llll[

smoothly when using the now-superseded
Linn Kinsky app as the interface between
library
and
player:
it
worked
fine with both
MinimServer and the N"5 19.
TAILORING TO
SI'IT
So, it
plays
network music,
at
up to
192kHzl32-bit as
well
as handling DSD2.8
and 5.6MHz in native form, and also has
two
optical digital inputs
plus
two coaxial and one
AES/EBU,
along with an
asynchronous
USB
Type B
for
computer connection
and a
pair
of
USB-As
able
to accept storage devices.
Bluetooth is
also
provided,
supporting the
aptX
codec,
'The
No5l9's
a bit
on
the small
side, even the
fumble-
fingered should find them easy
to use.
Go into the settings
menu
and it's
possible
to
switch between fixed
and
variable outputs, select
filtering
should
you
want to use a subwoofer
with the unit,
and set various volume
parameters
-
such
as start-up
level, mute level,
etc
-
change
power-saving
settings
like
auto-off and
display blanking
time,
and adjust a whole range
of input settings.
ABOVE:
Unmistakably'l-evinson',
the elegant
industrial
design belies the 1W519's flexibility, fu
fuatures navigated
via fascia controls, and 5in
TFT
display, or remotely via iOS/Android apps
The settings also
give
access
to the
Clari-Fi
music
restoration
technology
developed by ML
parent
company
Harman,
which
'analyses
compressed digital audio
files
during
playback
and reconstructs what
was lost in
the compression
process'.
As
with the DSD filter at the other extreme,
there's no
correct setting for the intensity
of the Clari-Fi
processing
-
it's very much a
question
of
personal preference.
And as with all these
parameters,
it's
possible
to create an individual range of
settings for
each input. That's all
possible
as the N"51 9 runs on an embedded Linux
computer, while the digital-to-analogue
conversion is in the hands of Mark
Levinson's ESS Sabre-based
'Precision
Link
DAC'
circuit, which runs the DAC chip's
outputs in current mode into
a
discrete and
fully balanced current-to-voltage converter,
thus suppressing
common-mode
noise and
distortion. The Precision Link system also
uses a complex
power
supply
arrangement
with multiple,
separately regulated supplies
for the DAC chip,
plus
individual linear
supplies for
each channel to
power
the
l-to-V
converter and
filter
circuits.
Add in
quite
a lot of talk of military-
specification components and aircraft-
grade
materials,
and
it's
clear there's
a lot
here to
go
towards
justifying
that towering
price.
But is the sound similarly imperious,
especially in a market not exactly short of
expensive
network audio components?
@
cotwr:rlrNc rNsrcrrrs
Well, having
greatly
enjoyed the N"526
preamplifier
IHFN
Dec
'l6]
I was expecting
great
things of the N"5 1 9 and, I'm very
pleased
to say, I wasn't to be disappointed.
Playing
CDs, there's no denying
-
or
ignoring
-
the
N"5 19's
big, bold and
unrestrained
sound, offering a
mass of
detail and a compelling insight into
g
sound
is
typically
-,,::l::Tll^e,
vou
can
big,
bold and
'
1"ff'.Y;;"1'lo"l:i1"."
unrestrained'
across
your
whole
set-up
and rename and
disable
inputs, and then
you
can
along with both Wi-Fi 802.'l 1 b/g/n and choose some
more No5 1 9-specif
ic settings.
gigabit
Ethernet for networking.
For a start there's a choice
of
'Sharp',
As already mentioned the N'5 19
'Slow'
and
'Minimum
Phase'
digital filters
supports
UPnP/DLNA
streaming, and is also for
PCM
content, the option to set normal
compatible
with lnternet radio,
podcasts,
or wide PLL bandwidth
-
wide
being more
Spotify Connect, Deezer, Tidal and
Qobuz
forgiving of the
quality
of
the incoming
(with
the appropriate subscriptions). All the digital signal, but
possibly
having
some
inputs and services
are
accessed by large,
quality
implications
-
and set the DSD
low-
clear'buttons' on the app screen, and
pass
filter (on
the
network
and USB inputs)
while the
playback
controls
on the app are to remove various levels of ultrasonic
noise.
The
change of
pace
at
Mark Levinson's R&D department is rather reminiscent
of that old saying about waiting for a bus
-'you
stand for an age and then
three turn up at once'. But we're
not
complaining
here
at
Hi-Fi News for,
thanks
to
design director
Todd Eichenbaum, ex-VP of
product
development at Krell
lndustries, an entirely re-imagined 50O-series of separates
has been
released in
the last two
years.
This began with the EISA Award-winning N'585 integrated
amp
[HF,V
Apr
'1
5],
followed by the N"536 monoblock
power
amp
[HFIV
Sep
'1
6],
the N'526
preamp/DAC
[HFru
Dec
'16]
and now the N"519
'Digital
Audio
Player'.
While each
product
has
its niche, there's still an
overlap
in some key features
and enabling technologies. The
Mark Levinson DAC
board,
for example,
is a very
refined implementation of the ESS Sabre 32-bit converter which,
along
with
M['s
'Pure
Path'analogue line stage,
is re-worked into the No585, No526
and
N'519. All offer
USB
inputs and a choice of
'Sharp', 'Slow'and 'Minimum
Phase'
digital filters for
playback
of PCM
files
[see
lab Report,
p41].
However,
only
the N'585 includes an amplifier while the No519 has a CD drive
and
streaming
capability. The N'526 comes with
averyve$atile MM/MC stage
-
and
with the
announcement of a
partnering
N"515 turntable, now we know why! PM
JULY2Ol7
i
www.hifinews.co.uk
|
39