Luxman L550 / L590 experiences ???

**RIPit** · 20th February 2008, 22:33

Does anyone have experience of these Luxman integrated amps? I am being advised that they are an audiophile bargain, if that exisits

I currently have BATs excellent VK300x SE which has given flawless service for the past 3 years.
I am off to listed to the Luxmans next week (taking my BAT with me for reference), and if they sound as good as I'm told I will walk away with one of them.
Does anyone have anything bad to say about Luxmans build quality, or service?
Finally any other suggestions for a Â£3K to Â£6K integrated amp? It will be driving my Wilson Benesch ACTs, and needs to be balanced as I have a significant investment in Nordost Quatrofil interconnects.
Thanks for your advice.

**Dynamic Turtle** · 21st February 2008, 17:01

We spoke about this earlier, as I too am interested in both the VK300x and Luxman L590.

Others I've shortlisted as potentially interesting are:

Accuphase E408
DK Designs Signature 3
Denon PMA-SA1
Pathos INPOL 2

I think they all have balanced inputs.

DT

***Dev*** · 21st February 2008, 17:09

Hopefully Joel will see this thread.

**hifi addict** · 21st February 2008, 18:22

I used to sell the Luxman Amps and the build quality is very good indeed. It put a lot more expensive equipment to shame. Select Audio is the distributor does sort things out when required. I never had a luxman go wrong.

**RIPit** · 21st February 2008, 21:43

Thanks for the solid endorsement hifi addict.
Clearly it will all come down to the audition/shoot out against my BAT, which I think will be hard to beat at the sub Â£5K integrated price.
I will let you know how I get on.

On another note, I had the day off today, and had a long afternoon session with my CDs; Radiohead/OK Computer, Rolling Stones/Hot Rocks, Simon&Garfunkel/Greatest, Sigur Ros/Takk, Robbie Williams/Swing When Your Winning (Dont take the piss

), Ruychi Sakamoto/Forbidden Colours, Kraftwerk/Autobahn, George Michael/Songs from the Last Century, Jakatta/Visions.
I am more and more impressed with my new Reimyo DAP-777 and Cyrus CDXt/PSX-R as they become run in.
I am no HiFi wordsmith, but all I can say is that this combination is so much more rewarding to listen to then the Wadia 861b they have replaced. I only wish I had the spare cash to buy the Reimyo transport ... I will keep an eye on the s/h market.

**Dynamic Turtle** · 22nd February 2008, 10:28

Ripit, have you considered the 30wpc class A Luxman? Is there much point changing from an A/B output amp to another one? The ACTs can't be that insensitive?

I don't know if select even import the class A model...

**RIPit** · 22nd February 2008, 14:07

DT, it is the Class A amps that I am going to audition. The L550 is 20wpc, the L590 is 30wpc. There is a Â£2k price differential between them, and it will be interesting to see if I can hear that Â£2K.
Brighton HiFi are arranging the demo for me. Dave has a number of Luxman amps on demo, including the big Class A monos.

**Dynamic Turtle** · 26th February 2008, 09:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIPit

DT, it is the Class A amps that I am going to audition. The L550 is 20wpc, the L590 is 30wpc. There is a Â£2k price differential between them, and it will be interesting to see if I can hear that Â£2K.
Brighton HiFi are arranging the demo for me. Dave has a number of Luxman amps on demo, including the big Class A monos.

That's an expensive 10 Watts!

**scott_01** · 1st March 2008, 08:39

Very expensive.

I'd be interested to hear what you think about them as I'm looking at another big integrated next. Preferably an accuphase but I did listen to the Luxman briefly at walrus a few months ago and it sounded very nice indeed albeit through some rather large and efficient speakers. BTW there is an Accuphase E-550 on hififorsale now for 4300 ovno.

**RIPit** · 7th March 2008, 00:41

I have a new addition to my listening room. It is currently being run in with a long play list ... The heating has been switched off as it is kicking out more heat that a 3 bar fire! Will give you a full update in the next couple of days.

**Dynamic Turtle** · 7th March 2008, 10:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIPit

The heating has been switched off as it is kicking out more heat that a 3 bar fire!

Hmmmm, that won't be much fun in summer.

Did you P/X the BAT?

**RIPit** · 7th March 2008, 22:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dynamic Turtle

Hmmmm, that won't be much fun in summer.

Did you P/X the BAT?

The BAT is for sale at www.hifiguy.co.uk for Â£2500. You might get it a bit cheaper.

The Luxman is still literally "burning" in. Have had it running for just over 48 hours non stop. Anyone got any ideas as to how long I should leave it burning away ... I can only afford so much on the electricity costs

**kw13** · 29th July 2008, 05:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIPit

Does anyone have experience of these Luxman integrated amps? I am being advised that they are an audiophile bargain, if that exisits

I currently have BATs excellent VK300x SE which has given flawless service for the past 3 years.
I am off to listed to the Luxmans next week (taking my BAT with me for reference), and if they sound as good as I'm told I will walk away with one of them.
Does anyone have anything bad to say about Luxmans build quality, or service?
Finally any other suggestions for a Â£3K to Â£6K integrated amp? It will be driving my Wilson Benesch ACTs, and needs to be balanced as I have a significant investment in Nordost Quatrofil interconnects.
Thanks for your advice.

