Mark Levinson 431 User manual

Nº432 & Nº431
DUAL-MONO POWER AMPLIFIERS

Power amplifiers are core components of any
high performance entertainment system.
Their task is formidable – they must comfort-
ably drive a wide variety of demanding
speakers while preserving all the power and
nuance of the source material. The ability to
maintain sonic neutrality, while exercising
brute force or finesse as appropriate, is an
attribute that has made Mark Levinson
power amplifiers the standard in the industry
for nearly 30 years.
The Nº432 and Nº431 replace the Nº336,
Nº335 and Nº334 dual-mono power ampli-
fiers in the Mark Levinson line. The design of
the Nº432 and Nº 431 is derived from the
Nº436 and Nº434 mono power amplifiers.
This continuing evolution is driven by our
unrelenting desire to produce products that
deliver better performance and greater value
than their predecessors. The Nº432 and
Nº431 have power ratings of 400 and 200
watts per channel at 8Ω, and 800 and
400 watts per channel at 4Ω,
respectively. Like their
300 series predeces-
sors, these new
power ampli-
fiers are convection
cooled and utilize indi-
vidual exposed internal
heatsinks for each channel.
Nº432 & N º431
DUAL-MONO POWER AMPLIFIERS
Nº432
Nº432 Interior

The physical and sonic properties of the
Nº432 and Nº431 are built upon the Mark
Levinson power amplifier tradition. The
power supply is the foundation that all of the
audio circuitry is built upon. Each channel
benefits from a massive, dedicated, independ-
ent linear power supply. Our listening tests
continue to confirm that abundant clean
power is essential for high performance.
Precise control of this power reserve is the
task of the power amplifier’s voltage gain and
output stage circuitry. Mark Levinson power
amplifiers have always featured precision
circuitry designed to fully exploit balanced
signals. Rather than simply duplicate circuit-
ry for both halves of the balanced input signal
as many power amplifiers do, our power
amplifiers have featured an advanced topolo-
gy for greater efficiency, performance and
sonic benefits. The Nº432 and Nº431 contin-
ue this practice. Though similar to the
Voltage Gain circuit in the 300 series power
amplifierss that they replace, this new genera-
tion of power amplifiers features a more
elegant topology closely related to the Nº436
and Nº434 mono power amplifiers.
As with all Mark Levinson power amplifiers,
particular attention is paid to the layout of
circuitry and precise location and routing of
connections. All circuit board layout is
performed by our engineers rather than by a
computer program. These new power ampli-
fiers outperform their predecessors in part
because of the refinement of circuit layout.
Additionally, the ultra-high performance parts
that make up our balanced circuits are able to
work to their full potential because they
reside in the most neutral circuit board mate-
rial we know of: Arlon®. The matched output
transistors continue to be the best performing
parts available for this application and they
are mounted directly to the exposed internal
black anodized aluminum heat sinks.
The Nº432 and Nº431 carry on the Mark
Levinson tradition of combining brute force
with finesse while avoiding the common
mistake of imparting their own fingerprint on
the sound. They are welcome additions to
the impressive Nº436 and Nº434 mono
power amplifiers and worthy successors to
the 300 series. The Nº432 and Nº431 are
capable of providing remarkable performance
to provide years of listening enjoyment.
Nº431

3 Oak Park, Bedford, MA 01730-1413 USA
Tel: [phone] | Fax: [phone]
www.marklevinson.com
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Mark Levinson®is aregistered trademark of
Harman International Industries, Incorporated.
Not responsible for typographic errors.
Part # 072-16156
Nº432&Nº431Dual-MonoPowerAmplifiers
Rated power output: Nº432
400W/ch rms power @ 8Ω
800W/ch rms power @ 4Ω
Nº431
200W/ch rms power @ 8Ω
400W/ch rms power @ 4Ω
all above power ratings from 20Hz–20kHz at <0.5% THD
(assuming that the AC mains can deliver adequate current, without its own voltage sagging)
Frequency response: within 0.3dB from 20Hz to 20kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: better than –65dB (ref. 2.83V)
Voltage gain: 26.8dB
Input impedance: 100kΩ(balanced)
50kΩ(unbalanced)
Input sensitivity 2.83V output: 130 mV
Full output: 2.58V for Nº432, 1.82V for Nº431
Power consumption: Nº432 650W in on, 130 watts in standby, 10W in sleep
Nº431 375W in on, 100 watts in standby, 10W in sleep
Mains voltage: Determined by the needs of the country for which the unit was manufactured;
cannot be reset by dealer or user
Connector complement: (4) custom binding posts
(2) 3-pin XLR balanced input connectors
(2) RCA input connectors
(2) 1/8” mini-jacks for remote turn-on
(1) RS-232 port on RJ-11
(2) Mark Levinson communications ports on RJ-11, RJ-45
(1) IEC-standard AC receptacle
Output impedance: less than 0.02Ωfrom 20-20,000 Hz
Damping Factor: greater than 400, 20-20,000 Hz @ 8Ω
Overall dimensions: Nº432
width: 17.75" (45.1cm)
height: 7.65" (19.4cm)
depth 19.83" (50.4cm)
Nº431
width: 17.75" (45.1cm)
height: 5.91" (15cm)
depth 19.83" (50.4cm)
Shipping weight: Nº432 125lb (57kg)
Nº431 105lb (48kg)
Net weight: Nº432 115lb (52kg)
Nº431 95lb (43kg)