The CL34 is a wonderful vintage preamp but, like virtually any piece of vintage gear from the 1980s, will require some attention in order to sound it's best. All of the caps will almost certainly need to be replaced, as well as the resistors that supply the tube voltage and associated diodes in all likelihood. The pots and rotary switches also get dusty and noisy and will typically need a good cleaning, if not outright replacement. IMO replacing the cheap volume pot with a stepped attenuator can make a significant improvement in the sound, at the expense of vintage originality.
Luxman CL34: How does it compare today?
I've always been a fan of the Luxman sound. I own the SQ-N10, L-80V, and L-450. I've been toying around with going into a system of vintage Luxman separates using the CL34 tube preamp and the M-300 amplifier. The thing is, I'd love to hear from some folks who really know about this preamp and may have even had it.
I see it occasionally selling for around $1600, but I'm wondering, is it worth that price if it's never been serviced (even if it looks like it's in fantastic shape)? The blue book lists it around 950 as of a few years ago, but nobody is selling it that low anymore.
How does it compare with other tube pre's within the 1-2k price range?
Have you done extensive tube rolling with it? If so, what were your results?
I see it occasionally selling for around $1600, but I'm wondering, is it worth that price if it's never been serviced (even if it looks like it's in fantastic shape)? The blue book lists it around 950 as of a few years ago, but nobody is selling it that low anymore.
How does it compare with other tube pre's within the 1-2k price range?
Have you done extensive tube rolling with it? If so, what were your results?