Mark Levinson

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Mark Levinson, now owned by Madrigal Audio Laboratories (part of the Harman International Industries group) is a company specializing in high-end digital audio processors, integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers, pre amplifiers, and CD players. Mark Levinson is a high end audio company serving audiophiles.

[edit] History

It was founded in 1972 as Mark Levinson Audio Systems (MLAS), by Mark Levinson, and has since its birth focused on solid-state equipment. In the 1980s, Levinson himself was forced out of the company by his business partner, Sandy Berlin, of Madrigal, who owned a controlling interest in the company. A lawsuit ensued in which the new owners of MLAS attempted to prevent Levinson from continuing to work in the audio industry using his own name. Although he lost the company he had built via his own creative vision, Levinson won the right to continue calling himself by his own name and went on to found or co-found other companies (Cello and then Red Rose Music).

Between 2000 and 2002, the company Mark Levinson founded was bought by Harman International Group. The core of the business still remains the same, up-market, high-end audio equipment using state of the art technology.

Although Mark Levinson products were primarily targeting the stereo or home theater market, nowadays Mark Levinson branded products can also be found in cars. These are developed and produced by Harman Automotive, the car audio department of Harman International, and while typically not sharing any components with Mark Levinson home products, are designed in collaboration with Mark Levinson sound engineers [1][2]. All Lexus models feature Mark Levinson sound systems as an option.

Mark Levinson was also the former husband of Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall.