NEWS: Mr. Mark Levinson Debuts High-Performance Daniel Hertz Products
November 5th, 2009 -- by Chris Martens
Source: AVGuide
Source: AVGuide
As many AVguide readers may know Mr. Mark Levinson was the founder of not one but three high-end audio companies: Mark Levinson Audio Systems, Cello, Ltd. and Red Rose Music. Now, however, Mr. Levinson has moved on to launch a new firm, called Daniel Hertz, which may be the most ambitious effort in Levinson’s storied career. Daniel Hertz will focus on building ultra-high performance speakers, amplifiers and source components. Levinson says of Daniel Hertz components that they “will likely be my final statement in audio."
Below, we present the text of the press release announcing the debut of this promising new brand.
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.jpg "Daniel Hertz Model 1 Loudspeaker")
Neuchatel, Switzerland, 28 October 2009—Audio legend Mr. Mark Levinson has returned to his roots in high-performance audio with his new Daniel Hertz products. The company's beautiful M1 loudspeakers ($75,000/pair) and Swiss-built M5 Telikos power amplifiers ($6,000 each) enjoyed a pre-launch preview party at Real Mastering, Inc. during October's Audio Engineering Society convention at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Other Daniel Hertz loudspeakers will soon arrive—models M2, M7, and M3 subwoofer—all of them, like the M1, made at the Petrof piano factory near Prague.
With a sensitivity rating of 100dB/1W/1M/8 Ohms, the large high-efficiency M1 loudspeakers are the first to combine the dynamic linearity and punch of professional loudspeakers with the sonic transparency of the best audiophile products. Conservatively rated at 200Watts/channel, M5 Telikos power amplifiers are "especially refined in the milliwatt region," according to Levinson.
Also due soon are Daniel Hertz Swiss-made M6 1 MegOhms Preamplifier, so called because its ultra-high input impedance places essentially no load on source components, and the Swiss-made M9 SSD PC Media Center. The M6 includes a high performance USB input stage for direct connection to the M9 and other computers. Projected retail prices are: M2 loudspeakers, $25,000/pair; M3 subwoofer, $18,000; M7 loudspeakers, $17,000/pair; M6 1 MegOhms preamp with inboard DAC, $8,000. Price for the PC Media Center will vary with storage capacity options. Daniel Hertz will offer DH Silver One interconnect cables at $120/ft. (terminated) and DH Premium 500 speaker cables at $100/meter (unterminated).
.jpg "Daniel Hertz M2 Loudspeaker System")
The AES preview party took place with several engineers, photographers and journalists in the main room at Real Mastering in Mamaroneck, NY, less than an hour north of downtown Manhattan. Those in attendance were treated to an assortment of recordings mastered by Rob Fraboni using his proprietary new signal processing technology, RealFeel™, in preparation for private sessions with EMI and Capitol Studios executives the following night. Those present heard an unprecedented level of realism from Fraboni's recordings, including up-close-and-personal blues performances by Keith Richards from the Grammy award-winning album "Timeless," and the John Handy Award-winning Hubert Sumlin recording, "About Them Shoes." Capitol engineers were dazzled by what they heard and by what they saw. The M1's are both sonically impressive and visually stunning. "All agreed that they had never heard music reproduced at this level of quality before," Fraboni reported.
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Is this an ad? Ridiculous.
Dear ThinMan,
Reactions such as yours have occurred frequently during the launches of my companies during the last 35 years. Later, when people see and hear the products in life, there has generally been enthusiasm and acceptance from all sides. I suggest you find out for yourself what Daniel Hertz has to offer before jumping to conclusions. Multiple Grammy award-winning record producers must have some good reasons for using Daniel Hertz equipment as their new reference playback system.
Historically, Mr. Levinson has been an enthusiastic promoter of his often too expensive for how they performed products. The early equalizer comes to mind where Mark challenged listeners at audio clubs to hear if his equalizer was in circuit or in bypass. To make a long story short, EVERYONE heard the eq set to flat in-circuit. To put it midly, there was a lot of snickering going on.
Levinsons products do score simetimes, but the last time I remember was in the early seventies when ML had no competition of substance other than Audio Research. Since those heady days many other makes have arisen not only to challenge Levinson products, made by Cello, Madrigal or other, but many had succeeded in surpassing them at far lower prices. Most of these, other than theJC-1 and 2 designed by John Curl, had been forgotten if not forgiven.
While enjoyable at all levels, people must realize that high end audio has become a game of propaganda, marketing, and imagery, not necessarily an industry based in substance. What we see is audio sculpture aimed at the aesthete that, as it has been the eperience in the past, become passe with trends, fashion, and the raised consciousness of the buyer.
In other words, faster than you can count to three, most of these products had become boat anchors...as will likely these.
I am sorry for the posssibly talented engineer who decided in a bad moment to ally with this kind of past.
Hi ML,
are there any reviews in the works and from which magazine(s)..best
Mark's fourth company and looks like a solid effort - as were his other co. The comment about high-end (today) was a good one...but remember, there are always folks willing to burn big $$ on "propaganda". They must know by now that there's lots of competition. They are either ill-informed (about the market) or don't care about value.