CES 2016, LAS VEGAS  – Today, HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE:HAR), the premier connected technologies company for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, previewed the forthcoming Mark Levinson 526 Dual-Monaural Preamplifier with high-resolution DAC and integrated Phono stage. The complete preamplifier for enthusiasts of all music formats, the 526 combines five line-level analog, phono, and six digital inputs with the acclaimed Mark Levinson DAC and HARMAN Clari-Fi® music restoration technology in an uncompromising package featuring Mark Levinson proprietary system design and a 6000-series aluminum chassis. 

“With the Mark Levinson 526, music lovers can enjoy the best possible sound from all of their music, whether listening to their treasured LP collection, discovering new music using streaming services, or enjoying high-resolution digital music,” said Jim Garrett, Director of Marketing and Product Management, HARMAN. “The 526 delivers the ultrahigh-end sound quality and faithfulness to the music that every Mark Levinson product is renowned for, in a component that is forward-looking and complete."

Designed and engineered at HARMAN’s Engineering Center of Excellence in Shelton, CT, USA, the Mark Levinson 526 delivers musical experiences with extraordinary fidelity, enabling tremendous emotional involvement. Its proprietary Mark Levinson signal path is fully discrete, fully balanced and completely dual-monaural, with a with discrete, balanced R-2R ladder volume control to maintain the highest level of sonic purity, resolution, transparency and dynamic range. 

The 526 offers connectivity to accommodate any analog and digital music source. Its ultra low-noise phono stage accommodates low-output moving-coil as well as moving-magnet cartridges and has selectable gain and resistive and capacitive loading settings as well as a selectable high-pass filter for reducing infrasonic rumble. The 526 also has two balanced analog and three single-ended analog audio inputs. The Mark Levinson 526 offers high-resolution digital decoding up to 24-bit, 192kHz from PCM and double-speed DSD. Its DAC incorporates an ESS Sabre32 Reference converter for superlative musical accuracy with exceptional resolution and dynamic range. Six digital audio inputs including asynchronous USB, AES/EBU balanced, Toslink optical and coaxial unbalanced feed the digital signal path. For listeners whose libraries contain older or lower resolution content, the 519 contains HARMAN Clari-Fi® music restoration technology, which rebuilds musicality and detail lost in the compression process.  

The 526 provides both balanced and single-ended analog outputs, which can be configured with optional low-pass filtering for integration of subwoofers. Adding to its versatility, the 526 features a front-panel headphone output with the ability to directly drive high-performance headphones.  

The 526 is built to the absolute finest standards of materials, fit and finish, featuring a 6000-series aluminum housing in black with silver trim. The 526 can be operated from its front panel, included remote control and via a comprehensive range of system integration connections. Like all Mark Levinson products, the 526 is designed and handcrafted in the USA. 

The Mark Levinson 526 Dual-Monaural Preamplifier with DAC will be available in May 2016.