McIntosh to Luxman?

Again, everyone, thanks for your feedback.  It's much appreciated.   

@caphill ...yeah, a new streamer would be next on my list. I guess at the moment,  I'm smitten with the Luxman amp. 

@woots ...thanks for the recommendation 

@audioman58...super cool integrated, and if I had an extra $6k laying around, I'd probably go that route.  I forgot to mention in my post, I want to stay in the $2k-$3k range, out-of-pocket.  Trading in my hybrid McIntosh gets me there. 

@soix...I like your attitude.  Just go for it!   

I'll keep you all updated.  Have a great day!  ~ Jerry 

I did the switch and even a side-by-side comparaison and Luxman was my favorite no questions asked

The Mac: C712 + MC7100

The Luxman: L-509X

The Mac was from the 90's so not a fair comparaison, but there were separate.

The Lux is much more detailled with a wide soudnstage. The voices were crisp and so clear, you can almost smell the breath of the signer!

The Mac has slighly more bass, but not as clean as the Lux. Th overall sound was warmer.

In the end, it is very different sound and it's a matter of personal preferences. And not all Max/Lux sound the same.

@caphill whats a good replacement for Bluesound?  

a few comments to add to this conversation

1. i concur 100% with @ghdprentice on mac vs luxman solid state -- luxman will be leaner cleaner sounding, more linear top to bottom, whereas mac is voiced to me warmer fuller in mids and midbass with notable obscuring of treble detail and air in comparison

2. mac makes ss amps models with and without autoformers, they sound different, autoformers at the output stage gives further warmth, while mac models without will sound more ’typically’ solid state, with better transient response but a leaner presentation - still even non autoformer ss mac amps will be voiced richer warmer than commensurate luxman model

3. the comparison is further complicated by the fact that the op has the mac252 which is a non autoformer HYBRID integrated amp model, with 12au7/at7 tube pre section... thus even more notable tubey presentation, very much apples to oranges vs luxman 507 straight ss class ab

4. as for the bluesound node, if the op has the n130 (latest model, much improved over the older 2 and 2i sonically) the dac analog output will be pretty good, but can be improved with a power supply upgrade (there are several vendors)... i bought one for fun with the pd creative lps mod and using a proper lps the sound is definitely improved (cleaner transients, improved tonality and timbre), the internal smps definitely holds the unit back, slurs the sound and diminishes soundstage

5. even though the bs node with power supply upgrade is very good sounding at under $1000 (with mods and lps) there are many other as good or slightly better sounding dac/streamers on the market in the $1000-1500 price range - which would allow the op to enjoy the purer sound of the luxman more effortlessly

Not sure how helpful this will be. However, FWIW, several years ago, I spent a couple hours critically listening to a MAC MA5200 and the Luxman in a head-to-head demo, using a Rega P3 equipped with an Ortofon Blue, Focal Aria 936 and a Rega Apollo CD player with well-engineered CD recordings and very good, very clean vinyl pressings. The CDs were my own; so, music I was very familiar with. Of course, this was a SS-to-SS shoot-out. What you have in mind is hybrid to SS, a different ballgame. My ears thought the MA5200 and the Luxman sounded virtually identical.

I've never spent any time with an MA252 and haven't spent much time with those Maggies. So, can't say what the A/B matchup you have in mind would be like. Going on specs, alone, I would say your ears will likely prefer the amp with the most robust power supply for those Maggies (i.e.  not WATTS; power supply). Regardless, as with all things audiophile, let your ears be the judge.

BTW: Having critically listened to many MAC amps, over the years (more than Luxies); my ears would most definitely not agree that MAC's general sound signature is "very heavy (on) midrange and bass"; "rolled off in the upper treble range (veiling) upper-octave detail and the openness of the overall soundstage", that "Luxman ... has better dimensionality, textures and image specificity compared to comparably priced Mac(s)", that the "music would sound more dimensional with better instrumental/voice textures and imaging with the Luxman", that "Mac slightly lacks the last bits of details, resolution, texture and dimensionality in comparison to Luxman", that Luxman is "more musical and provided much more depth and detail than the McIntosh", etc.

I would agree, however, that this definitely depends upon the speakers used and likely would be a matter of preference, given equitably matched amps in a head-to-head shoot-out. Speakers are always the business end of any sound system.