Mark Levinson № 5105 Turntable
How old were you the first time you saw a turntable? The first time you observed its shape and sleek contours, the fragile nature of the tonearm, a hovering artifact slowly resting on the vinyl grooves. For me, it was a long time ago, and, in the decades in between, my attention turned away from turntables. Perhaps the zeitgeist, CDs, YouTube and streaming are at fault. For whatever reason, I’ve been disconnected from the beautiful machines that amazed me as a child.
The first time I listened to one was when I was four years old. An old big Yamaha (I think it was a Yamaha) Stereo cabinet. An all-in-one toy for adults in the early eighties that came with dual cassette players, radio, little black wheels for feet and a turntable on top.
I had little experience with this first turntable, for all my interest with this ‘spinning plate machine’ (what I called it as a kid), life happened, and my father was no longer there after my fifth birthday. A strong reminder of the ephemeral nature of things. After his departure, I tried to turn on the ‘machine’ but no sound came from the speakers. I saw the cube shaped cart and arm were damaged. My mother had absolutely no desire in getting it fixed, months passed, then the motor of the turntable stopped, the ‘machine’ didn’t spin anymore. Radio and one cassette were the only things I was able to listen to. The wood coloured block just gathered dust and old vinyl Mexican pop albums my parents used to play magically disappeared. However, there’s a happy ending of sorts. In the next couple of years, my grandfather, who lived in the States (I lived in Mexico), a navy veteran, was an electronics salesman, and was a jazz and Sinatra fanatic. At his home, I’d spend hours looking at all his turntables, watching his every move, the delicate ritual of holding the LP, always reminding me ‘Never touch the vinyl with your fingers, kid’ and ‘Speakers are essential for the sound, kid’—smart man. My love for music and the ‘machine’ was fostered in these encounters.
The Turntable Dilemma
A few months ago, while listening to my ProJect DC Esprit and staring at my previous entry-level turntable, the AT-LP60-BT, I realized my setup needed a change. These two turntables had run their course. I wanted an upgrade, thus, my desire and search for a higher-end turntable began.
The market for turntables is not just about quality and budget. As I am now learning, thinking about your current and future setup is important, what phono stage are you using, what are you connecting it to, do you plan to upgrade your speakers soon? While immersed in this ocean of information on turntables, I received a message from Audiophilia’s Assistant Editor, Karl Sigman, who’s knowledge of audio is scary good. He asked me if I was interested in the Mark Levinson brand and if I had seen the turntables they were making. Honestly, I only heard of their amps and owning something from the Levinson Series wasn’t on my radar. I figured the cost was not in my budget now or in the near future. Started in 1972, the Mark Levinson brand was fundamental at the dawn of high end audio. Known for their quality, performance, sound and beauty, I was, of course, intrigued. So, I told Karl that I’d be interested in purchasing one once I did my own research. My thought was this was a great opportunity. A turntable by Mark Levinson would be something to treasure for many years.
The Mark Levinson brand (now owned by the American company Harman International) debuted its first turntable in 2017, working with well known VPI Industries. And what a beauty it was, the №515 had all the looks you’d want in a turntable, aesthetically pleasing, solidly built and it received rave reviews. For many, however, its price tag was prohibitive—ten thousand dollars without a cartridge (you could order it with the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cart installed for an additional two thousand dollars). The 515 wasn’t in my budget, but I remembered that Karl mentioned another Mark Levinson turntable, the №5105 ($6000/incl. arm).
The №5105 was released in 2019. A beautiful turntable, which in my opinion resembles the Mark Levinson 5000 series of amplifiers even more than the №515. Something just felt right about the №5105, the design was much more appealing than the 515, the reviews helped of course, but I think the 5105 was, even from afar, what I was looking for—there was immediate chemistry or perhaps just desire, so, I decided to purchase. Thanks to Karl and the very nice people from Mark Levinson, I soon had my first top of the line turntable [FYI, full disclosure, the author received the turntable at an accommodation price; a perk of the industry. This in no way influenced the review—Ed]
The №5105 build quality
The 5105 is a massive machine. When I went to pick it up, (to my amazement, it was shipped on its own pallet) it weighed seventy-five pounds. Astonished by its size, I asked the person on the forklift if he would help me get it inside my car. On my way back across the border (I still live in Mexico and cross to the States regularly), I thought how my beloved vinyl collection would sound with the stability the 5105 offered, a distinctive and essential characteristic for great sounding vinyl. Once home, even the unboxing was special. There was a layer of plastic for each component from top to bottom. No component touched each other, the plastic perfectly fitted each mechanical and individual part of the turntable. Levinson got the packaging right. It was as if my analog machine was being unpacked in levels of complexity.
