Luxman DA-06 Dac...anyone?

Any views on the DA-06 now, 7 years later? Is it a worthy used purchase, or would I be better off with a newer DAC? Amping from a P750u mark ii.

(I asked this question in a another thread as well, in case someone recognises a double.)

There's a lot to be said for tubes in the system. My Luxman DA-06 runs into a tubed De Havilland Mercury 3 preamplifier and a tubed hybrid Aesthetix Atlas amplifier. Even though I'm returning the Lux for an MSB Analogue DAC, and like solid state DACs for their resolution and control, I'd never run without tubes in the system. I haven't heard the 303T. I auditioned the 306 Pro and decided against it in favor of the Lux and an Ayon CD. I'm now going to sell the CD player and run off of my Aurender S 10 music server only. It's controlled by an App on the iPad and is terrific for convenience (plays DSD, allows for playlists, updates from the internet, has 2 TB storage, allows for other drives to serve, and so on). The quality is far better than any CD player I've auditioned and I've auditioned a lot from Esoterics to the tubed players like the 306 Pro. I haven't used the Ayon CD player once since I got the Aurender S 10 in December.

Dear Audioman58 the one thing about the cary CD303T SACD PRO Player/Dac
Like any other tube based equipment you should try experimenting with other tubes. The Gold Lions changed the whole cd player/dac around into a different Dac I switched the stalk russian tubes out when I bought it and holly smokes lots of more midrange bloom and detail. Also the new shunyata Alpha Digital zitron power cord made that difference even more so.

Also the cary class A+ awards on Stereophile for 2 years in a row 2012 and 2013 and also Absolute Sounds Editor Choice. Since said it had not won any awards.

Though I do respect people for staying with solid state dac's and for a for less maintenance by far.

Aurender released a software upgrade to take care of the USB handshake. My DSD files that used to have transient noise at the beginning no longer do. It seems clear that it was a USB software issue with the server and not the Luxman. Aurender software engineers figured it out. Thanks to the Hi-Rez people and the Aurender folks for helping solve this problem. I have decided though to return the Luxman and spring for an MSB Analogue DAC with the upgraded power base. The MSB plays DSD files through AES as well as through USB. The MSB upgrades software easily as well. I still have no idea how the Luxman upgrades its software.

It seems to be a possible Luxman problem a firmware patch may be in order.please all Luxman owners let Phillip the distributor know so we can resolve this issue thank you.

So if anyone is interested, we figured out what's up with the popping. It's the USB handshake between the Aurender and the Luxman. The Aurender streams DSD with AES, COAX, and USB but apparently the USB handshake isn't what it should be yet. Aurender just released its DSD upgrade about a week ago, so it's brand new, and it does stream DSD wirelessly from my Mac. The SW engineers at Aurender are building a beta fix. From reading the boards, the people running JRiver on computers (and other SW but not Audivarna) are having or had similar problems. JRiver, according to posts on the boards, has a SW fix.

After hearing from the Hi-Rez people that their files tested ok, I took the Aurender server out of the system and put my MacBook Pro in running Audirvana. All of the files and tracks that were problems with transient noises are good, no noise, running the DA-06 with the computer. My problem is with the either the compatibility of the Aurender and the DA-06 or the DSD software on the Aurender. I'm in touch with a guy from Aurender in S. Korea and will see if you can remotely reload the software. I'll let you know what happens.

Audioman,

I got this answer from Hi-Rez about the DSD tracks popping transient noise before certain tracks play. Do you think it is the Luxman software? I know you had similar issues with one of their downloads.

We have thoroughly tested the Holly Cole and David Elias DSD files and cannot duplicate the pop/transient that you mention. We have had some other reports of various DSD files having transients upon playback from some of our other customers using the Luxman DA-06 DAC although the files have all tested out ok. We are aware that DSD playback is a brand new upgrade that was just made available to the DA-06. We highly recommend that you contact Luxman to report this issue as it appears to be the DAC at fault. They may need to research and push out a new firmware upgrade to resolve the issue. Additionally you may want to check with Aurender regarding DSD output from this unit. Looking at their webpage they only mention support for DSD playback over USB.

I've tried a number of power cords with Luxman. I settled on a Furutech F1. I'm going to try the new MIT Style Line USB today. That will replace a Cardas USB. I'll let you know how it goes.

