Luxman 509X, 590AXII, or Gryphon Diablo 300 for B&W 802d3

Mouirnbladeiv,

I have heard the Michi product line is getting traction with B&W. The product appears to offer a great price/performance ratio.

I own the Gryphon Diablo 300 with Wilson Audio Sabrinax speakers. I know from many comments on this site that people seem to not like integrated amps and the look of Wilsons. For me and the music that I like listening to it is a perfect combination. A lot of detail without too much brightness and huge power and dept. When I save up my pennies (well, lots of pennies) I hope to upgrade the speakers to something larger. I've heard the Gryphon 300 amp driving some large Gryphon speakers and the sound stage and overall sound was simply amazing. 

I will now wait to be shot down! 

It's funny because if I were to dream of adding a 2 channel amp to my system I would pick the Luxman LX Integrated amp.  It is supposed to be exceptional.  If you need the name of the dealer to buy this from let me know.  He can save you $ thousands.  

I also suggest the Pass INT 250 and if you are located in the USA Mark from Reno Hi-Fi will let you audition in your home. 

Chuck 

There is a fellow Audiogon member that has a very long post regarding your question. He purchased and/or demoed the expensive integrated units including the Gryphon Diablo 300. I believe he ended up with a Pass Lab Integrated 250.

If I find the Audiogon Forum I'll post it for you to read. Should you other guys know of what I'm thinking of please post it, I don't have the time to find it, I have to head out for a 5-hour round trip.

The Boulder 866 has stellar reviews. Very neutral if that is important to you. Good luck! 
 

merry Christmas everyone! 

Michi X5  , 300/600 . I like mine quite a bit.

+1, @thyname

@jeffreyw

T+A Integrated’s are pretty awesome, ultra detailed and plenty of grunt in lower octaves. I used to own B&W 800D2’s and you can’t fully appreciate B&W’s (especially the 800 or 802’s) until you feed them with an amp that’s stable down to 2ohms load.

I had the 802D3 for a few years in my system and had a few different high end amp. My feeling is that the highs and mids will be wonderful with any of the amps you mention, but bass will be a challenge in any reasonably large room. The bass will be tight (probably more with the Gryphon) but it will never have that huge impact. If your a bass person, like myself, you might need to consider a pair of subs. 

The Pass equipment is truly wonderful I'm using a 250.8 with magnepan 3.7i never a problem and rarely leaves class A. Reno HiFi will let you demo in home. There's also the used option which I took based on reviews

I own the B&W 803 D3. Before they arrived, I owned the Luxman  L-509X. Something was missing big time compared to what I had heard these speakers many times at at least three dealers and a friend. So I switched to another integrated amp, my current T+A PA 3100 HV. Everything came back to life the moment I switched it on. Couldn’t be happier.

I own the Luxman 590AXII and it powers Harbeth 30.2’s which have an 87db Sensitivity (yours are 90 I see) with no problem. I can get well past 95db loudness when cranking it. There has been some discussion about the fact that although Luxman says it’s pure class A 30 watts into 8 ohms, 45 at 4 Ohms, third party measurements have also claimed it does switch into Class A/B above 30 and outputs 90 watts in A/B. Perhaps a dealer will let you try the 590 and switch it out to the 507 if you feel it’s necessary?

I don’t worry about it however, the 590 has a warm, but clean sound, it is clear without being sterile or bright. Great headphone and MM/MC preamp built in, I personally like the tone controls, and for me it drives my speaker fine.

I have never owned B&W speakers, so I can't tell you if it's a good match with them. I have heard PASS, Hegel and other integrated amps and they all sound great. Just a personal choice at that point. Hope this helps.

You might like the Circle Labs A200. Hybrid design with a novel topology; NOS Siemens tubes paired with an extremely short signal path yields an amplifier that sounds remarkably close to a triode amp, but just happens to make 100 watts into 8 ohms/200 in to 4. High damping factor for great bass control. It sounds "alive".

Positive Feedback reviewed it recently here and added it to their list of Writer’s Choice Awards 2021:

Thus far, it has been a challenge to find integrated amplifiers at the sub $10,000 price point that perform like top-tier separate preamplifier/amplifier combinations. Then along comes the Circle Labs A200 integrated amplifier. At $8995 it is pricey, however to get the sheer power, control, and nuanced details that makes the jump into high end, without the bulk, it is a steal!

The Circle Labs A200 is easy on the eyes, too, with very elegant industrial design. Keeping with the theme of simplicity, one of the beautiful aspects of the A200 is that it does not contain peripheral devices such as a DAC or phono stage. This allows the price to stay reasonable, while providing the "meat-and-potatoes" of what an integrated amplifier is: A low noise line stage followed by a powerful amplifier section, with as short of a signal path as possible.

When listening, the minimalist preamplifier section, and proprietary Circle Power technology performs as a well-engineered piece of equipment should. Control, power, and extreme inner detail are all present as one would hear with a top-tier component, or should I say: Components? The Circle Labs A200 truly sounds like a separate specialty line-stage and large power amplifier. It has a hint of romanticism, too, but most seem to enjoy music that airs on the side of romance since we do not listen to test signals. What else can I give than the highest recommendation to a piece that truly embodies the saying, "buy once, cry once."

I have considered the Pass Int-250, unfortunately, I can't find a dealer anywhere near me. I know it has received many accolades for performance. 

Happy Holidays... "Tube-y" you say... Well then, this for solid state...  This is the Int 250 by Pass Labs.  

As for power output, Stereophile reviewed the Int-150 and into 4 ohms, it belted out 284 wpc; based on this, I think it is safe to say that the Int-250 into 4 ohms would make 500 wpc.  That is not too shabby.  

I have not considered Audionet. I am actually totally unfamiliar with the brand, unfortunately!

Have you considered the Audionet Watt?

I recommend Gryphon Diablo, neither of the Luxman you’re considering have the ‘grunt’ to drive power hungry speakers like 802D3.

Gryphon’s are more transparent and has that ‘silky’ smooth presentation. 

Also, consider your listening location.  Some feel the 802's sound a lot better if you sit on the midrange axis or lower than the tweeter axis.

I do enjoy a "tubey" midrange and also love my bass (a lot)!

That's why I love my Luxman 507, read any of my posts about them. :)

I currently own the L-509X - fantastic sounding unit with ample power and control, but as an owner of B&W CDM1NTs in my HT setup, I would say that the Gryphon would be my choice for 802D3s.

Just my personal experience, but the B&Ws pair better with amps of higher power than with lower power.