
2N05206 PREAMPLIFIER /OWNER’S MANUAL
OVERVIEW
Congratulations on your purchase of the Mark Levinson
®
N05206
Preamplifier. You now possess one of the finest audio
reproduction devices in the world, a product that will provide
an exceptional music listening experience for years to come.
The N
0
5206 harnesses decades of superlative audio
engineering and the latest advancements to deliver
unmatched performance and value. With a bold industrial
design, fully discrete PurePath cicuitry, PrecisionLinkII DAC,
MainDrive headphone power, the N
0
5206 delivers luxurious
fidelity with premium features and flexibility and is proudly
designed, engineered, and precision-crafted in the USA.
Industrial Design
Robust materials, lavish finishes and striking geometry are
hallmark attributes of Mark Levinson designs. The one-inch-
thick, bead-blasted, black-anodized, solid aluminum front
panels are machined and contoured to flow seamlessly into
a sleek glass display, which itself is recessed into a clear-
anodized aluminum bezel.
The iconic Mark Levinson hourglass knobs are redefined
– machined with a gently curved profile transitioning into
a rounded front, with feet to match. With debossed top
cover vents, screen-printed logo behind the glass panel,
and aluminum buttons, no detail has been overlooked. An
elegant 5000 series custom aluminum IR remote control
is included.
Digital Audio
The N
0
5206 offers outstanding digital audio capability through
the Mark Levinson PrecisionLink II DAC. An ESS Sabre Pro
series 32-bit D/A converter with jitter elimination circuitry
and a fully balanced, discrete current-to-voltage converter
form the heart of the digital audio processing stage. There
are seven user selectable PCM filters and 4 low-pass filters
for DSD playback.
The N
0
5206 includes MQA (Master Quality Authenticated)
technology, which enables playback of MQA audio files and
streams from any digital input. In addition, a Bluetooth
receiver equipped with aptX-HD provides for the highest
quality Bluetooth playback available.
MainDrive Class A Headphone Power
Like the acclaimed 500 series components, the N
0
5206
features a MainDrive headphone output which employs a
preamp output stage specifically designed with the current
and power capacity to drive headphones directly in pure
class A, without a separate headphone amp.
Control
System integration and communication ports include
Ethernet, RS-232, IR input, and 12V trigger input and output.
An internal webpage allows setup, import and export
of configurations, and software updates using a PC and
standard web browser. In addition, drivers are available for
major control systems.
Analog Input Stage
The foundation of the N
0
5206’s analog capability is its
proprietary PurePath circuitry – a fully discrete, direct-
coupled, dual-monaural line-level preamp circuit, for
which the Shelton engineering team has been awarded
two patents. A unique single gain stage mated to a digitally
controlled resistor network for volume adjustment maintains
maximum signal integrity and widest possible bandwidth.
Each of its four stereo line level inputs – two balanced XLR
and two single-ended, using custom Mark Levinson RCA
connectors – has its own individual high-reliability signal
switching relays.
A newly designed phono stage features a hybrid gain topology,
mating key discrete components from the acclaimed 500
series Pure Phono stage with low-noise integrated circuits
for high performance and space efficiency. Also, like the
500 series, a hybrid active/passive RIAA equalizer employs
precision resistors and polypropylene capacitors for
exceptional accuracy and sonic clarity. The user can select
MM/MC gain and infrasonic filter from the setup menu, while
capacitive and resistive loading settings are easily accessed
from the rear panel.
OVERVIEW