Going linear - The Luxman 507ux

Sorry, @builder3 , and thanks for the extra info. :)

I tested out the LOUDNESS and TONE controls on the 509x but the change in the sound was not that prominent when I heard it. Mind you I did not have my glasses on and was operating a little blind. The tune that was playing maybe not the best to hear these features at work.

That room needs better lighting, because  Something wonky seems to be going on. When I heard the 509 with the Wilsons I had to turn the treble and bass way down. This is the same setup that originally had the speakers wired out of phase, but it let me test the tone controls. :)



The 509x has an extra transistor on each leg on each channel, along with a stiffer power supply, which should lower the output impedance significantly, but below a certain point, I've heard lots of amps with allegedly higher damping factor which did not actually sound better in terms of bass or transient response.


You know gang, I got pretty lucky, there was a lot wrong with the setup when I heard the 509. There was not a 507 on display. Let me list it all out:

• Wilsons were wired out of phase
• Serious digititis (from Marantz player?)
  
• Treble and bass were way too high
• Grip and control on speakers wasn't that great

I still bought the 507 because it was half off and I thought I knew all the issues I was hearing while auditioning and that they'd be cured when I got it home. I was really lucky that I was right. Mayhap the issue was the cabling? Or there was a DSP at work somewhere mucking with the sound. I really don't know, but it was a real relief when the amp started playing at home.


The Dagostino / Wilson setup right next to this was, by comparison, absolutely lovely to listen to. How you can listen to that, then turn 90 degrees and listen to the system I listened to without thinking something was wrong I have no idea.


Best,

E

Loudness is a great feature. I use it a lot in the evening. I wish someone would create a perfect amp for me. I would have a Luxman in my main living room TV system but my wife would kill me as it would require her to turn it on and hit SEPARATE button. With the Yamaha, it has trigger in that automatically switches over to the MAIN IN from the processor. And the processor comes on when you turn the TV on. I need a Luxman with the same feature.

• Wilsons were wired out of phase

  Serious digititis (from Marantz player?)
  

  Treble and bass were way too high

  Grip and control on speakers wasn't that great

What I heard was an all Luxman system with Nordost cabling. The Luxman CD player's DAC was used via ROON. The sound was non-fatiguing. It was actually one of the biggest takeaways I had as I made my long drive home. Sometimes in these demos I get a little carried away and crank up the volume. This time with the TAD ME1 and the Luxman electronics I did not have any fatigue issues. I did not crank it as loud as in some demos but it was at a level that could have give me headaches.

It would be great if Luxman would update their preamps with an integrated DAC (as an option) and streaming. 

It would be great if Luxman would update their preamps with an integrated DAC (as an option) and streaming."

Good idea, but I think they may expect that, on that level, people like to experiment instead of getting it already pre-assembled. Same with phono pre-amplifiers. Just my guess, of course.

One thing I like about Luxman intergrateds is that they have more or less everything (minus DAC option). Old school goodness.