Luxman L-505u v/s 590 AX

panditji

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Finally heard the Luxman L-505u today paired with a Spendor SP 1R/2 as they were the closest sounding to my Harbeths....Again thick cables and power supply were used and the room was heavily carpeted and probably treated....

I liked the sound very much as the amp controlled the bass extremely well and the mid range was clean and musical.....I had almost settled for the amplifier before hand as i have been reading up on it since the last 6 months and it met all my expectations...it has a clean sound and has ample power for my Harbeths which are rated 86db whereas the Spendors are 88 db....The blue Vu meters look nice and I only wish they had a champagne gold finish instead of the silver finish.....

Just for kicks, I asked the dealer to play the Luxman Class A 590 AX and the sound opened up quite a bit...it was smoother and very musical than the 505u but at 2.5 times the cost.... Also it has only 30 watts and that maybe would not be enough for my Harbeths as would my pockets......

Luxman also can add a new fan to their growing base and I think i might settle for the 505u as and when I can find a used one or a very good deal.......


Before leaving, I saw the Exposure integrateds and requested the dealer to play the 3010 integrated with the Spendors......very very impressed with what I heard.....A very musical, open and smooth sound with a lot of details and exceptional value for the price...the dealer quoted 16,000 RMB for that unit and i tink it was a fantastic amp at that price point....the only downside is that it is very plain looking and it used 3 purplish LEDs on the front plate...

So if you are not as superficial as me, this might be the amplifier for a lot of audiophiles.....
 
The blue Vu meters look nice and I only wish they had a champagne gold finish instead of the silver finish.....

l-505u(1).JPG


The Champagne finish is a limited edition. Found this on google LUXMAN L-505u
 
I checked with the dealers and they do not have it....the champagne gold finish with the yellow Vu meters look nicer and are available on the Class A integrated amps which are sadly beyond my budget and may not be able to drive my speakers...will be checking it with the HK dealers as well but I doubt if they have it.....
 
This is pretty much a parallel scene with Accuphase, i.e. E460 v/s E560

But the tonal perspectives & some other traits being different but on similar price platforms
 
Panditji,
You can also consider symphonic line integrateds. They synergize very well with Harbeths. At first I was concerned that there would be too much warmth but what I am hearing is simply exquisite.
Cheers,
Sid
 
Panditji,
You can also consider symphonic line integrateds. They synergize very well with Harbeths. At first I was concerned that there would be too much warmth but what I am hearing is simply exquisite.
Cheers,
Sid

+1 .. :)

RG9 or RG10 (and if budget permits RG10-REF)

Kraftquelle & esp. Kraftwerk are a class apart.
 
Panditji,
You can also consider symphonic line integrateds. They synergize very well with Harbeths. At first I was concerned that there would be too much warmth but what I am hearing is simply exquisite.
Cheers,
Sid
Sid
How would you rate the synergy between Usher mini dancer and the symphonic line RG14? like panditji Im also looking for amplification for my mini dancers.
Cheers
 
Correct......Accuphase was started by engineers from Luxman only and I guess they decided to keep it similar.....

I have heard quite a few Luxman amps in the late 80s in Germany, and quite frankly they were superb. Even in those days, they were a bit pricey, and I ended up buying something else.

I thought the company folded up their business for a long time until I heard from prem when I visited him that Luxman was up and kicking again, although I have no idea how the present amps compare with their classic amps.

In addition, Luxman engineers have over the years contributed to many other good brands. I give a quote in the following from Luxman SQ-38u Tube Integrated Amplfier Review

"Luxman has had many gifted and talented designers/engineers over the years. A number of ex-Luxman engineers became heads of their own companies because of changes in ownership. Atsushi Miura and Masami Ishiguro founded Airtight when Luxman first sold to Alpine. Taku Hyodo launched the Leben Hifi brand which even today shows cosmetic influences of vintage Luxman design cues. Tim de Paravicini who was involved with a number of earlier Luxman tube and transistors amps founded Esoteric Audio Research in the UK."

I didn't know about Accuphase, but since panditji mentions Accuphase, that makes 4 of the very reputed brands (Airtight, Leben, EAR and Accuphase) that ex Luxman designers have contributed to.

Regards.
 