I got new DSD files from HiRez but they never responded to my email about the transient noise before some of the tracks on the Holly Cole Temptation on the David Elias. My Santana from them is fine. And so is the Michael Jackson Thriller. At first I thought it might be the Aurender, so I sent the files to a tech engineer at Aurender, and he tried them with an MSB Platinum IV DAC and even the bad files were ok. That's puzzling. Did you get a response from HiRez, the Acoustics Sound site?

There are discussions in the internet boars about these transient sounds. People using JRiver on computers have had problems and as far as I can see, no one yet has a fix. It could be the software, the files, or a combination of both, or a computer science guy here at the university, said that it could even be the download picking up stuff at the front end of the stream. Wish I had a better answer. Did you get anywhere with this problem of these transient sounds?

I had the same problem with the Elias DSD file and the Holly Cole Temptation file. At first I thought it was the new DSD software running the Aurender, but I checked with Aurender and they haven't had such problems. The Michael Jackson Thriller wouldn't download, so they reset it for me. I grabbed it this morning and will see how that is. The boards online have discussions of this popping sound. People are assuming that it's the software like JRiver but my dealer and I think it's the DSD files.

Your Krell is a great piece of equipment. I almost went with Krell. I'm going to check out the Synergistic fuses for my preamp.

Hello one of the dealers said they tried fuses very nice added refinement,
I asked Luxman Japan for the values they gave it to me,
Then emailed back No aftermarket fuses, these are matched fuses
And they donot want anyone disturbing anything inside .

Ok I get the message I willnot touch it.power cords is another story.
I tried a bunch of Over $500 plus power cords the cord that complemented the Luxman best was the Wire World Silver Electra 7
Their latest noise canceling cable it truly does give a quieter back ground,for sure are more quietinner detail, as well as instrumental separation is improved
It took over 100 hours to fully settle in,just an observation.

You have some nice equipment.

I had one very disturbing problem with an Oscar Peterson -DSD
Bought from Acoustic sounds every time a Song kicks in a loud transient goes through the speakers.very unsettling it could ruin something,
The 2nd DSD I bought from them from Santana -Abraxis simply Fantastic,
No issues. I emailed them , I am going to also call them I need to delete
That faulty down load as of the 22 nd I will gave 200 hours on mine
The Krell is new also. Which is also very good especially after putting in the Synergistic research fuses.

Hello Audioman, I have just over 100 hours on the Luxman DAC and it is changing from digital cool and revealing to much more of a lush or what people are calling a silky sound. At first I was puzzled because it sounded very digital but as it's breaking in, it is sounding lush and revealing, especially with DSD files. Before I bought it, the last DAC I heard was MSB Analogue. That was revealing too but not with the rich or silky sound of the Luxman. I play acoustic instruments and the Luxman is close to those sounds. I will report after more hours. It is going into a deHavilland Mercury 3 tube pre-amp right now. I like the combination of this DAC and the tube pre-amp. My amp--the Aesthetix Atlas Signature--is a hybrid SS & tube amp too.

One more thing to mention ,I have experimented with a good number of digital cables,for a warmer dac like the Luxman 06 I had the Audioquest a Diamond ,where the Wireworld Platinum 7 is much better suited to extract the most out of the Luxman, the diamond more midbass and fuller
It makes the Luxman as Chris C at a Computer Audiophile call it a Lush
The Wireworld very detailed and very balanced,not as warm a cable
With the Luxman it gives it a bit warm inner detail. Here is where
A cable be it power cords, or the critical digital cables can make or break
Any system .especially if your system is already in place,you need to take a step back,the Cable company can arrange some demos,lucky for me that I still the the AQ Diamond from a year ago ,,if you can't afford the top cable
Go for the next best thing. When I worked in a Hifi until 06 system matching was my thing . Just keep that in mind both brands are excellent t is what fits your system best.

Hello to all after rereading one of the reviews the reviewer has devore9
Speakers on the laid back side ,compared to my Neutral YG Carmel's
Also, he also has a warm sounding passlabs-30 warm sound again.
I can see why it can be so lush .now with my Krell 550i amp,MIT Ht cables
Have a slightly warm presentation ,theKrell using Bipolar transistors
Is slightly ,just slightly warm ,especially with the Synergistic fuses,power cords very important also for flavor,buy silver a bit more air and a bit less warm. I n my system with 100 hrs on the amp,and Luxman ,will report back after 250 hrs but the luxman is warm but not super lush very good detail and dynamics,system matching means a lot .i built this system aroundThe YGspeakers and JL sub combination so far very good.