=====================================

Hi RIPit,

I'm interested in getting either the Luxman 509 or 590 amps. I was wondering whether you compared those 2 models and what led you to decide on 590. Also, since it's been a few months, what has your experience been like with 590?

I compared Accuphase E550 with McIntosh MA2275 last week, and enjoyed E550 more. Listening to E550 first made MA2275 sound really slow and a little boring.

I'm hoping to be able to link E550 with Luxman somehow, but no shop here carries both!

Anyway, I look forward to your reply!

Cheers

**joel** · 29th July 2008, 09:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dev

Hopefully Joel will see this thread.

Better late than never... I've only heard these at shows I'm afraid. They all seem most excellent amps AFAICT, but I'd take the Acc if only because it's extensible - the plug-in architecture allows you to add a DAC card, which has the potential to reduce box count a bit.
Possibly not the amps for driving those B&W 801s to Discotastic volumes, but for the rest of us with more prosaic speakers just fine.
As I'm not a believer in burn-in or warm up of equipment other than ears and brains, I can't comment on these facets of performance.

**RIPit** · 26th May 2009, 12:57

So its just over a year on, and I thought that I would add some comments on my experiences with the Luxman 590 A-II integrated amp. My system is basically the same as when I purchased the Luxman, apart from a change to the digital source components.

Overall, I am still delighted with the Luxman. It works flawlessly, and sounds fabulous. There is, however, just one niggle with it, the heat! Throughout the British winter I was able to run the Luxman switched on 24/7 in my listening room with the heating turned off Due to the collosal amounts of heat generated this is just not possible in the warmer months of the year, and therefore the amp has to be put into standby mode when not in use. This is not such a major issue as it takes only a couple of hours to warm up, but I would prefer to leave it switched on.

So, this situation leaves me contemplating my next move. What is the best sub Â£10K integrated amp (balanced) that betters the Luxman's sound without the huge heat dissipation? The Mcintosh MA-7000 has been suggested, as has the Boulder 865. The heat of the British summer may well be the factor the determined if I upgrade or not, but any opinions on the Mc or Boulder would be of interest.

20th February 2008, 22:33	#1
RIPit Don't Fear The RIPer Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Surrey Posts: 38	Luxman L550 / L590 experiences ??? Does anyone have experience of these Luxman integrated amps? I am being advised that they are an audiophile bargain, if that exisits I currently have BATs excellent VK300x SE which has given flawless service for the past 3 years. I am off to listed to the Luxmans next week (taking my BAT with me for reference), and if they sound as good as I'm told I will walk away with one of them. Does anyone have anything bad to say about Luxmans build quality, or service? Finally any other suggestions for a Â£3K to Â£6K integrated amp? It will be driving my Wilson Benesch ACTs, and needs to be balanced as I have a significant investment in Nordost Quatrofil interconnects. Thanks for your advice. __________________ Listening Room Systsem : Pederson Orbe SE, SME309, ClearAudio Signature, Ayon CD-2, SONOS ZP90, Bel Canto Pre2P, CODA CL, Wilson Benesch ACT, Missing Link Cryo Reference Cables \|\| Living Room System : SONOS ZP90, MF X-DAC V8, MF XT-100 with Triple X-170 PSU, LSA Signature, Missing Link & Chord Co Cables, 1Tb Buffalo NAS, iMac G5

21st February 2008, 17:01	#2
Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 935	We spoke about this earlier, as I too am interested in both the VK300x and Luxman L590. Others I've shortlisted as potentially interesting are: Accuphase E408 DK Designs Signature 3 Denon PMA-SA1 Pathos INPOL 2 I think they all have balanced inputs. DT __________________ SACD: Marantz Pearl Lite Vinyl: Dynavector DV10x > Thorens TD309 > Denon PMA 1500AE > Benesch Square Two

21st February 2008, 17:09	#3
*Dev* Administrator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ilford, Essex, UK Posts: 5,804	Hopefully Joel will see this thread. __________________ Regards, Dev My Kit

21st February 2008, 18:22	#4
hifi addict Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hastings Posts: 505	I used to sell the Luxman Amps and the build quality is very good indeed. It put a lot more expensive equipment to shame. Select Audio is the distributor does sort things out when required. I never had a luxman go wrong. __________________ thanks for turning up. www.valve-amps.co.uk

