Just retired and want to get back to vinyl listening

BTW, you and mountainsong both took great care of that amp. It looked new when I unboxed it.

steventoney, I thought I’d offer my two cents. I own the Luxman L-590 AX. There is one version newer, the L-590 AXII. The version prior to mine was the L-590 AII, which had a flip-down panel covering the lower controls. I bought my amp here earlier this year. It’s some of the very best money I’ve spent. I want to throw this out, because it seems to be some sort of a secret. While the 590 is called Class A, and the published output is 30w/channel, it actually puts out right at 90w/channel, (presumably switching to A/B). I bought mine without having ever heard one, and it was a leap of faith. I briefly considered the smaller L-550, but decided to go with their top integrated, and am glad I did. There are reviews out there, but you need to search hard. The new listing here on Audiogon is exactly like mine, condition included. I paid $900 less than that, shipped, which seems to be about the going rate for a very nice example.
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Greginnh, I did, that's pretty cool. I'm blown away by the thing. I've heard both fans and detractors, but I'm running a pair of Paradigm Signature S6's, and I couldn't be happier. I can only assume that the people that bash these speakers haven't driven them with anything good enough to see what they can do. A new turntable is probably on the horizon.
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I dug this up, steventoney.
http://www.navratilaudio.cz/novinky/Luxman_L590AXII_HFW.pdf

There are actually three 590's currently listed, which is very unusual. Two of them are the L-590A MkII's which are two versions back from the current model, and one is the L 590AX, (which I own), which was superceded by the L 590AXII about 1½ years ago.

I'm certainly enjoying it. Two things stand out, to me. First, the absolute clarity. Details in familiar pieces that I had never heard previously. And the control. Stunning.
I've looked at that turntable, but it's out of my price range, sadly. As is the CD player. But I still look....
Take care,

greginnh, I appreciate hearing your thoughts. As far as gear, I've been the opposite of you, probably due to financial concerns more than anything, so I always am conscious of my huge lack of experience here. I think when mountainsong sold the amp to me, it was also to fund higher end Luxman separates.
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steventoney, you're welcome to come hear mine. Still a long drive, I'm another 1½ hours past Portland. Nothing fancy, and not an ideal room, but would probably still give you an idea.
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Yes, an L-590AX, which is the version prior to the newest model. My speakers are the Paradigm S6’s, which are now discontinued.
One thing that I think I mentioned earlier, the 590 isn’t low-powered. Luxman’s literature is misleading, the amp is rated at 30W/channel into 8 ohms, but it actually switches from Class A at that point, and puts out around 90W/channel. Power isn’t really a concern.
If you get to Portland, one shop worth stopping at is Echo Audio. Nice gear and great people.
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steventoney, I can't tell you what changes were made between the AX and the AXII.   I have read that the L-590AX incorporates a larger power supply over the earlier model, which was maybe the L-590AII.
I've never seen an L-590axII for sale on the secondary market, I think they're only about a year old.
My amp is identical to the one that's currently listed here on Audiogon for $5200. Even though they show the paperwork showing that it was purchased very recently, the newer version was also available at that time. The few places that show them for sale often have both, with no discount for the earlier model.

Well, after I rambled a bit, I looked around and found this link from 'A Higher Note', which used to be the US distributor. The differences in the newest version are noted in the description.
https://onahighernote.com/shop/integrated-amps/luxman-l-590ax-pure-class-a-ii-integrated-amp/

Here's the page from the same website describing the earlier L-590ax.
https://onahighernote.com/shop/integrated-amps/l-590ax-2/

There you have it. Take care,
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glad to help, plus, I learned something myself.

One thing that hasn't come up - this thing is heavy. It's 62#. A rack with an MDF shelf isn't going to cut it. Hell, the shipping box weighs more than some amps, it's 3 layers of very heavy cardboard, and is 20# alone.......

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Depends on the configuration, I guess. I don't generally use the words "good" and "MDF" in the same sentence. It's basically glorified cardboard, although I'm sure it has uses.

I know what MDF is, I've used miles of it. The material itself doesn't vary to any great degree. Like everything, it has it's pros and cons. If the supports are adequately designed, it's fine. Presumably with a high quality rack, this should be the case. With many items, it's just the opposite.
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For your cabling, you might want to take a look at DH Labs.