i’ve had both and have a high regard for them. jeff is a brilliant designer and a great guy to boot. His gear is beyond reproach in all respects.
Regardless I have been fortunate enough to have a Corus/625s2 duo and a luxman c-900u/m-900u in the same basic system and for ‘my’ taste the luxman duo suited me better bc it was a little brighter which provided more apparent detail as you would expect. if anything my system is pretty neutral with the upper frequencies being a bit soft so naturally out of two outstanding amps the brighter one better suited me. i will say this. i think the Corus is a little soft/veiled whereas the c-900u lays it all out there is a very musical and transparent way. i do prefer the lux pre. i would have loved hearing the luxman preamp with the 625 but i suppose that would have been weird. |
Thank you so much for your opinion.
I appreciate your experience with both brands and understand your explanation.
My main preamp is a GAT2 and I think that might be better suited to the Luxman which has RCA inputs. The Rowland has only XLR inputs and I don’t like using adapters.
Sonically, I think the GAT2 will be wonderful on the Luxman M-900u. |
absolutely should be a great match
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What an amazing time to find this thread! It's like your a mind reader;
Short story: I had a Luxman M-900U with my Dynaudio Confidence 30's and felt that it was a bit lightweight in the dynamic drive and bass authority area; Amazing clarity, presence, sense of "real life presentation" ; Turns out the speakers were mostly the issue;
I did, however, sell that amp and get a Pass INT250 which was pretty freaking amazing as far as improved "muscularity" but perhaps not as finesse in the top end or as absolutely open in the vocals as the M-900; The Pass was just a touch more reticent or laid back in these areas. Not by much though; FFWD a bit and I upgraded to Cf50 speakers and found the bass much much better than the CF30; I wanted to get back into separates and was able to get a Luxman C-900U preamp; I ran this for a good bit into the Pass INT250 and was mesmerized with the results; My thoughts were to sell the INT250 and go for X350.8 or X260.8 monos; The INT250 sold and at the same time a deal surfaced for a few months old M-900 so I wanted to try this amp one more time with the larger Dyns. It's really great; the highest performance in mids, treble, imaging and clarity in the SS amps that i've ever had in any of my systems. Very much reminds me of tube like lucidity and density;
However for my tastes I still prefer that extra bit of low level power and authority that American muscle amps seem to command;
The dealer who is working with me loves (and the M-900) the 625 S2 and from what I read in the various forums and such it seems like it has it all; Power, grace, massive reserves, super low noise, etc.
The preamp will be the C-900; I have come across no other preamp that can do what this thing can;
Would love to hear more feedback;
Thank you,
Dave
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Dave here’s what I think FWIW. I absolutely would keep that Luxman combo intact. I do not think that the 625s2 is a superior move. I personally had no ‘weight’ issues with the Luxman and would hate to give up their all around superior attributes. If you really want more weight you could pick up a used Shunyata or two which will definitely add weight. I hate to see you count on a power cord though. Here’s a grand thought. Your C-900u has excellent tone controls. Give the bass a slight bump if you want a meatier sound. It’s probably not what you want to hear but that Luxman amp is special.
BTW I never seem to take my own advice. What cables do you use? |
@4425 great thoughts; I will play around with some power cables; I have some mediocre Wire World stuff but a good friend has shipped me some stuff from Nordost, Audience, and IsoTek; I think it arrives today;
The speaker cables are Transparent Audio Super Speaker Gen5;
I do use and LOVE the C-900 tone controls; Can't live without, lol;
I hear you 100% on not heeding one's own advice;
The M-900 has some super incredible traits and if I could flush out some fullness and power drive in the lower area, I would hit the brakes full on.
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Hey Dave, for what you are looking to accomplish with your system and way you like it, if you are looking at power cords, try Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF power cords. You will be surprised. In the grand scheme of things, they are not terribly expensive either. You will thank me later ;-) |
one thing dave that i can tell you from experience in house. the shunyata Alpha NR is definitely ripe/full in the bass region. still i would think that the bass tone control should get it done. i think it’s centered at 100hz which is perfect for fullness.
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Dave - had the exact same issues with the Lux in my system. If it’s just not a synergistic match, I’d move on vs playing with cords and stuff as tone controls. You’ll be trading one issue for another. Find the right amp, then settle on cables. |
i didn’t want to throw another product in the mix but if I wanted(I did) either a full sounding stereo amp or better yet, integrated amp with muscle you owe it to yourself to experience the new Dag Progression integrated amp. If you have a pre you love then the Progression stereo amp. I have to say as a very longtime jaded audiophile that the integrated is special. It has Dan’s latest design elements which is not inconsequential. My dealer thinks that it will not benefit sales of the Progression separates. It defines muscle with superb musicality. It’s cool too. FWIW
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Happy Easter! I hope everyone is healthy and feeling good. I played around with a Nordost Brahma, Audience Au24se, and Isotek Optimum ( had to use 15 amp adapter ).