21st February 2008, 21:43	#5
RIPit Don't Fear The RIPer Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Surrey Posts: 38	Thanks for the solid endorsement hifi addict. Clearly it will all come down to the audition/shoot out against my BAT, which I think will be hard to beat at the sub Â£5K integrated price. I will let you know how I get on. On another note, I had the day off today, and had a long afternoon session with my CDs; Radiohead/OK Computer, Rolling Stones/Hot Rocks, Simon&Garfunkel/Greatest, Sigur Ros/Takk, Robbie Williams/Swing When Your Winning (Dont take the piss), Ruychi Sakamoto/Forbidden Colours, Kraftwerk/Autobahn, George Michael/Songs from the Last Century, Jakatta/Visions. I am more and more impressed with my new Reimyo DAP-777 and Cyrus CDXt/PSX-R as they become run in. I am no HiFi wordsmith, but all I can say is that this combination is so much more rewarding to listen to then the Wadia 861b they have replaced. I only wish I had the spare cash to buy the Reimyo transport ... I will keep an eye on the s/h market. __________________ Listening Room Systsem : Pederson Orbe SE, SME309, ClearAudio Signature, Ayon CD-2, SONOS ZP90, Bel Canto Pre2P, CODA CL, Wilson Benesch ACT, Missing Link Cryo Reference Cables \|\| Living Room System : SONOS ZP90, MF X-DAC V8, MF XT-100 with Triple X-170 PSU, LSA Signature, Missing Link & Chord Co Cables, 1Tb Buffalo NAS, iMac G5

22nd February 2008, 10:28	#6
Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 935	Ripit, have you considered the 30wpc class A Luxman? Is there much point changing from an A/B output amp to another one? The ACTs can't be that insensitive? I don't know if select even import the class A model... __________________ SACD: Marantz Pearl Lite Vinyl: Dynavector DV10x > Thorens TD309 > Denon PMA 1500AE > Benesch Square Two

22nd February 2008, 14:07	#7
RIPit Don't Fear The RIPer Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Surrey Posts: 38	DT, it is the Class A amps that I am going to audition. The L550 is 20wpc, the L590 is 30wpc. There is a Â£2k price differential between them, and it will be interesting to see if I can hear that Â£2K. Brighton HiFi are arranging the demo for me. Dave has a number of Luxman amps on demo, including the big Class A monos. __________________ Listening Room Systsem : Pederson Orbe SE, SME309, ClearAudio Signature, Ayon CD-2, SONOS ZP90, Bel Canto Pre2P, CODA CL, Wilson Benesch ACT, Missing Link Cryo Reference Cables \|\| Living Room System : SONOS ZP90, MF X-DAC V8, MF XT-100 with Triple X-170 PSU, LSA Signature, Missing Link & Chord Co Cables, 1Tb Buffalo NAS, iMac G5

1st March 2008, 08:39	#9
scott_01 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 433	Very expensive. I'd be interested to hear what you think about them as I'm looking at another big integrated next. Preferably an accuphase but I did listen to the Luxman briefly at walrus a few months ago and it sounded very nice indeed albeit through some rather large and efficient speakers. BTW there is an Accuphase E-550 on hififorsale now for 4300 ovno.

7th March 2008, 00:41	#10
RIPit Don't Fear The RIPer Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Surrey Posts: 38	I have a new addition to my listening room. It is currently being run in with a long play list ... The heating has been switched off as it is kicking out more heat that a 3 bar fire! Will give you a full update in the next couple of days. __________________ Listening Room Systsem : Pederson Orbe SE, SME309, ClearAudio Signature, Ayon CD-2, SONOS ZP90, Bel Canto Pre2P, CODA CL, Wilson Benesch ACT, Missing Link Cryo Reference Cables \|\| Living Room System : SONOS ZP90, MF X-DAC V8, MF XT-100 with Triple X-170 PSU, LSA Signature, Missing Link & Chord Co Cables, 1Tb Buffalo NAS, iMac G5

26th May 2009, 12:57	#15
RIPit Don't Fear The RIPer Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Surrey Posts: 38	Hot! Hot! Hot! So its just over a year on, and I thought that I would add some comments on my experiences with the Luxman 590 A-II integrated amp. My system is basically the same as when I purchased the Luxman, apart from a change to the digital source components. Overall, I am still delighted with the Luxman. It works flawlessly, and sounds fabulous. There is, however, just one niggle with it, the heat! Throughout the British winter I was able to run the Luxman switched on 24/7 in my listening room with the heating turned off Due to the collosal amounts of heat generated this is just not possible in the warmer months of the year, and therefore the amp has to be put into standby mode when not in use. This is not such a major issue as it takes only a couple of hours to warm up, but I would prefer to leave it switched on. So, this situation leaves me contemplating my next move. What is the best sub Â£10K integrated amp (balanced) that betters the Luxman's sound without the huge heat dissipation? The Mcintosh MA-7000 has been suggested, as has the Boulder 865. The heat of the British summer may well be the factor the determined if I upgrade or not, but any opinions on the Mc or Boulder would be of interest. __________________ Listening Room Systsem : Pederson Orbe SE, SME309, ClearAudio Signature, Ayon CD-2, SONOS ZP90, Bel Canto Pre2P, CODA CL, Wilson Benesch ACT, Missing Link Cryo Reference Cables \|\| Living Room System : SONOS ZP90, MF X-DAC V8, MF XT-100 with Triple X-170 PSU, LSA Signature, Missing Link & Chord Co Cables, 1Tb Buffalo NAS, iMac G5