Mark Levinson (audio equipment designer)
| Mark Levinson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | December 11, 1946 (age 70) |
| Occupation |
Founder of
|
| Years active | 1972 - present |
Founder of
Mark Levinson (born December 11, 1946) is an American audio equipment designer, recording and mastering engineer, multi-instrumentalist musician, and serial entrepreneur responsible for developing some of the most respected products and brand names in the high-performance audio industry.
Levinson founded Mark Levinson Audio Systems (MLAS, Ltd.) in New Haven, Connecticut in 1972. The new company was one of the first in the United States devoted to realistic audio reproduction, a niche later referred to as "high-end audio.” Levinson ran MLAS from 1972 to 1980, a period in which he created seminal products such as the LNP-2 preamplifier that introduced new concepts to the audio world based on superior quality and performance. The LNP-2 achieved a signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 120 dB, a figure close to the theoretical maximum, and one that in the ensuing four decades has rarely been equaled.
However, by 1980 MLAS was in serious financial trouble. Levinson then asked Sanford Berlin, a retired executive in the audio industry, to invest in MLAS and to aid in the management of the company, which Berlin did, personally investing $480,000 in the company and persuading several others to invest an additional $300,000. At Berlin's request, Levinson entered into an employment agreement with MLAS in December 1980, under which Levinson agreed to work exclusively for MLAS as an advisor to management and as a developer of audio equipment for an annual salary of $15,000. He also agreed that, should he leave MLAS, he would not engage in the audio business "anywhere in the world" until December 31, 1988. Finally, the agreement stated that if Levinson "cease[d] to be employed by [MLAS]" he would "not thereafter use or permit the use of the name 'Mark Levinson,' 'Mark Levinson Audio,' or any other name including 'Mark Levinson' in the name or trademark of any corporation" engaged in a business similar to that of MLAS. Less than two years later, in March 1982, Levinson entered into a second agreement with MLAS. In it MLAS agreed to increase his salary to $25,600 per year "effective as of July 1, 1982" and $38,600 per year "effective as of January 1, 1984." In return, Levinson agreed to continue to work exclusively for MLAS, to convey "to MLAS the permanent and exclusive right, title and interest to the trade name 'Mark Levinson', and all variations thereof, in connection with the sale [and] distribution" of audio equipment and not to use or permit the use of the Levinson trade name, other than by MLAS, in connection with the audio business. The parties defined use of the Levinson trade name as "use of such trade name, or variation thereof, (a) as part of the name of a corporation, partnership, joint venture, proprietorship, firm or business or (b) as the name, symbol or identification of any product." Under Berlin's management, MLAS produced a series of audio products under the "Mark Levinson" label. Despite the 1982 agreement, Levinson's relationship with MLAS' new management deteriorated. In early 1983 Berlin placed Levinson's salary in escrow. In the summer of 1984 Levinson left MLAS and founded another company to produce audio equipment, Cello Ltd. Levinson became president and one of the three directors of Cello.
...
Wikipedia