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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
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
But I guess the real question is does bipolar sound better than mosfets at reasonable volumes
It does to me, when driving difficult speaker loads.
And also I'm one that hears that "Mosfet Mist" they talk about, it like there's a very transparent sheer veil between me and the speakers, not objectionable, like a "mist" and not immediately recognizable. 

Cheers George 
skyscraper
824 posts
 
Thanks Eric, and sorry OP about mixing up the 509 and the 590. Blame it on a sudden onset of dyslexia. 

Mike
speakermaster
738 posts
 
I have an accuphase and i can tell you that it is a very great amplifier for all kinds of music but you need to use a fairly efficient speaker for it and the luxman is a great amplifier too but with the pass labs you would need to have a more vintage type high efficiency system due to its limited power.
ryder OP
1,682 posts
 
Ryder, it’s a little off topic, but did you ever have a chance to compare the Luxmann 507 integrated to the 509?.

Skyscraper(Mike), sorry I didn't compare the 507 or 509 to the 590AXII. I only compared the Naim 282/250DR to the Luxman as I own both amps.
jaudio1
120 posts
 
You can audition Pass Labs gear.  Call reno hifi...talk to mark.  Buy a INT-60.  Use it for a couple weeks and if you don't like it send it back for a refund with no restocking fees.  It will cost you shipping and that's it but if want to be sure a 10k integrated is going to work in your system that seems like a small price to pay.
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