Integrated Amplifiers - Luxman vs Pass Labs


Hello All,

 

This is my first post here at Audiogon.

My current amplifier is the Luxman L-550axii and my speakers are the Marten Django L and Coherent Audio 15 (coaxial speakers with 15" woofer and high efficiency of approximately 98db).

I'm contemplating making a move with my integrated.  I'm considering the Luxman 590axii or one of the current Pass Labs Integrated's.  I haven't had a chance to listen to the 590 and I've never listened to a Pass product before and the opportunity just doesn't present itself to be able to demo any at a dealer's or in-home.  

I'm hoping those that have heard both the Luxman and any current Pass Integrated could chime in with their thoughts about them and the direction you would go given my speakers. 

In the future, I may look at replacing the Coherent speakers with Audio Note AN-J or AN-E.  Any experience out there with Luxman or Pass Labs and Audio Note speakers??

Thank you to all who chime in with your experience and thoughts!

me_ohmy

I want to reiterate, I don't personally care if the OP buys a Pass or Luxman.  I do think that in many situations the two are so different the OP will absolutely come out of that shoot out with a strong preference of their own.

These are just not amps you should buy based on anyone else's hearing.

BTW, I have never heard an amp more full sounding than my current Luxman 507 which sounds closest to a D’Agostino to me. The extension from bass to treble is outstanding, but I never heard the class A equivalents. It may be worthwhile for the OP to compare the two.

Thank you to all that have posted thus far.  There's a lot of great feedback, experiences and suggestions that I'll take into consideration.

I should also add that I've recently owned the Luxman L-505ux so I have had a taste of the A/B Luxman sound vs Class A Luxman.

I very much like the Luxman sound. I find the mids to be wonderful and the vocals to be accurate and life-like.  I guess what I'm yearning for is just a bit more extension in the vocals (maybe the vocal presentation to be slightly more forward in relation to the mids ???) and a bit more presence and warmth in the lower octaves, though Luxman is no slouch in this area. 

I realize that Luxman and Pass are both great brands and produce wonderful products with different sound signatures. In a perfect world I would love the opportunity to A / B both products in-house.  At this time, it is not possible to do. 

 

I believe it has been somewhat eluded to in a couple prior posts but can anyone be more specific about the Pass sound (more specifically the Integrated's but also the overall house sound of Pass) such as: 

1)  is one frequency a little more pronounced than the others ie. is the treble / vocals a little more forward or recessed from the mids Or is the bass more prominent than the mids which might not make the mids sound as clear Or are the mids the dominant sound quality Etc...  

2)  what is the soundstage like in terms of width and depth 

3)  How would you describe the sound in terms of Hi-Fi vs Natural sounding (I recognize this is very subjective terminology but I think you get the gist of what I'm asking)

4)  Do you find the sound to be veiled in anyway:  No veil (extremely revealing, in the room with you experience), a thin veil (a thin film of dust or piece of paper in front of it), quite veiled (a blanket in front of it)

 

Answers to these or any other input you may have will help me to get a sense of the Pass sound presentation vs my experience with the Luxman brand.

 

Again, thank you to all that have so far taken the time to articulate your thoughts and experiences. Keep them coming!

Language to say the sound, other people's language to say the sound, and you ask so specific point. It is not a easy job.

Some time the taste of sound make the purchase decision, and not any other things.

I am really think the big difference of these 2 brands is the taste of  house sounds. Some choose pass,and others choose luxman. I personally love luxman, and their design have more understanding of the sound.

Go and listen by yourself is my suggestion.

@erik_squires I appreciate the follow up. I know that feeling when you just can't understand why someone else would praise a product so highly. Have you had any experience with Sugden? I had a highly praised Sugden amp with my Nines for a trial and really found it awfully scratchy and cool sounding- not the consensus for sure. It did soundstage beautifully. Just curious. Maybe it's as simple as a certain type of resistor or something that we don't process the same.