Mark Levinson 585
 

I have always been a fan of a simple easy to use setup, mostly because it keeps my wife happy that she can operate it without issue, and I can continue on with upgrades. My combination of Krell S300 integrated amp and PS Audio NuWave DAC was nice, but since there was no remote for the DAC it meant either walking up to the equipment rack to change inputs on it depending on which digital source we wanted to use, or potentially changing inputs on the Krell if we wanted to switch from a digital source to an analog one. My wife eventually got the hang of it, but there were still times where I got a text message asking why she wasn't getting sound.

A week ago I was talking with the guys at my local dealer that I have been doing business with for probably 15-20 years now (not sure I can mention their name, but they are the only Mark Levinson dealer in Iowa, so pretty easy to find) and they put together a deal I couldn't pass up. I traded in my Krell, PS NuWave DAC, and even the PS DLIII DAC I had laying around on a Mark Levinson 585. My wife liked the deal mostly because I took 3 things in to the stereo store and only returned with one :D

I have had the 585 up and running for about 15 hours only at this point, mostly just streaming from Spotify via Sonos to get some hours on it while I work from home so I don't have a lot of critical opinions of it yet, but even the difference between 0 hours and 15 is pretty impressive. The improvement over my Krell/NuWave combo is already huge, and more improvements beyond what it is now will just be gravy. It seems like this integrated amp was made specifically for my Revel Studio 2's, they work so well together.

It came double boxed, as expected, but there were a few extra nice touches that I didn't expect. The accessory box was fairly large with nice molded foam pockets for each thing, including a phillips screwdriver that was only needed to take one screw out of the remote to install the batteries.
http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...pshe07qxbm.jpg

Plenty of inputs, including USB that handles DSD content
http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psdnorlpvw.jpg

Up and running after renaming the inputs to appropriate titles. It took me all of 15 minutes after plugging it in to get it all set up, including turning off the unused inputs so they don't show up as you cycle inputs.
http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psrn7j9ae7.jpg

Overall at the 15 hour mark I am very impressed with the unit. Even though I haven't done much "active" listening, I have noticed more detail than what was present in my Krell/PS Audio combination. Several times I have been just sitting in my chair, browsing something on my computer and heard something that made me look up from the screen and rewind the song. The only odd thing about this (and all other ML products I think) is in standby mode the typical red LED blinks slowly, instead of staying on. No clue why they set it up that way, but if that is my only "complaint" I think this integrated will have a place in my system for many years to come.

That's a great looking integrated amp! Congratulations!

I spent some time with the 585 through Revel Studio2's last week at a dealer here. Both great pieces, great sounding together.

You should have many years of enjoyable listening, congrats!

FYI, the guys at the store recommended Bluesound and Tidal for higher quality streaming or the Meridian 218 (Sooloos) if you want best quality MQA.

Yeah, I think something like a Bluesound unit and Tidal might be the next addition some time in the future, or some other device that does higher quality streaming.

stollen.......Congratulations on the Mark Levinson 585. It is one of the few integrated amplifiers that appeals to me. I will be watching for your additional comments.

It's great to see Levinson components once more becoming as highly regarded as they were back in the mid 1990s. It's a great looking integrated and I imagine that it was probably voiced using Revel speakers since they're both under the Harmon umbrella. Looks great!

- Buck

Congrats on a great product and enjoy! As a fellow Levinson owner it's great to see others getting interested in the line again!

Well I have somewhere around 50 hours or so on the 585 now and it has gotten a little better, but the major improvements seem to have come in the first 20 hours. At this point it is safe to say this was a HUGE upgrade over the Krell/PS Audio combination. I am completely happy with the sound this simple system is producing. I have borrowed other integrated amps and preamps that have a DAC built in from my local store and always felt their performance was compromised, not so with how they have implemented the DAC in this unit.

I'm not very good at describing things, but compared to my previous setup there is way more detail, soundstage layering and placement is way better, and there is absolutely no digital "harshness" that I have heard in many other preamps/integrated amps that have a DAC built in to them. The largest improvements in the unit over the past 50 hours have been in the bass. At first the unit sounded a bit "thin" but now the texture in kick drums has really come out and there is a weight and control to the bass that I didn't have before. Everything just sounds so clean. I guess if I had to sum it up everything sound remarkably smooth and effortless.

While large stacks of equipment are impressive looking and certainly fun to own, I love the simplicity allowed by a nice all in one component. Am I worried about the built in DAC being outdated? Nope, if that ever does happen I can just get a stand alone DAC. I will enjoy this setup for a long time I think, really my only plan would be to add a Bluesound unit and a Tidal subscription to provide a higher quality streaming experience.

There are different filter settings for the digital inputs (Fast, Slow, Minimum Phase), and have currently set it to Slow, but may play around with this a bit more. There is also a Clari-Fi feature which is designed to reconstruct lost information when playing compressed audio files which has an adjustment range of 1-10, I have left that setting off. It also has home theater passthrough options and a high pass filter that sets an 80hz 12db/oct slope on the speaker outputs which I have yet to play with.

