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Integrated amp -- Pass Labs vs Luxman vs McIntosh

I posted a similar query earlier but did not get a lot of responses unfortunately. As mentioned before, my speakers are Sonus Faber Olympica II, currently driven by Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, in a 20x15 dedicated media room. As an aside, I’m already working with GIK acoustics to treat the room. As much as I love the Cronus Magnum II, it’s clearly struggling with the speakers and room dimensions. I have been doing some research and narrowed my choices to the following (Note: mostly looking for used since my budget is $5 - 6k max)

Pass Labs INT-60 -- love the fact that the first 30 watts are all Class A; these don’t come up for sale often though. I’ve heard that these are as close to the tube sound one can get without compromising what makes SS great. I listened to INT-150 a couple of years ago and was really impressed. From what I’ve read, the 60s are clearly a step up in every way. Besides, I’ve always been fascinated by Pass Labs.

Luxman 590AXII -- I have yet to read anything negative about these. I like the fact that they are a class A design. Unfortunately, the only Luxmans I’ve listened to were 20+ years old and did not leave much of an impression (polite to a fault).

McIntosh MA352 -- A friend has the smaller brother, MA252, which I really like but not sure if they have enough juice to drive my speakers. None of the dealers near me carry the MA352 so I have to rely on feedback alone. I like the fact that this is a hybrid.

Another suggestion from a dealer is Naim SuperNait 3, but honestly I don’t know if it competes in the same playground as the aforementioned amps.

My goal is to find a nice balance between the strengths of tubes and SS -- retain good 3D soundstage, instrument separation, midrange magic, but not at the expense of bass and dynamics. I do understand that I cannot expect an SS, regardless of class A or not, to have the same lush, holographic presentation of tube amps, but want something that gets as close as possible.

I would love to listen from owners or people who have heard the amps before. Since I’m buying used, I will not have the opportunity to return them so due diligence is necessary.




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ryder
1,684 posts
 
Good to hear you have settled with the Audio Research GSi75. At a list price of $16,000 and glowing reviews everywhere, I’m sure it’s something special. Since the GSi75 is a tube amp, it will sound quite different from most solid-state amps which include Class A types.

The L-509X will sound rather different from the Audio Research GSi75. I believe the L-590AXII will sound closer to it.

Enjoy ~
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,599 posts
 
@ryder Sorry I meant to type 590axii not 509x. The dealer hooked up both 590 and 509 to the same speakers, but honestly I couldn't tell the difference during the audition. Both sounded fantastic!

And I completely agree with you that it was a very, very close second to the ARC. In fact, it was a tough decision to pick one or the other. To be honest, I would have been happy with either one. What tipped the scales in the ARC's favor was that not only does it have a much more expansive soundstage, but the built-in DAC is truly reference level. According to some reviews, the DAC is pretty much the same as ARC DAC9 which retails for $7500. The level of detail and clarity was something I had never heard before (admittedly, I had never heard any DACs > $3500 prior to this). 

Having said that, I felt that the Luxman had more slam and looked much nicer ... those VU meters! But the soundstage and clarity of the ARC was at a much higher level. I suspect that was mostly due to the built-in DAC.
sandstone
358 posts
 
I'm a bit late to the discussion, but the Ayre Acoustics AX-5 Twenty is the most tube-like integrated that I have heard, and seems to check off your other boxes as well. 
They can be found used in the $6200-6800 range.  Good luck!
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
OP, which speakers were used to compare the ARC versus the Luxman?
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,599 posts
 
@kren0006 -- The dealer demoed both brands with Sonus Faber Olympica Nova II. Since I have the previous version (Olympica II), we thought it would be a reasonable match. It was really a toss up between the ARC and Luxman. Like I said, I would have been happy with either.
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