Luxman preamp into Mark Levinson amp?


I'm thinking of trying a Luxman CL-38uC into a Mark Levinson No23.5 to drive Watt Puppies. Has anyone mated a Luxman tube pre with Mark Levinson or similar SS amps?

squirrely

Yes i am anxious to hear how the combo goes. If you have any questions regarding tubes, I have run the gammut on these types of tubes. I own a Luxman Eq-500 phono stage which posses the very same tubes. Oh on another note, the Luxman CL-38u and Mark Levinson 23.5 is good match impedance wise.  47KOHM to 300 OHM. 

It's all warming up now. I'm going to give it a good soak before I sit for a listen. I'm excited! Might just give it an houre or so.

Ok, I've spent some time listening. My thoughts are......WOW! The difference between the Luxman and the Audio Research SP8 is huge. I will have to get the SP8 in for service to be fair and I don't think the impedence match makes it a fair compairsion any way. That being said, I think I have landed on a system that needs no upgrades for my ear. The detail in the highs is incredible and the bass is shacking the foor. The system sounds ballanced from top to bottom. I noticed that a tamborine sounded like the insterument rather than a shimmering rattle. It was easy to visualize how it was being played; with shakeing and the taps that emphasize a beat. Beautiful. I could clearly hear the attack an electric base string, the percussion strick of a piano and the breathing of the singers. The sound stage was wide and had front to back depth. Though I am still listening below 9 oclock on the volume diel I have more control of the volume because it is not stepped. The SP8 is stepped and was just oppening up before it got too loud. I think to compair the SP8 to the luxman is a mistake but it is not a mistake to say the Luxman is a great match for the Mark Levinson. 

Love to hear you're pleased with the outcome so far! Your experience is very similar to mine when first putting the two together - an immediate sense of greater fullness with a super smooth top end.

On the topic of volume pot positioning - mine also sits at no greater than 9 or 10 o'clock positions for most listening scenarios, but one thing I noticed with the Luxman is very little perceived difference in frequency range with lower volume settings, so no real impact at the end of the day.

Enjoy the music!