Hello Antanas, how many hours do you have on the Luxman 06 ?
Through the first 100 hours it has gone from real warm ,nice then cooler
And a little fuzzy ,then cool sounding ,in my experience 3-400 hours is neededfor yo tally breakin ,and refinement.please share how many hours
On your unit and changes you may have experienced.

Listened to my first DSD music yesterday with the Luxman DA-06. Aurender sent a software update for DSD on my S10 music server. Listened to Dire Straits Mone for Nothing, a Shelby Lynne set, Getz & Gilberto, and Holly Cole's Don't Smoke in Bed. The resolution on these DSD files is just amazing. The depth and soundstage I could't imagine until I head these files. They are so much more revealing than the SACD and red book versions. Couldn't help comparing them. The DSD files aren't cheap though. They were about $25 each and they are huge (3 - 4GB each) compared to the FLAC files I have. Has anyone else used this combination of Aurender S10 music server and the Luxman DA-06. Would love to hear your impressions with DSD vs FLAC files. Can't be just me.

I would lso like to Mention ,I was interested in Possibly getting a Dac straight from Japan ,but changed my thoughts on this since. My uncle is a pro audio technician ,and he stated the travel and possible cold solder joint possibility,can also short out something else,potential disaster.
I ended up having another conversation with Paul at Goodwins a Hiend audio. Great service and fair price. Buy from a dealer and get the guarantee. I admit now that most times you get what you pay for.
A used product is another topic,one thing though,the reviews on the 06
Are spot on, buy a very good powercord,and if you can afford $500
For fuses adds even more of everything,p,s with a dac this warm
Nature a cable such as Wire world Platinum is recommended,a Audioquest diamond is to much of a good thing -warm,I have tried both,and for sure the the Wireworld is more neutral and detailed.this is for sure !!

I just want to mention that as I stated before there are many factors
If you system is already are on the full side you may prefer the more neutral dac.myself with Krell550 I ,M.I.T HD-23-36 cables and a Wireworld Digital, ,powercords which make a big difference especially the new 7 series.
My speakers probably the biggest factor are a YG Acoustic Carmel's ,
With JL Audio subwoofers.these speakers are Very neutral and are a perfect match for my system.

One other thing the U.S distributor mentioned was fuses which there are I am trying to find out the most important ones ,several are for control and display. Synergistic supplied all that was needed a a very nice improvement in added detail and air.as far as power cords the stock cord is not bad
But out of the 6-7 I tried Wireworlds latest Silver Electra 7 retails for $700
Perotta Consultants was very informative and decent deal. This cable even states it filters,the added blacker backgrounds ,air and for sure inner detail
And low level information greatly increased.by far my favorite cord for digital.i am using the latest Krell 550I which a lot of people Assumed
Because it is partially made in China no good,the best integrated by far
Under $10k IMO,read the Rave Hifi news review,try it before knocking it,getting back to the Luxman. The Msb is better in certain areas,but the Luxman s just more deep in layering - lushness that it is just a great dac.
The first time I said who needs records any more I am running all Wav,and flac files from a external HD to a Auraliti player with their New power supply
Still new.the luxman I have 24 hrs on it, I know 400 hours is about what is needed already very good listening to Povarotti now a event.

Spent the last month trying DACs. Landed on the Luxman DA-06 (that I bought for change over 4k from a US dealer). My first choice was the MSB Analogue but with the right power supply, it was well over 10K. Close runner up was the new Bricasti but it too with what I wanted was over 10K. The Luxman has DSD, goes well with my Aurender Music server, and loves my Wyetech Pearl pre-amp and my Aesthetix Atlas amp. Detailed and lush with Harbeth 40.1s. All that the reviewers have said about the Luxman--silky sound, great band width, useable filters, USB built in, and I say as well. I haven't listened to every DAC but it's better IMHO than the Berkeley that I almost bought and the Cary I considered as well. In order, I'd say MSB, Bricasti, and Luxman are my favorites.

I actually like the standard cord of the Luxman DA-06 in my system. I tried a number of different Kaplan cords I have as well as well as a Triode Wire Labs Seven Plus. These cords worked very well with with my SLP-05 preamp and Sonic Orbiter but the stock cord retained more detail and soundstage for me with the others so configured. Current setup sounds excellent and imparts natural & intimate presentation. Trade show shared booth presentations can be hit or miss on system compatibility, and cords and cables do influence the perceived presentation. I tune to certain types of music and artists I enjoy. Other dacs, music preferences and tuning may appeal to others over mine.