Sid
How would you rate the synergy between Usher mini dancer and the symphonic line RG14? like panditji Im also looking for amplification for my mini dancers.
Cheers

@himadri - I have not heard the rg14 specifically but i have heard the rg7 amp. with the mini dancers - when I auditioned a pair in my listening room for a few weeks. There was good synergy but there was a slight bass overhang, which I blame mostly on my room because it did not allow for adequate breathing room for the speakers. OTOH, the treble from the diamond tweeters was superb - very smooth & delicate. So I would think that the rg14 should work quite well in this application.
Cheers,
Sid
PS: sorry for the OT panditji. Anyways to come back to topic, when I started my hi-fi journey in the early 90's I had a vintage luxman amp. and it was superb sounding especially with a pair of DCM timeframe speakers that I owned at that time.
 
Last edited:
Klangform - Premium und High-End Audio

you may also contact this store, a well trusted Luxman dealer in germany.

They've a 2 yr old L550 for 3,500 that otherwise sells for 5,800

I am in touch with Jan from Klangform since last year June, but it is far cheaper for me to buy from HK as the flights are cheaper and i also can also combine some work there or in Shenzhen(China)...makes the trip more fruitful and also saved me shipping money and if luck would have it the customs duty amount....
 
@himadri - I have not heard the rg14 specifically but i have heard the rg7 amp. with the mini dancers - when I auditioned a pair in my listening room for a few weeks. There was good synergy but there was a slight bass overhang, which I blame mostly on my room because it did not allow for adequate breathing room for the speakers. OTOH, the treble from the diamond tweeters was superb - very smooth & delicate. So I would think that the rg14 should work quite well in this application.
Cheers,
Sid
PS: sorry for the OT panditji. Anyways to come back to topic, when I started my hi-fi journey in the early 90's I had a vintage luxman amp. and it was superb sounding especially with a pair of DCM timeframe speakers that I owned at that time.

I am interested in the Symphonic Line integrateds but my budget would only allow to buy used and there are very rare in India and HK....Also since I have not heard them it would be a blind buy.....

I basically have narrowed down my choices to a used Luxman 505u or a Naim Nait 5i or Naim XS....Luxman from HK or Naim from the UK whichever is a better deal...
 
You forgot to mention the $18,000 price tag...at that price, it better be good....unfortunately not within my reach....

tht price you're looking at is the MRP with duties for the US. Its a UK product & has been in circulation for at least 7-8 yrs. Its helluva lot less in GBP. Almost one-third that MRP.

BTW- I visited the designer in the weekend at his home in Surrey & it was a pleasant surprise to see a Pakistani origin designer make such a high standard product. Pure innovation & a tremendous jest for quality. Absolute exclusive stuff.
 
I basically have narrowed down my choices to a used Luxman 505u or a Naim Nait 5i or Naim XS....Luxman from HK or Naim from the UK whichever is a better deal...

Panditji
Did you get a chance to listen to the Macintosh MA6300/6900 and if so comparisions with the Luxman?
cheers
 
Yes, I did listen to the McIntosh integrateds and felt the Luxman 505u was just as good as the 6600 although they were both played with different speakers - the McIntoshes with a Focal Chorus 826 floorstander and the Luxman with a Spendor S1-R/2....

I did not like the 6300 and felt the 6600 was definitely better in detail, bass control and the overall sound.....But the Luxman 505u did all those things that the 6600 did at less than half the price.... I also heard the Luxman 590AX pure Class A integrated and that was very very musical but only rated at 30 W and a price tag of almost 6 lakhs in China.....

The Luxman class A amps were definitely better much more musical than the Class A/B amps but were expensive.....

At the McIntosh delaers, I also listened to the Naim 5i and XS integrateds within the same setup and they were sounding better than the MA 6300 with more control on the bass and the same level of clarity.....the MA 6600 was a little better but then it costs 2.5 times the Naim XS and 4 times the Naim 5i.....

Of course, Like I said earlier, in the looks department, the mcIntosh wins hands down.....
 
Hi Panditji


Try and get a Luxman from HK. I personally prefer the Luxman to both Accuphase and Mcintosh. I was seriously considering the 590 A. I think you should be able to get it for about 4 lac from HK.
 
Hi Prem, even though I loved the 590AX I think it might not be able to drive my Harbeths very well due to it's 30 W rating... I took my speakers along to Viren Sir's place and his 30 W tube mono blocks were not able to drive the speakers very well even though the sound was superb at low volumes....that and the fact that I am on a low budget is moving me towards the entry level 5050u......
 
For excellent sound that won't break the bank, the 5 Star Award Winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Bookshelf Speakers is the one to consider!
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