The ten inch carbon fibre tonearm, a beautiful thirteen pound flawless platter, a locked and loaded spindle and the aluminum chassis with its drive system over three aluminum adjustable feet, a fully loaded tank, really. Levinson comments that ‘the aluminum platter is suspended on a grounded hardened steel axle rotating on precision ball bearings which are attached with a pre-load force for ultra-precise movement and damping’.
The front panel, a black tinted glass with top and bottom aluminum gray lines, with the 33-45 speeds and Stop and Standby buttons, shining bright red when selected, was mesmerizing. All these sleek and bright colors to contrast the chassis with its black brushed metallic style color, gives it a no nonsense look and feel.
When I showed my wife, her immediate reaction was parallel to something I read on the Mark Levinson website; she said ‘It’s so beautiful’ and ‘That is a turntable that makes a statement’. As always, she was right.
Comparing the design of the Mark Levinson №515 and the №5105 I have to say I prefer by far the latter. The 5105 makes a statement not just on looks, (the 515 could be said to be flashier, with its soft lines and lighter chassis), the engineering is remarkable, the aluminum frame emanates stability, the 5105’s end game, yet the most pleasing aspect for me is the confidence it gives when you drop the needle—you know the precision and dynamics of sound will be there. The craftsmanship and design of this turntable calms the nervous audiophile.
There’s the option of receiving the №5105 ($6000/incl. arm) with a factory installed cartridge (for an additional $999) the Ortofon MC Quintet Black, but I was happy with the carts I owned. One of the prime selling points in the looks department of the 5105 is the tonearm, an ultralight high-gloss black carbon fibre beauty with a comfortable finger lift I thoroughly appreciated on an aluminum headshell (it resembles a vintage Pioneer headshell I love). The gimbal tonearm sits on ‘…a custom gimbal that ensures low-friction movement both horizontally and vertically, which is critical to creating a wide and deep three-dimensional sound stage’.
When setting up the №5105, it is here where you might spend a little time to adjust height of the tonearm, but other than the normal setting up, the ‘table is ready. Leveling the plinth turned out to be an undemanding task because of the built in spirit-level; just turn the adjustable feet and you’re set. Of the motor Levinson states ‘The all-digital output stage of the motor control signal generates nearly no heat; therefore, no temperature drift. This ensures speed stability and low wow and flutter’. And, indeed, this is the case—as soon as you press the front panel rpm, the platter makes its way to the required velocity in seconds, no sound at all from the motor. Lastly, the 5105 comes with an aluminum weight with a brass insert that goes with the Mark Levinson brand, a light gray finish, same as the gimbal, headshell and platter, which shine in contrast with the plinth and chassis colour.
Specs
Dimensions: 17.2" x 15.6" x 6.1" / 438 mm x 395 mm x 154 mm
Weight: 75 lbs / 34 kg
Drive system: Integrated DC-motor
Speed range: 33 1/3 RPM and 45 RPM
Power supply: Internal AC to DC power adaptor; input 100V to 260V AC 50-60Hz
Bearing: High precision bearing
Chassis: 17.2" x 15" x 2"; 438 mm x 380 mm x 50 mm; aluminum; height adjustable aluminum feet
Platter: 11.75" diameter x 1.33" / 299 mm diameter x 34 mm; aluminum; weight: 13 lbs / 6 kg
Tonearm: Effective length 10"; mounting distance 9.36" / 237.8 mm; overhang 0.64" / 16.2 mm; height adjustable
Listening experience
The №5105 ran through Elac speakers (Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52), and two PS Audio amplifiers, my faithful Sprout100 and the new all-in-one marvel, the Stellar Strata. Also, an iFi iPhono3 Black Label phono-stage that has different equalization curves you can play with (I also compared the iFi with the Sprout100 phono stage, but found the former much quieter and versatile). I used four different carts, the Ortofon 2M Mono, the 2M Red, 2M Blue, and the Phasemation PP-300.