Something was totally wrong.there.i spent the last 2 months listening
And I can tell you that the cary is not in the Luxmans league.
The luxman is a big dac and takes every bit of 400hours to fully breakin
A good power cord is also essential.
Those dacs sound different maybe .what people sometimes don't realize is that sometimes another system is using a different digital cable,power cord or interconnects,and as stated before, proper breakin time.if everything is the same you can get a good idea of the sonics.
Also the Luxman DA-06 has won several outstanding
Awards by very well respected people,
Did the cary or triode dac get any thing close to these awards ?
I have listened to almost all of the latest dacs out there.
The Luxman is by far the most musically involving dac IMO under $10k.
Yhat is why I purchased it and weighing over 24 lbs, and
Very well thought out .

wow! that makes me want to keep my Triode DAC and get it converted to 230V.

Here I was wanting to sell it for a 230V compatible DAC.

I have presonly heard the new luxman DAC at a dealer demonstration with $40,000 speakers and a luxman 60watt single ended integrated amp of luxman's in Canada. And I have compared it to triodes corp DAC and my new cary tube DAC/CD player. The difference between the two other DAC's
compared to the luxman's was shocking!

The triode and cary tube dac's for the same price sounded better then the luxman.
The most crazy part was it made my system sound better then the whole system used to demonstrate the luxman DAC.
Also my systems total cost was half the price of just the speakers demonstrated with the luxman DAC.
For the same or cheeper price I would go with the other tube DAC's, and save your money and you will not be disappointed.

In fact I spoke to the north american rep for luxman who demonstrated the DAC. I asked him what makes the luxman dac different from other companies such as Arye and triode technology wise?
He could not give me an answer. Instead gave me little speech "at luxman we believe in making true sound in music. Which makes use different from any other audio manufacturer!"
Is that not the same at all other companies.

Audioman58, Well said, thanks! and good luck!

Max I agree with you ,if you feel the markup is to high and are ok taking the chance with a grey market product,make sure you have a good tech .

I beg to differ, the warranty is important when spending several thousands of dollars.

I purchased a Luxman D06 CD player from this site a few years ago, a fantastic player, the player stopped reading CDs it was then that I found out that the player was a Gray Market player, the original owner flat out lied to me. I had to find an alternative repair center, the unit was fixed, and I sold it with full discloser. I doubt the new owner will have any problems . . . but it will always be an unknown risk. My only point is there is risk involved when buying Grey Markets player's and they are not always bullet proof.

Hello tabooe just click on and purchase .they are all Paypal certified,as well as EBay safe .just get a 99% rating!then Audio Horizons
Will not only convert to 117 U.S voltage but actually make even better
If you request,for remember everything made is built to a price point.

Tbooe, in my other hobby I buy a lot of things from japan. I've found that many Japanese retailers do not like to sell outside of their country. However there are online 3rd party Japanese brokers who will buy and ship the item for you. Fees can run 10% and up. It may be worth pursuing

I am still trying to buy direct from Japan but have not had any responses from the various retailers I have tried. I will keep trying.

For the record U.s distribution was trying and still stating $5k for this Luxman 06 dac. And is 17% discount BS, in Japan they are only $2500
With maybe %15 tariff ,shipping maybe $50 they come in by freighter.
The only thing different is the 1120v transformer.my friend has a unit 3800
With U,S transformer.warranty means little ,any competent tech can fix the unit all parts are common place. Also Luxman very rarely break.
In this economy nobody pays retail.if getting for under $4500 delivered Maybe .if you pay full $5k you are a fool. Look on eBay $3400 delivered
1hr to change R core transformer to 120v. If they won't deal buy the Auralic Vega better detail still very engaging just not as warm .

Buyer beware the Luxman's listed on EBay as well as Audio Cube are Gray Market players, not illegal to buy or sell, but are voided of any warranty offered by the US importer.

Guys let me tell you , myself owned a store in the U.k and worked in the U.s until 09 all products have a 45-50% markup ?distributors get 60%
Off list duties maybe 20% of the $2800 from Japan,roughly $600.
Including shipping in bulk 10 + units at a time.
They are slowly bringing in to try to force people to buy retail.
Goodwins on east coast trying to shaft the buyer saying in demand.
In Japan you can get them any week you want. Get from Japan EBay
Has full buyer protection not to worry. Go with a tech you trust .
I mentioned Joe C because he has done mods for me and is super smart engineer.just like a good mechanic,just give me the item I will make it a better product,please remember every thing is made yo a price point !!

