Luxman Integrated - What do they sound like
I own the L-590AX. I wouldn’t describe the sound as warm, but maybe it is compared to some other amps. I consider it fairly neutral, and very detailed across the range. http://www.navratilaudio.cz/novinky/Luxman_L590AXII_HFW.pdf |
erik, unfortunately for you, I'm not a guy that has had a lot of gear. I bought my amp blind, essentially, which obviously is far from ideal. That being said, I think it's stunning. The gentleman that owned it previously went thru a number of integrateds after that, nearly full circle back to Luxman. My system would be very nondescript compared to most here. Speakers are Paradigm S6's, turntable is MoFi Ultradeck, DH Lab cabling. Detail is superb. I particularly like what I hear in female vocals, guitar, and percussion. I'd also say that the bass control is very crisp. Hope this helps. |
Erik, I don't really ever hear anything to speak of, other than the occasional trip to the audio store. I've had a system running since my late teens, and when I put it together I was pretty proud of it. Pioneer late 70's receiver, etc. That Pioneer is still sitting here, but I got tired of fiddling with it, and it didn't do the new speakers justice. So I sort of took the plunge and put together a new set-up, which I love. Small room, near-field listening, very enjoyable. I think I'm in the minority, and I suspect most Luxman owners have heard a fair amount of comparable gear. I think the main issue is that Luxman seems to not bother with much in the way of promotion of any kind. Another issue for them, which probably has been mostly overcome at this point, is the large amount of mediocre gear they sold in the recent past under previous ownership. Good luck, |
I'll post this for your amusement, Erik. https://www.stereophile.com/content/luxman-b-1000f-monoblock-power-amplifier Obviously not what you're interested in purchasing, but perhaps a bit of insight into the company, what they're capable of, and some of what will be "trickling down" into their $10,000 offerings. |
erik, sounds like you’re getting some info, anyway. As to the Luxman sound (or the L-590AX, anyway), I’d have to agree with the description in the article I linked up above, wholeheartedly. I also want to add, there’s no such piece as a L509AX, those are typos. Luxman’s two top integrateds at this time are the new L509X, and the L-590AXII (which they tout as Class A). Another thing, maybe important, maybe not. The build quality on these is nothing short of amazing. |
590AXII is 30W Class @ 8 ohms. Has the classic Class A sound with a nice midrange bloom. Just note it runs out of steam pretty quickly so a fairly efficient speaker is a must IMHO. The L-590AX is 30W/channel Class A into 8 ohms, then switches to A/B. It will actually put out over 90W/channel into 8 ohms, and nearly 160 into 4 ohms. |
valinar, go look at the link I posted in one of the first replies of the thread. My answer is based on measured performance of the amp. I’ve always wondered why Luxman wasn’t more forthcoming, it seems like they wanted only to focus on the class A output of the amp, disregarding the rest. Here you go, I found a review by the same people of the L-550AX, they measured it at 66W into 8 ohms, and 121W into 4 ohms. Take from it what you will I guess. http://www.navratilaudio.cz/novinky/Test%20L-550AX%20-%203%20str%E1nky.pdf |
