Mark Levinson No.25
The No.25 is a solid-state phono preamplifier. It's a dual-mono, full class A design with an outboard power supply that keeps separate supplies for each channel. Mark Levinson's own advertising in Audio (May 1989, p.5) positioned the No.25 as an expansion of the No.26 Dual Monaural Preamplifier system. The ad noted it could be used together with the No.26 or independently, and that a balanced input option was available. These ads are the clearest period documentation of where the No.25 sat in the lineup - the phono companion to the No.26 line-stage preamp.
The unit has two phono inputs (one RCA, one XLR) and can be set up for either MM or MC. The MC stage gain is rated at roughly 83 dB. Input impedance is adjustable from 10 ohms to 1 kOhm, which is wide enough to match most cartridges of the period. A tape input/output pair (RCA and XLR) is also there, and an optional R/C-5 remote control was available. The front panel has no input selector. Switching is handled elsewhere in the system.
Surviving documentation is thin. The production dates of 1992-1998 come from a single source, and no original price has surfaced. Known specifications:
- THD: 0.05%
- Gain: 83.5 dB (MC to balanced output); 67.8 dB (MM)
- S/N ratio: 103 dB without RIAA equalization; 83.5 dB with RIAA (Hi-Fi Engine); alternatively 76 dB at 10 µV input or 105 dB at 1 mV input (hifi-wikia.com)
- Inputs: 1× RCA phono, 1× XLR phono, 1× RCA tape, 1× XLR tape
- Outputs: 1× RCA pre out, 1× XLR pre out, 1× RCA tape out, 1× XLR tape out
- Dimensions: approximately 483 × 99 × 359 mm (Hi-Fi Engine); alternatively 482 × 99 × 356 mm (hifi-wikia.com)
- Weight: approximately 9 kg (Hi-Fi Engine); alternatively 9.1 kg / 20 lbs (hifi-wikia.com)
Anyone researching a No.25 today should expect to work from the unit itself, since the paper trail is thin.
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