I'm surprised that Luxman is not more popular as well. I have been listening to an L-550ax integrated for about a month now - it's a great piece! Beautiful to look at (those yellow backlit meters are nice). Sounds superb, the loudness control is very useable; for context I live in a condo surrounded by neighbors, so sometimes I listen at low volume and the loudness is great for this. The phono input means I don't need another box (I've got a Dynavector 20XL2, low output, I use the MC setting on the Luxman). The knobs, the switches, the connectors, the casing, all seem to be top shelf. I'm sure this is carried across models. Why is Luxman not more popular? I moved from a CJ Premier 140 amp and an EAR 868 preamp, no regrets at all.
Luxman L505u . . . why not?
I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on one of these--an upgrade from my Rotel receiver. Before I do, I'd like some perspective from the learned A'gon community. First, will it be a significant upgrade from the Rotel? What kind of sonic improvements can I expect? Second, why shouldn't I buy from Audiocubes II? http://www.audiocubes2.com/brand/Luxman/product/Luxman_L-505u_Integrated_Amplifier.html
I know On a Higher Note is the official U.S. distributer, but my budget pushes me towards the less expensive purchase option. Third, regardless of where I purchase it from, it will need a transformer to boost the power to 220. I don't know anything about the possible effects this might have on sound and performance of the component--can anybody speak to this? Is it possible to have the piece modified to accept the U.S. 110 current? I want the piece because it meets my requirements for an integrated: it's at least 100W, it has speaker A/B (I've got speakers in the kitchen and the main living room), it's got a great phono section (I play 50% records, 50% CDs), and it's got a headphone amp. Those are the features I want in an integrated. Any advice, suggestions, dissuasions will be appreciated.
Danny
I know On a Higher Note is the official U.S. distributer, but my budget pushes me towards the less expensive purchase option. Third, regardless of where I purchase it from, it will need a transformer to boost the power to 220. I don't know anything about the possible effects this might have on sound and performance of the component--can anybody speak to this? Is it possible to have the piece modified to accept the U.S. 110 current? I want the piece because it meets my requirements for an integrated: it's at least 100W, it has speaker A/B (I've got speakers in the kitchen and the main living room), it's got a great phono section (I play 50% records, 50% CDs), and it's got a headphone amp. Those are the features I want in an integrated. Any advice, suggestions, dissuasions will be appreciated.
Danny