Luxman amps.

[Babur72]

Hi all,

I see from some forum users signatures that there are a few Luxman owners among us.
Just wanted to canvas the views of those who've experienced both, or either one, of Luxman's class A &/or class A/B amps. As i'm considering the purchase of either the Luxman class A L-590AII/L-590Ax, class A/B L-509u/L-509ux, Pass Labs class A INT-30.5A or class A/B INT-150.

Heard a Luxman L-550AII alongside a Pass Labs INT-30.5A integrated amp. yesterday. I was a little underwhelmed by the Luxman amp's. seemingly dryer, tonally cooler & somewhat uninvolving sound when compared to the added authority, improved seperation & life-like imagery, increased sense of scale & tonally richer Pass Labs INT-30.5A amp. Even though the Luxman amp's representation of detail & timing seemed solid enough, if not spectacular.

I was later informed that the Luxman amp. only had a couple of dozen hours of running-in(Luxman, i'm told, recommend approx. 400 hours. And a minimum of 200 hours before one would hear appreciable gains). Consequentially the L-550AII wasn't able to approach it's optimum designed performance.

Luxman rate the L-550AII's max. continuous power output to be 20 Watts into 8 Ohms in class A(whereas the INT-30.5A is rated at 30 Watts into 8 Ohms in class A). I understand that Luxman's spec's are, if anything, conservative. And that the L-590AII's max. continuous power output of 30 Watts into 8 Ohms in class A, has actually been measured at 78 Watts into 8 Ohms in class A/B.

After corresponding with this said dealer i also learn that Luxman have recently released an upgraded version of the class A L-590AII called the L-590Ax. Aswell as announcing a new version of the class A/B L-509u called the L-509ux, which is scheduled to reach these shores sometime in the next 12 months.

Both upgraded designs sport larger power-supplies, improved internal circuitry & internal componentry. Indeed the new class A L-590Ax is said to continuously output over 100 Watts into 8 Ohms in class A/B.

Unfortunately, there aren't any demo models of the L-590Ax nor L-509u available for me to audition & compare currently. Which is why i'd be grateful to anyone who's heard Luxman's class A & class A/B amps. & willing to share their experience with me.

Regards & thanks.

BABUR.

 

[Babur72]

Hi again guys,

If it's not too much trouble, i'd really value forum users, and especially Luxman owners, sharing their thoughts on the relative merits or demerits & tonal character of Luxman's class A & class A/B amps.

As i'm unable to find demo units of the class A L-590AII or it's replacement the L-590Ax. And neither the class A/B L-509u or it's replacement the L-509ux.

Regards.

BABUR.

 

[edplaysdrums42]

Hi Babur

I have a Luxman 55AII and i love it. I dont really buy into the whole burn in thing, i personally think its more to do with getting used to the sound, maybe they're not for you.

I'm not very good at describing how gear sounds but the Luxman Harbeth combo really works for me. Nice warm sound, really easy to listen to, great at lower volumes. I agree it may not be exciting enough for some peoples tastes. I came from an ATC set up which was very neutral and detailed, if thats what you want IMO you cant get much better. To put it simply i just enjoy the music instead of analysing it, i found it too distracting.

I've just done the same thing with my headphones, ive managed to get some Denon AH-D2000's to replace some AKG 702's. The Denon's are so smooth and flippin lovely to listen to. The AKG's are very detailed but a bit cold for me.

Back on topic if you like easy going and smooth the Luxman's are great but can understand they may not be to everyones taste. The tone controls are great and i sometimes use them to pep up some badly recorded demo's etc. The loudness button is great at very low volumes too. I hope this has been of some help. Hopefully a Luxman owner who is more articulate than me will chip in at some point and give more advice.

Keeps us informed on your findings, good luck!

Cheers, Ed

 

[ID.]

I've mainly listened to the slightly cheaper integrated, and avoided the temptation of the 507 and 509. The Edplaysdrums sums up the Luxman sound pretty well. Very solid, smooth sound, easy to listen to. Plenty of detail, but not in your face. I think they also do very nice bass and dynamics.

I've listened to the class A amps even less, but my impression was even more detail. One of the most impressive setups I heard recently was the L-590Ax into some B&W 805D.

Loads of detail while still remaining completely realistic. The music was a jazz quartet, so not exactly the most challenging test CD, but the sheer presence and realness of the music stopped me in my tracks. Not sure whether the same would apply if it had been playing back heavy metal/classical/electronic music.

 

[Babur72]

Hi ID,

Those were many of the same traits(namely detailed without being analytical, smooth without sounding sterile, sweet & warm without seeming artificially so) which i was expecting to hear myself.

I'm not sure how i should judge the sound of the class A L-550AII which i heard the other day. Especially when the Pass Labs performed so beguillingly in comparison. But, as i stated before, the Pass Labs INT-30.5A had many more hours of running-in than the Luxman amp.

