Luxman CL38U-SE in the house


Just sold my CJ ET3-SE and phono preamp and picked up a brand new Luxman preamp. Big difference in presentation. The Luxman is more dynamic w/an improvement in rhythm and pace. I enjoyed the CJ for a couple of years but it always seemed to be a bit restrained and a little dark. W/the Luxman the whole system seemed to open up. I like the fact it has bass and treble controls also a mono switch and a balance control. The all tube phono is dead quiet and brings a lot of detail and dynamics to the records. The remote just does volume and mute all the other controls must be done by hand. Also the 1960's look may not be to everyone's liking. This model was built in  Japan and was limited to just 90 units. It only has about 12 hours on it so it will be interesting to see how everything comes together a couple of hundred hours from now. But even during the break in I'm really enjoying the sound.
linnlingo

Showing 5 responses by linnlingo

Audio Video Therapy Nashua NH. I went w/the all tube integrated and it just locked in my whole system. By the way all Luxman products are now made in Japan. Quality is even better. I was a big CJ fan but they are a step above.
The CL38U-SE is an all tube preamp. I have it hooked up to a Bryston 2.5 SST2 and a pair of Aerial 5T speakers.
One of the first albums I tried was Sanata's Abraxas. I alwas thought the recording was dark and had no pace. When I installed the Luxman the sharp guitar licks were suddenly there. 
J Fant it's breaking in nicely. Horns full and detailed but not edgie. Soundstage is wide going outside the speakers. Piano full and detailed from top to bottom. . Vocals are large and a bit on the warm side. The all tube phono is excellent and very quite. W/an all tube setup it takes about 15 minutes to come into full song.