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Mark Levinson mixer/preamplifier

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Alain

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Alain

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Is anyone familiar with this Mark Levinson preamplifier/mixer? Any history behind it? Was John Curl or Dick Burwen design it? How many were made? Any info will be greatly appreciated
 

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DonH56

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Is that an LNP-1? A little too blurry for me to tell... Levinson started in recording studios and supposedly made the mixer used at Woodstock IIRC. Not sure how much to believe, but the mixer I remember pre-dated my serious involvement in high-end stores, maybe ca. 1970~1974 timeframe. I think I started working on higher-end stereo stuff at a shop around 1974~1976 and that is where I ran into Levinson components, including some of his professional gear.

I do not know who did the design, if it was Levinson himself or not. May have been JC, though I thought they hooked up a little later to make consumer products. This was a little before my time as far as any in-depth experience goes; I was still in HS and did not meet ML until a few years later. There used to be a timeline on the Levinson site, and there are various historical sites around the web.
 

Kal Rubinson

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I cannot relate this to any commercial ML product but might if I could see inside. I have a couple of those PS blocks in my closets.
 
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Alain

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I cannot relate this to any commercial ML product but might if I could see inside. I have a couple of those PS blocks in my closets.
Inside the unit there are 2 Burwen amplifiers and 2 Burwen VU detectors.
 

Blumlein 88

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Yeah Dick Burwen and ML made a few of these from 1969. I don't know that it was called an LNP-1. His first commercial product was the LNP-2 also by Dick Burwen in 1972 or 1973. John Curl later designed some things for him like the JC-1. Then the first ML series like ML-2, ML-3 and ML-9 were designed by Tom Colangelo.

https://www.stereophile.com/news/091707colangelo

This might have info on the Burwen components inside that device in the picture.

http://www.burwenaudio.com/BURWEN_LABORATORIES_MP202_UM201_VU306.pdf
 
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Alain

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Yeah Dick Burwen and ML made a few of these from 1969. I don't know that it was called an LNP-1. His first commercial product was the LNP-2 also by Dick Burwen in 1972 or 1973. John Curl later designed some things for him like the JC-1. Then the first ML series like ML-2, ML-3 and ML-9 were designed by Tom Colangelo.

https://www.stereophile.com/news/091707colangelo

This might have info on the Burwen components inside that device in the picture.

http://www.burwenaudio.com/BURWEN_LABORATORIES_MP202_UM201_VU306.pdf
 
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Alain

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Mark Levinson and Dick Burwen build 4 mixers one of them for the Joan Baez movie and another one for Woodstock Festival in the early 70's. Is it possible that this unit is one of the 4 made?
 
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Alain

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Anyone have a picture of the LNP-1 preamplifiers?
 

Kal Rubinson

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DonH56

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It looks like it has a OSC knob at the upper left? This may be one of his Studer tape deck electronics replacements...

IIRC, the LNP-1 was not a consumer unit; the LNP-2 was the first of those. But history was never my strong subject.
 
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Alain

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Is this where you got the Joan Baez info:

https://hometheaterhifi.com/feature...s/mark-levinson-for-the-love-of-music-part-1/

If so they did call it the LNP-1.

I assume you've seen this from the ML history page. The description fits the picture.
View attachment 59539
It is not clear to me from the ML history page that this was the LNP-1 preamp - I hope it is. I was wondering as well, if the Woodstock ML mixer is the same one as the one I've got from Ray. I cannot find any pictures of any ML mixers on the WEB.
 
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Alain

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It looks like it has a OSC knob at the upper left? This may be one of his Studer tape deck electronics replacements...

IIRC, the LNP-1 was not a consumer unit; the LNP-2 was the first of those. But history was never my strong subject.
I don't believe this unit was consumer one - no model number on it - and it's not one of the ML electronics for Studer either. This unit was custom job for stereo, and 4 channel mixing as well. It comes with 4 panning pots and 4 volume pots as well. Any clues?
 

waltzingbear

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sounds more like the units mentioned to front end the Nagra's for the Joan Baez doc film.
The LNP1 sounds like the LNP2 in layout and design, not anything like the mixer.
Guess you'll just have to ask the man himself.

Cheers
Alan
 

waltzingbear

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or maybe, this is the unit Mark stole the modules from to make the LNP-1,
it then set around the backroom for years until donated to UofC while cleaning out the rats nest.
 
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