The speakers they were paired with were the articulate, detailed, open & responsive Verity Audio Parsifals.

Having said that. We could hear that the L-550AII's representation of detail, imaging & sound-staging incrementally improved after a couple of hours of listening.

Tell me. Did you hear the L-590Ax at a show or a dealer demo?

Would you advise i have another listening session with them? Perhaps with class A/B Luxman amps?

Regards & thanks.

BABUR.

 

[Babur72]

Hi Babur

I have a Luxman L550AII and i love it. I dont really buy into the whole burn in thing, i personally think its more to do with getting used to the sound, maybe they're not for you.

I'm not very good at describing how gear sounds but the Luxman Harbeth combo really works for me. Nice warm sound, really easy to listen to, great at lower volumes. I agree it may not be exciting enough for some peoples tastes. I came from an ATC set up which was very neutral and detailed, if thats what you want IMO you cant get much better. To put it simply i just enjoy the music instead of analysing it, i found it too distracting.

I've just done the same thing with my headphones, ive managed to get some Denon AH-D2000's to replace some AKG 702's. The Denon's are so smooth and flippin lovely to listen to. The AKG's are very detailed but a bit cold for me.

Back on topic if you like easy going and smooth the Luxman's are great but can understand they may not be to everyones taste. The tone controls are great and i sometimes use them to pep up some badly recorded demo's etc. The loudness button is great at very low volumes too. I hope this has been of some help. Hopefully a Luxman owner who is more articulate than me will chip in at some point and give more advice.

Keeps us informed on your findings, good luck!

Cheers, Ed

Hi Ed,

To be Honest. I accepted the idea of running-in components(especially cables) with a generous pinch of salt too. Generally believing it has much to do with psychology. Perhaps at a subconcious level...Oh dear!

However, after hearing Luxman's class A L-550AII's sound gradually improve over the course of the audition, now i'm not so ****-sure.

It may be worthwhile for me to compare them with a Luxman class A/B amp. As i read in a couple of forum posts & reviews that Luxman's class A/B amps., whilst sounding cooler & more neutral than Luxman's class A amps., are said to have better low frequency articulation, extension & grip.

Appreciate your feedback.

Regards & thanks.

BABUR.

 

[edplaysdrums42]

[/quote]

It may be worthwhile for me to compare them with a Luxman class A/B amp. As i read in a couple of forum posts & reviews that Luxman's class A/B amps., whilst sounding cooler & more neutral than Luxman's class A amps., are said to have better low frequency articulation, extension & grip. Appreciate your feedback. Regards & thanks. BABUR.[/quote]

I think you are right there. I had an ATC SIA2-150 before the Luxman and apparently is quite similar to the A/B Luxman's. The ATC is also an A/B amp with fantastic low end grip, a bit more neutral maybe but a fantastic piece of kit. Its built like a tank too.

I definately think you should audition the Luxman A/B amps and the ATC too if you get the opportunity.

Cheers, Ed

 

[edplaysdrums42]

sorry double post! still havent sussed out the quote thing :doh:

 

[Babur72]

Hi Ed,

I can appreciate that some may find tone-controls usefull to curb the excesses of recordings or of the room, but philosophically i'm not one who would like endless tinkering with the Luxman amp's. tone controls. If compelled i would rather use a dedicated room/system-equaliser.

On the other hand, using the balance-control during the audition really helped to actually & palpably make imaging more holographic & both deepened & widened the sound-stage.

Regards & thanks.

BABUR.

 

[Macspur]

Hi Babur,

As you seem to like the Class A sound, would you happen to know if your dealer stocks any other brand of Class A amps? Sugden perhaps?... highly recommend a listen if so.

Cheers

Mac

 

[aidan]

just a thought, plinius make two class a power amps, the sa-103 and the sa-ref. the sa-103 could be a viable option, sound extremely sweet, and have the grunt to power just about any speakers you throw at them, youd need to budget for a preamp though, i have no idea what hte luxmans are worth, so i may be comparing apples to oranges.

 

[aidan]

just a thought, plinius make two class a power amps, the sa-103 and the sa-ref. the sa-103 could be a viable option, sound extremely sweet, and have the grunt to power just about any speakers you throw at them, youd need to budget for a preamp though, i have no idea what hte luxmans are worth, so i may be comparing apples to oranges.

 

[Al ears]

just a thought, plinius make two class a power amps, the sa-103 and the sa-ref. the sa-103 could be a viable option, sound extremely sweet, and have the grunt to power just about any speakers you throw at them, youd need to budget for a preamp though, i have no idea what hte luxmans are worth, so i may be comparing apples to oranges.

Possibly so but just wondered if you realised the original post is nearly 2 years old.