Because that one is also a Japanese spec one.

Why not buy the Luxman DAC on sale on Audiogon right now for $3500 ?

Nickolaspappas, I got in touch with Joseph Chow and he seems to think it will be an easy mod to make the Japanese spec DA-06 work on 110V. So for around $1000 you can do the mod and upgrade some internals to theoretically have a better sounding DAC. I have contacted some Japanese retailers who are selling the DA-06 for $2,500 not including shipping. I am still waiting to hear back from them.

tboooe,

let us know what you find out. i may be interested in doing the same.

Audioman58, very interesting indeed. I think it would be great to get the Luxman and not only get it corrected for the voltage I need but also modded to improve the sound. I am going to look into Joseph Chow and contact him to discuss.

On eBay from Japan $3300. Inside it has a Rcore transformer.
measure the voltages and replace with custom120 v model .$350.low level detail,and noise floor lowered with R core transformer,just look at picture off the IEC.
Night and day better then a step down transformer , unless you have $1,000 to spend on a custom model don't bother .i lived in the U.k
Owned a Hifi shop and had a tech to do all changes,good or bad.
Joseph Chow- Audio horizons can do anything. A great audio engineerIMO
His dac is more detailed ,and very full bodied 4 vacuum tubes.$5k
He is coming out with a dsd dac very soon. That is why I am
Weighing my options.also there are several things on the luxman that can be upgraded,output transformers, better capacitors and more uf,and a few other things. The 7 fuses inside are All bottlenecks.he actually has his platinum fuses out there totally different then Hifi tuning ,patented,he says
Noticably better or he refunds and pays shipping both ways.
I ordered one has not arrived yet but a lot of very good feedback.
Just to let you guys know if it is commercially made it is made to a price point and $600 in upgrades can dramatically improve the player .

At that price, assuming I can get a bit of discount it does not make sense for me to risk getting a Japanese spec unit.

Amen.

Agree, price is going to be reduced to $4999. At that price, assuming I can get a bit of discount it does not make sense for me to risk getting a Japanese spec unit.

The US distributor, On A Higher Note, has confirmed that the US list price for the DA-06 is now $4,999.

I can confirm that the list price is $6K not $5K.

If you search online, you will find US dealers advertising the DA-06 at the original list price of $6000 price and others at the reduced list price of $5000. I was told about the price reduction by an official Luxman dealer.

Tboooe,it seems like you are trying very hard to convince yourself that adding a step down transformer won't affect the sound. Is it worth taking the risk?

Some US dealers continue to list the DA-06 at $6,000, e.g. Music Direct, while others list it at $5,000, e.g. TTVJ. I was told about the price reduction by a Luxman dealer in Canada.

Tboooe, it seems like you are trying really hard to convince yourself that a step down transformer is not going to affect the sound, judging from the fact that you are asking for agreement rather than opinions.

I can confirm that the list price is $6K not $5k. Also, the click is also present with their D-06 cdp using the digital inputs. Finally, I am really on the fence about getting a 100V Japenese spec version and using a step down transformer. Assuming the transformer is of good quality, why would using one degrade the sound? The DA-06 doenst care if the power came from the wall or a transformer right?

The relay "noise" you refer to is merely an audible "click" that can be heard when the DAC changes formats. There is no click between tracks of the same album or between albums of the same format, at least with playback via J River Media Center. One reviewer, in response to a question, commented that he heard it but it didn't bother him.

I've heard Luxman had some issues with the DA-06's USB interface (relay noise) have they fixed this? reviewers don't say anything about it.

Price apparently has been reduced to $5,000. Given the importance of the power supply in high end equipment, in general, and in DACs, in particular, I would definitely expect a step down transformer to degrade sound quality.

Very positive reviews have been published in AudioStream and The Computer Audiophile.

There are positive reviews at Audiostream and Computer Audiophile. Also some casual positive comments from Stereophile. There is a comparison of it to the Yulong D8 which costs $1,200 on head-fi. I am think of buying it from Japan. I wouldn't pay $6,000 for it. If you can read Japanese you can buy it even cheaper than $3,500. I don't think the transformer degrades the sound. I had another Japanese DAC and my research indicated that a transformer could improve the sound.