Diablo 300 vs Luxman 590AXii with Sopra 3

@carlsbad  I took a look at the Pass Int-60.  Beautiful amp. I found it interesting Pass claims 30W of Class A, 60w A/B.  Remarkably similar spec to the Luxman 590AXii, but these two companies apparently take a different approach to stating power.  I also looked at the PASS INT-250, but got universal agreement the voicing with my Sopras would be a mismatch.  In fact the only consensus I've really gotten so far on voicing is on the Luxman or a warm tube option from McIntosh or Primaluna.  I'm leaning hard to solid state. 

Regarding adequate bass: I have a single REL S-812 to support the two Sopras, and if necessary could add a second S812 for stereo subs, but i'm staring with 1. I hope to have bass needs covered with the single REL.

Regarding adequate power at 30w:

I talked to a few Luxman dealers yesterday to get their take on the adequacy of power to drive the Sopra 3s in a big room.   In short, it sounds like the 30w refers to the Class A power only, but the amp generates more like 100W per channel.  None of the dealers had any concern at all that the 590AX would be adequate, which made some sense to me if this is their flagship integrated.  I called Luxman in NY directly, and was blown away at how rude and unhelpful the guy was that answered.  Even though the number I called at Luxman was for "Sales", he refused to answer even a basic question regarding power, which is fine if that's not his role, but the rudeness was a real turn off when trying to spend 10K on an amp.  

If anyone is interested in better understanding the power of the 590AXii, I found this lab analysis and write up.  Page 3 has the "Lab Report" info on the power which was in line with what the dealers were saying: 

 Thats a big room and the Sopras need current. I would be skeptical of only 30 watts,dont care what kind. Modwright makes a big integrated....

I might reconsider the Lumin T2.  The Sopra's are lovely speakers but drift bright and the Lumin T2 is definitely on the brighter side.  I have one here and it is brighter than my Chord DACs.  I am not sure you can find an amp that is going to be warm enough to deal with both.  

The Gryphon is brilliant and with the speakers alone, you will be in a great place.  There is a Boulder integrated with an on-board DAC that is very good.  You could also look at the Hegel 590 which will have plenty of power and a good on-board DAC.  

You might look at a somewhat less expensive amp and get a DAC that is not going to drift as bright.  Are you planning on using the Lumin as a streamer or as Roon/Rendering endpoint.  

eih the newer focal designs the tweeters are quite smooth yet detailed

if you want a superior hybrid I would look to unison research the unico 150 is amazing with focals

also the krell k300i is outstanding as well

Dave and Troy

Audio intellect NJ

focal krell unison research dealers

Very nice speakers ;-)

I'm a fan of the Luxman 590 AXII and own one. I'm honestly not sure how the bass would sound in your large room although I will say that those 30 watts are more powerful than one might think. Have you considered the Pass Labs INT-250?  https://www.passlabs.com/products/int-250/

what kind of sound are you after? Spora has a beryllium tweeter which could be quite bright. Class A Luxman is a good thought but may not be powerful enough to fill the room. Look into Mcintosh integrated, specifically MA12000, its a tube pre with solid state amp 350 watts. Mac is laid back yet detailed and neutral. It would definitely help tame those Focal tweeters without losing any detail. Also, Mac has an excellent dac. 

Definitely going integrated amp for flexibility.  I am curious about the 30W Luxman being enough power due to larger room size, but I hear it's a beefy amp due to it being Class A.  I don't have expertise on if it's enough power.  Open to thoughts on that topic.

Two things. I would recommend having an integrated amp that allows future options and you'll still have a working system if your source player quits or you want something different. Digital is still moving at a fast pace, things could change. Just more versatile. Second, you'll have a pretty good size room to fill, so 30wpc isn't ideal. The Sopras say 40-400 watts is recommended so I wouldn't want to be on the low end of that in such a big room.  

op if you are going with a lumin t2 all you need is a power amp.

unlessyou want to run an analog source.

so the first thing to determine is do you need an integrated or just a power amp?

if you are all digital then you dont need an integrated.

if then we would recomend the t2 into a krell xd 300 power amp or the smaller xd 175

thecombination of a krell power amp lumin and sopras is a wonderful system

as per youroriginal question we would recomend the luxman the diablo is awesome but a little dark

Dave and Troy

Audio intellect NJ

focal krell and lumin dealers