Features wise, this integrated pretty much has all I want and more. It is missing headphone output and there are no phono inputs, so those may be deal breakers for some. For me in my system it is perfect and I am totally happy with it. It is not the cheapest integrated amp out there, but for all the features it packs and its performance I would consider it a relative bargain.

Congrats. A great piece. Now you have to update you signature. ;)

Gary.......Thanks for the performance update. Looks like the Mark Levinson 585 does everything you need it to do and does it well. I am happy for you.

Don't forget to update your signature.

Nice upgrade Gary! I love my Mark Levinson gear, I'm not surprised you are pleased with yours.

Mark Levinson 585
 

Stollen, I'm trading in my Accuphase E-560 on a Mark Levinson 585. It will arrive home tomorrow. It was a very difficult decision, because the E-560 is a terrific integrated amplifier. I have decided to go on this deal because I have moved to a bigger listening room and I wanted more power to drive my Sashas 1. Besides it was a good deal financially. I'm big fan of simple and easy to use setup too and your review was very inspiring. I wish I have improvements in sound quality as you did. Unfortunately, it will be a tough mission to 585. Did you have experience with Accuphase? Best regards, Renato.

Renato, I unfortunately do not have any direct experience with Accuphase. I have seen one or two pieces in person, but have never had the pleasure of hearing any in action. I have always heard great things about the gear, it may be a little more accurate than what the Levinson gear is, but what I have found is that sometimes more accurate translates into less fun to listen to. I have wide ranging musical tastes, and for me if it's no longer fun to listen to "lower quality" recordings such as rock music it just isn't worth the compromise for gear that will sound better when playing classical music.

Sometimes finding that sweet spot that makes you smile no matter what you are playing is what brings the most enjoyment. Being able to turn the lights off and listen to a great classical recording with a nice glass of wine or turning it up and rocking out with some AC/DC or Tool with a beer in your hand depending on your mood is what keeps me interested in this hobby of ours. Give it a few hours once you get it and I would be very interested to hear your impressions compared to the Accuphase. Cheers!

Gary

Thank you, Gary. I will post my impressions compared to Accuphase soon. In a few hours, my 585 will be at home and I will start the break in process as soon as possible. I'm very excited with this new gear. I will post some pics too...

Best regards,

Renato

What sources are people using to feed the on-board DAC?

Renato how is it going with your new 585 ? and impressions vs. Accuphase ?

It is really impressive the 585 performance. There are improvements in overall sound quality I thought it were impossible. It is hard to describe, but musics are much more pleasant to hear now...specially using the clarify mode...it really works fine...I am very happy with 585...

Compared to the accuphase ... can you comment on soundstage size and depth? Clarity and detail? Thanks!

George

renabot77 - Congrats on your new 585. Am guessing it looks as good as it sounds, but you will have to become an AK "subscriber" ($25/yr) in order to post pic's.

Although I really like my former E-560 (it served me well for several years), the 585 gave new life to my Sashas. Listening with a similar volume the same musics I used to listen to Accuphase I have a more realistic experience in all aspects. The only "issue" is the time you have to wait to see all that (it has to warm up over a hour to show what I said. The Accuphase was faster in this point). The bottom line is I don't regret the change, even paying a very high price...

That's a pity...I would love posting some pics right now...

Have you changed the standby options at all? There are 3 levels of standby mode, each one powers down different parts in standby mode. I leave mine in the mode that shuts down most of the amp and draws less power in standby mode. In the mornings I turn it on and stream background music while I work so it is always fully warmed up once I want to do any real listening.

Glad you are liking the 585, it really is an amazing integrated amp. I keep intending to play with the crossover to see if that makes a difference, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I haven't tried to change the standby mode. Thanks to remind me this possibility. I think it will help to warm it up more quickly.
I will also try to change some configurations to see what happens with the sound quality. Until now, what surprised me most was the clarify mode. I wasn't expect significant changes...I was so wrong about it...

Best regards,

Renato

Considering what you paid for your 585, $25 to be able to post pic's and the other benefits of being a subscriber (access to the classifieds, etc.) seems a very small penalty.
Best of luck with your 585.

Still love the 585!

Anybody sell their 585 and regret it?


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Projectman, all the stuff you have hooked up to your 585 is making me drool! How do you have your Lumin / Directstream DAC set up? Is the Lumin connected to the Directstream, then to the ML via XLR? Or are you still using the ML DAC?

Right now, I have a Bluesound Node 2i connected to the ML via coaxial. Have you tried connecting the Lumin digitally to the ML, comparing it to the Directstream connected to the ML? I've been contemplating getting the Directstream, but I'm still on the fence. I just threw quite a bit of $ into the ML 585, cables, power conditioner, and a Stressless Sunrise recliner, and I don't think the wife is looking at any additional purchases too favorably.....:yikes:

Here's a good review on the new 585.5.. Giant Killers ?

https://www.hometheaterhifi.com/revi...lifier-review/

I too own the 585 and am very satisfied with it. A significant improvement was the addition of a Nordost Frey-ll power cord. In the past I have hesitated to spend a large sum of money on a power cord but the improvement was so drastic I populated the entire system with them. :music: