Perreaux 255i and AVM A6.2 kill Mark Levinson 5805 and 585...Because Perreaux and AVM amps made engineers, no marketers...
LOL
Get to the sound review already
A fool who buys Mark Levinson despises their customers and does not provide service
Interesting piece of engineering. How do you feel the main sonic differences between this amplifier and Luxman M700u in analog mode?
Jan Mokrý that would be an interesting comparison. luxman pre and power vs this ML but you would still need a dac and that would end up costing more than this ML.
I'm thinking about new Luxman L-509x and some good player/DAC combo or maybe this beast... It is heavy to decide and of course nearly impossible to be sure that all components will fit together. I have Dynaudio C2 Sign. and I'm wondering how KEF reference3 sounds in comparison to C2 too. And it is a lot of money of course... :-)
Jan Mokrý I havent heard those speakers this ML is very smooth and an easy listen with a lot of power. But if its for you only you can decide and at this price you want it to be a perfect decision. You need a good long listen to all options ideally.
Fantastic video you have made. I was looking for a review like that for a while and then I have found it. As an owner of 585, I agree with most of you said on the video. I have Wilson audio Sasha speakers playing with the 585 and I’m very happy with the results I’ve got in my system even with the bass. It was definitely an evolution comparing with my previous integrated amplifier (accuphase E-560). I would like to know more about your opinions of the 585 sound modes and other setup features this amplifier has, if it is possible. Once again, thank you for the great work. Best regards, Renato.
PS: are you going to review mark Levinson 519? I’m thinking about purchasing this gear to use with the 585 and I want to know if it is a good deal.
Hi Renato - you have a stunning system by the sounds of it - Congrats on that.
I would review the 519 if the opportunity arose - I dont know if you have seen this video I made but I listened to the 519 at the HiFi show live th-cam.com/video/M8kHxIYhdyc/w-d-xo.html - with the JBL speakers it was very dynamic sounding.
I think with the sound modes you have the choice - of more direct sound with stronger bass but less clarity and soundstage - to the Minimum Phase Mode where its all about the clarity and soundstage which is what some people are going for - leaner but cleaner.
I did all the testing using a Coax Connection - now trying balanced digital cable connection this might mean a slightly different end result.
See this video here
th-cam.com/video/8k-7jzZ8L4s/w-d-xo.html
With the Coax I preferred the in the middle setting - Slow I think it is - however I havent done the testing again with the balanced digital cable - I just put it in and just loved the sound straight away - however you have made me want to test it again :)