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Luxman L-590AXII vs Pass Labs INT-60

Folks, I was just wondering if any of you guys managed to compare both Luxman and Pass Labs amps in your system or at the dealers. Some brief description on the differences between both amps would be great.

Personally I own the L-590AXII but am curious about the house sound of the INT-60. FWIW I find the Luxman to be very balanced. Although it's a Class A, it does not sound overly warm. The L-590AXII is fairly detailed, refined and nuanced while showing a very slight hint of warmth in the midrange. Bass goes deep and is defined and controlled while the treble is sweet and extended without showing any sibilance or brightness.

In short, I find the Luxman L-590AXII to sound rather neutral, tilting slightly to warmth on the scale. Although it's tuned to sound delicate and refined, the Luxman can rock too and is capable of sounding dynamic and lively when the music calls for it. On the other hand, the same cannot be said about the Accuphase as I read that it sounds quite a bit warmer than the Luxman, sacrificing a little on punch, slam and dynamics. In other words, the Accuphase sounds too smooth with rock or dynamic music.
ryder

Showing 2 responses by arafiq

arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,595 posts
 
@ryder -- I'm in the same boat as you. When I was in the process of auditioning amps, Luxman 590AXII and Pass Labs INT-60 were the top contenders. I ended up going with the Luxman because of all the amps I was able to audition, the 590AXII ticked all the boxes. It seems to me that unless you live in Reno, Nevada, it's pretty much impossible to audition Pass Labs prior to purchasing. But I, too, wonder about the house sound of Pass Labs. I don't understand why there's such a dearth of Pass Labs dealers in the US.

The problem is that you won't find any objective comparisons on the internet. There are a few threads on this topic, but the answers are invariably from fan boys who own one or the other but not both. And we know how that works :)

Realistically, the only option is to buy an INT-60 in the used market, compare the two side by side for a month or two and keep the one you like more. That's what I plan to do next year. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy my Luxman! I do know that other than Pass Labs, there's nothing else that I would ever consider replacing the Luxman with.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,595 posts
 
@georghifi --
All else being equal for current delivery into low impedances (power supply etc), I would go the Luxman for bipolar outputs as they aren’t phased by low impedance speakers and current delivery as much as mosfets are.
I don’t know about Pass Labs, but I agree with you that the Luxman has no problem driving my Sonus Faber Olympica II’s which are 88db and 4 ohms. It doesn’t even break a sweat and never sounds as if it’s trying hard. But I guess the real question is does bipolar sound better than mosfets at reasonable volumes?

Also, I see people comparing the Luxman 509 with Coda and Pass Labs. IMO, the right comparison should be between the 590AXII and Coda or Pass Labs. When I first heard the 509 and 590 side by side, I couldn’t tell much of a difference, but after living with the 590 for a few months, I went back to the dealer this morning (trying to sell some stuff on consignment due to unexpected expenses) and asked him to play the 509 for me again. The difference is very obvious now. The 509 is more dynamic and the bass is tighter, but it lacks the sweetness and effortlessness of the 590. I could immediately tell that piano, saxophone, and horns sound more natural and fleshed out on the 590. Also, there is more immediacy when it comes to vocals.

Anyways, as you can see here, no one is offering their opinions based on actual ownership experience between the two specific models the OP asked about.



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