Luxman L505u . . . why not?

Choosing between the two top Luxman integrateds (590Aii and 509u) is not easy. They both cost about the same (10K), but one is 30 wpc pure class A (590Aii) and the the other 120 wpc class AB (509u).

Though I have seen more positive comments about the 590Aii and the purported sonic superiority of pure calss A amps, has anyone actually compared them? Are they really that different?

If you had a choice, which one would you buy?

Regards,

Mark

I have a Luxman 507 (no prefixes or suffixes), one of Luxman's first transistor amps, from 1974 ('78?), I believe. I use it to drive Yamaha NS1000x speakers, which are truly top-notch. My CD player is an Ah! Njoe Tjoeb CD4000, also truly tops.

We (wife and I) really like the sound of this system in our main room, which has soft floors (tatamis), wood on all sides, and lots of cloth - more absorbers than reflectors. The sound is clear and very detailed, yet warm and well-balanced, and has deep imagining and realistic coloration and separation of each instrument. It sounds to me more like a high-end tube amp than a transistor amp in many respects. We listen to an extremely broad spectrum of music, but not at extremely high sound volume.

But as the Luxman was very inexpensive (at about USD500), and is a bit dinged-up, I've always felt I could improve on it and have been trying different amps on loan from the (super-good) local used stereo shop for many months.

I've tested it against several "higher-end" amps, including Accuphase, Krell, McIntosh, and other Luxmans, and so far this old 507 bugger still sits on the throne. Let me know if you'd like my comments on any of those comparisons.

Right now I'm testing/comparing it against a Primaluna Prologue 2, which images well and offers rich, full sound across the spectrum, but with my setup and environment is not better than the old Luxman in any sound respect except perhaps bass volume, for which the Luxman has a knob to turn up when I want more bass. Through the crystal-clear NS1000x's, the harmonic distortion of the Primaluna is too obvious and changes the coloration of all instruments too much, while everything has a sandy, grainy quality characteristic of tube amps, but this is just too obvious. I also have an old pair of low-level Rogers speakers (LS-2a) that the Primaluna sounds pretty good good through, though, but the NS10000x's are my main babes, so I will give the Primaluna back to the shop, even though it's so pretty to look at.

Here in Japan, the local stereophiles generally prefer the original Luxman SQ38 (various suffixes) - types as for Luxman amps. Whenever looking at Luxmans, someone here is always sure to tell me not to even consider anything pre-1984.

As a Luxman owner, I just thought I'd add my two Yen to this thread.

What do they say in Japan about the new Luxman cd players such as the D-06?

Though they are available in North America there is very scant information about them, but I have a sense that they are well regarded in Japan and compare favourably to Esoteric cd players.

Any comments?

Regards,

Mark

I'll try to read and ask around a bit to get a feel for how Luxman CD players are regarded here in Japan, and let you know, Toronto416 and others interested, if I find out anything somewhat definite.

In my own experience, I see Esoterics in the high-end stereo shops I frequent, but I haven't noticed Luxman CD players. It could be because I love my current CD player and haven't taken a great interest in the others recently, or because the Esoteric displays are always boastful, or even because I am always trying out different Luxman amps rather than CD players.

By the way, I just brought home a B&W Nautilus 805 set as shelf speakers to test-out as replacement for my Rogers, which aren't compatible with my Yamaha NS1000x when playing 4-way. The B&Ws are certainly not as clear or balanced as the Yammies (but then very few speakers are), but they are VERY comfortable on the ears and detailed enough to stand-up to them, and the combination of the sweet and warm B&Ws with the big and crispy-tight Yammies in my tatami room together 4-way, driven by my old Luxman 507 is really like paradise: almost unbeatable sounds across the wide spectrum we listen to. The two sets really complement each other well, so I purchased the B&Ws and I'll be giving-up the little Rogers to a friend who really wants them for his super-high-end mostly LIN-based system.

Thank Jim! There is scant information in NA on the new Luxman cd players (D-05, D-06), but they look interesting.
Regards,
Mark