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Fully Balanced Design
The No.390S is fully balanced in both the analog and digital domains. Information from the disc and single-ended digital inputs are immediately converted to balanced signals and routed to balanced DACs by way of an LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signal) receiver. This design technique, borrowed from separate Mark Levinson digital processors, preserves the faultless timing of the digital audio signal made possible by our CLJR system mentioned above.
An Arlon® 25N printed circuit board provides the foundation for the critical analog audio circuit. First used in the No.32 Reference Preamplifier, this superior material offers superb dielectric properties and helps the No.390S achieve remarkable performance with complex audio signals.
Design of the fully balanced DAC/analog output module follows the Mark Levinson tradition of rigorous component selection. An unusual hybrid design approach incorporating both advanced Surface-Mount and “through-hole” technologies, allows us to utilize the optimum part at each location in the circuit, without the constraints on parts selection normally associated with traditional PCB assembly practices. Every active device has been painstakingly selected for top technical performance, with final selections of top performing devices determined by numerous, controlled sonic evaluations.
Advanced Digital Filter Techniques
Just as with Mark Levinson separate Digital Audio Processors, such as our No.30.6 Reference, the No.390S incorporates advanced digital filter techniques carefully chosen to optimize the sonic performance of its on-board digital processor. Whether playing a CD, or decoding a digital signal received through an auxiliary input, sample depth is increased to 24 bits and sample rate increased to 352.8kHz or 384kHz (input rate dependent) prior to conversion to an analog signal. This sophisticated “processing” of the digital signal before conversion (referred to variously as “upconversion”, “upsampling”, or “oversampling”) is a fundamental contributor to the excellent sound achieved by all Mark Levinson digital processors. The No.390S confirms its internal conversion rate on its front panel display each time a disc is loaded, or an auxiliary input is chosen and its signal locked.
The No.390S also incorporates High Definition Compatible Digital® decoding to take full advantage of the resolution available from HDCD encoded 16-bit CDs. The HDCD format retains more of the resolution inherent in modern high-resolution recordings than can be accommodated by the normal CD standard by encoding information more efficiently within the16-bit space available on the disc.
Digital to Analog Conversion
Digital to analog conversion within the No.390S is performed at an extraordinarily high level and features a Mark Levinson-developed, balanced implementation of the Analog Devices® AD1853 – a new class of multi-bit Sigma/Delta DAC devices delivering superb technical performance. In addition to its unusual multi-bit architecture and unlike typical Sigma/Delta devices, the AD-1853 has a differential current output stage, which allows us to optimize the critical current-to-voltage (I/V) conversion stage with dedicated operational amplifiers possessing superlative rise time and bandwidth characteristics. Following this, a new active analog filter circuit, implemented in a differential amplifier, sums both halves of the balanced signal and provides superb common mode noise rejection in addition to its outstanding filter characteristics.
This approach to the digital-to-analog circuit block yields distortion and noise levels that are extraordinarily low and contributes greatly to the natural sound of the No.390S.
Balanced Analog Volume Control
Rather than use the digital attenuator on-board the DAC, the No.390S incorporates a fully balanced analog volume control similar to that found in Mark Levinson separate preamplifiers. When activated (by turning on the variable output function under setup: sound), the output of the No.390S may be attenuated in precise 0.1dB steps through most of the range. Significantly, the No.390S maintains the full performance of its remarkable DACs at all volume levels – something impossible with digital volume controls, regardless of what techniques may be employed to mask the sonic consequences of this design approach.
State-of-the-art Output Buffer
The balanced discrete output buffer circuitry used in the No.390S employs the same topology used in the remarkable Mark Levinson No.32 Reference Preamplifier. A hallmark of Mark Levinson preamplifier and digital processor design, this circuit has proven itself to be both sonically transparent and exceptionally immune to adverse interactions with interconnecting cables and unusual input impedance characteristics of power amplifiers or preamplifiers. The No.390S features a new, ultra compact, implementation of the Mark Levinson output buffer circuit pushing noise coupling and parasitic effects to vanishingly small levels. This exceptionally robust output stage allows the No.390S to make the most of what whatever combination of preamplifier, power amplifier, or cables you choose to use.
Output Versatility
High quality AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital outputs are supported in the No.390S. Each of these digital interfaces has been carefully optimized to deliver the finest performance its standard allows, each benefiting from the Closed-Loop Jitter-Reduction circuitry described above.
Special care has been taken with all the electrical outputs to maintain excellent symmetry between the rising and falling edges of the digital waveform (which looks like a series of square waves). This symmetry maximizes performance with the widest range of digital recorders and processors. As a direct result, the No.390S performs optimally with any digital product.
External Digital Inputs
The No.390S serves dual purpose as both a CD player and as an outboard digital audio processor. Both the 75 Ohm S/PDIF digital standard (via a custom-made RCA connector) and the EIAJ (sometimes called “Toslink”) optical input formats are supported by the No.390S. In this way, its excellent digital to analog conversion circuitry may be used to improve the performance of a laserdisc player, a Digital Satellite System digital audio soundtrack, or a digital audio recorder.
The No.390S provides outstanding isolation between its three inputs (the internal CD and two external sources). In fact, the unselected digital inputs are capacitively shunted to ground to prevent any undesirable interactions with the No.390S’s circuitry. As a result, the selected input effectively has the No.390S “all to itself.” The only way to improve on the performance of the No.390S’s auxiliary inputs is to employ more costly external processors from Mark Levinson such as the No.360, No.360S, and No.30.6.
Convenience Features
The No.390S supports custom programs, including “delete programming” wherein selected tracks are omitted from the playlist. This allows the user to skip the one or two songs on an otherwise enjoyable disc. The No.390S will remember such programs for thousands of discs.
The remote control included with the No.390S provides for all normal operations. It even allows you to create a custom program from the comfort of your favorite chair. But it does more. When used in the context of a “Linked” Mark Levinson system (see below), the No.390S remote control allows you to control the volume and select inputs on your preamplifier, switch digital inputs on the No.390S, and several other day-to-day functions-without having to juggle multiple remote controls.
Communications Links
The No.390S incorporates a sophisticated inter-component communications bus. For example, pressing Play on the No.390S CD Processor will bring it out of Standby, “wake up” the Linked preamplifier and power amplifier(s), and the preamplifier will automatically select the appropriate input so that a CD can be enjoyed.
When using its volume control capability, the No.390S can drive a power amplifier directly, providing volume, balance, and digital source selection itself. If the power amplifier being used is a Linked Mark Levinson power amplifier, the No.390S will even switch the amp in and out of standby as needed. Regardless of the complexity of the system, the No.390S can thus offer one-button simplicity of operation.
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