It was fun to try out such different sounding carts. For the 2M-Mono, I chose Robert Johnson’s sublime complete recordings. Songs ‘I believe I’ll dust my broom’ and ‘Come on in my kitchen’ are Delta blues standards and the complexity in his rhythm, the howling guitar and soulful singing were all clearly expressed with the help of the 5105.
For the stereo 2M Red, which I find handles better the punchier bass grooves, I chose ‘Sonny's Crib’, the star-studded album featuring, Sonny Clark, John Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Curtis Fuller, with Paul Chambers and Art Taylor. Taylor’s rhythm section was in full form, very much like how the 5105 handled this vinyl, precise and flowing. The sax, trombone and trumpet solos played with ease and dynamics. Every time I glanced at the tonearm during the flying notes from Byrd and Coltrane, it handled the grooves with ease, no movement whatsoever.
A parallel experience came right after with the 2M Blue. This needle belts out clean-cut sound, no nonsense openness in dynamics. This time I wanted different instruments that could test the soundstage. Beirut’s The Flying Club Cup made an appearance with its folk-like rhythms and tempo. The carnivalesque atmosphere was engaging and the euphonium, big brass section and accordions filled my room with sounds that helped me recollect the glowing lights of fairs I used to visit as a child. That feeling of innocence and unrelenting fun of childhood is rare, but the 5105 was salient in inspiring it. Why? I think it’s because when I let the needle go, I didn’t worry at all, I could focus on the sound and imaging—letting go was easy. Next was Mingus at Carnegie Hall new Deluxe Ed, which was so good I had to listen to all three LPs in one sitting. The talent Mingus brought with him for this concert was unfair. The 5105 delivered the goods with the Ortofon Blue.
Saving the best for last, the Phasemation cart appeared with heavy expectation. As such, this was the most high-end cart I ever listened to. I wanted to challenge this stylus and see how it handled. This time it had to be music on the heavier side—what was needed was the full orchestra experience. I decided on Bruckner’s Seventh, under the baton of Bernard Haitink with the Berliner Philharmoniker. A special album for me, a direct-to-disc recording from his final concert in May 2019 limited to just under 1900 copies, signed by the orchestra and with a lovely box design and book by the Berliner—in a word, special. The instrumental separation, the dynamic range of large orchestral works just glows with the Phasemation, together with the 5105, the quiet that comes from no external vibrations deliver wonderful imaging, clarity and detail, moments of almost chamber-like sound quietness rang out of from this massive symphony. The 5105, the iFi Phono, the Stellar Strata and the Phasemation sounded glorious, perhaps the most enjoyable listening experience I’ve ever had in my home.
Conclusions
Looking for a good turntable is a difficult task, but looking for the turntable you want can heighten your anxiety in a good way. After you’ve chosen the turntable that’s right for you, the issues are many, money perhaps being the essential hurdle, but not the only one. So, after ruminating thoughts and bargaining with your bank account (and possibly your significant other), your next step is to look for what’s right for you, not just functionality, but the design, the falling in love part with an object every time your gaze falls upon it.
If someone would’ve asked me three years ago what I thought about turntables in the thousands of dollars range, I would’ve said ‘impossible’. However, I believe you can have a great sounding setup for a fair amount of your hard earned money, yet, the investment in your audio also has to fit with your long-term goals. The Mark Levinson №5105 at $6000/incl. arm is not in the ten-thousand dollar range like its older brother the №515, but it’s still up there. My thought process was this would be my turntable because it fits my future setup plans and the design, craftsmanship and overall engineering of this magnificent machine is well worth the investment.
After a few months the №5105 is phenomenal. It has exceeded my expectations; the stability of this tank gives confidence in your system, the soundless motor, the design, the tonearm’s correct position, are all part of that rare certainty that audiophiles look for. Mark Levinson mentions this turntable is ‘Designed to be the centerpiece of your home audio system’. It’s hard to argue with this statement. The №5105 will be my audio gem for years to come, finally playing my records on the ‘spinning machine’ I wanted from childhood and now a reality and my zeitgeist. Highly recommended.
Further information: Mark Levinson