While I do hear differences among these cables I can tell you that the Pass INT 250 is a better power match into my Dynaudio Confidence 50’s; Unless I boost the bass via the C 900 tone controls the results are quite disappointing. Initially when I first got the m900 back in my system I let my excitement get the better of me and was “ blown away”. However as the days have ticked off I find this amp to be not a great match with these speakers.
I have a dedicated 20 amp line and have tried the m900 direct to outlet and to isotek Aquarius evo 3. I don’t have other speaker cables at this time to try, but I had kinda similar results with my msb discrete/c900/m900/confidence 30/all cardas clear reflection cables and clear beyond power cables.
Somewhat flat and dynamically lacking results most of the time, unless I crank up the bass and subs. I’ve heard these speakers light up with Pass Labs (no subs and no tone) so I’m on the hunt for an X 350.8; the C900 preamp is insane tho and I’ll be hanging on to that.
I don’t have the patience ( I’m a lousy audiophile I guess) to mess around trying many other speaker cables and tweaks, the synergy is either there or not. Pity because I do hear great things from this amp in other areas but overall the pass is a significantly better amp to these ears on these speakers and with my probably crappy room acoustics ( 35 x 35 x 8 carpeted room).
It’s all learning and some frustration but all good nonetheless.Peace be with you.
Dave
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I forgot to put some context around this; I’m somewhat of a bass freak and prefer the tactile impact 🆚 just hearing things. Not to say the m900 has no balls, and the pass all balls, but rather they meet somewhere along the continuum. The M900 has breathtaking, mind bending purity and extension from midrange on to top end...so much I often can’t believe that electronic “anything” is responsible for the sound I’m hearing. The Dynaudio Confidence 50 is in this relationship too so at least that aspect is phenomenal...but the Pass amps seem to render more of what resonates with me.
This thing we are a passionate part of, if I may, is so very personal, and that is why I believe there is no absolute sound; merely only preferences; in the end, and along the way.
IOW, our uniqueness IS the primary component on this quest. |
dpac996, Thank you so much for your thoughts. I (we) very much appreciate it. |
@joeinid
thanks man. Today is a new day, lol; I'll probably be playing around with the M-900 and power cords more; Sometimes the stars align and the system sounds fabulous; Maybe since everyone is home the local power grid is nasty;
It almost seems like the M-900 is current starved, so I wonder if I am suffering from a poor power factor.
The 1250VA transformer is massive and the power output stage is designed to deliver prodigious current into very low impedance, so from an electrical design perspective, on paper, the amp has 'the sauce'. My speaker cables are Transparent Audio Super Speaker Gen 5 and are somewhat known for lighting fast dynamics and great bass performance.
As a side note, my former Luxman 509X had zero issues pumping an energetic signal to my (then) Dynaudio Contour 60's; That was a phenomenal configuration!
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+1 on triode wire labs obsession. My system powered by 4 of them. They bested (in my system) such cables as shunyata sigma HC,cardas clear beyond, zen wave audio, wireworld platinum and some others. Great power cables. You should try them with luxman m-900 before going with different amplifier. I don't think you be able to find upper and mid level refinements and purity going with pass class a/b like 350.8 or 260.8. You have to step into pass xa-160.8 territory or even xs-150 to bit luxman 900 combo. |
ok; that’s two solid recommendations for the Triode; I will give it a shot;
--update: Placed order! 6 foot, NCF; |
Interesting, I usually find Pass to sound rather lean with modern speakers.
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Hello. I re arranged the m900 to bottom shelf of the Samson rack, swapped some power cords (IsoTek optimum feeding IsoTek evo3, Nordost Brahma feeding c900, Audience au24se on amp straight into wall receptacle), put the speaker cables on wood blocks...I let this settle over some time and there is a marked improvement in sound; Here are two pics; first one is current setup second was with the Int250. I ordered the American speaker cables and the obsession pc from Triode Wire Labs; set to ship out Saturday. I don’t have the sub back in as is and it’s quite satisfying at the moment. https://imgur.com/a/jl3J4wT |
update: Hated the Audience AU24 SE!!! At first I heard "improvement" in bass--it took me a while to realize what was happening. Higher frequencies were being compressed and damped down. It was quite shocking to experience this effect. The Audience AU24SE softened/compressed the presence region to the point where vocalists became narrow and nasal, and the higher frequencies, eg, cymbals and the like, were pushed very far back in the presentation. This is the first time I have experienced such a change; The funny thing is, I did not notice it at first. The STOCK M-900 power cord is in, for the first time since I’ve had the amp and the results are in the right direction. I sure hope the TWL Obsession PC does not do goofy things to the amp in a way that the Audience did. PCs can seriously wreak havoc on a system. Lesson learned.
@Joeinid: I am sorry I keep hijacking your thread. Please forgive, I got carried away.
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dpac996Please don’t worry about any hijacking. It’s not an issue. I absolutely appreciate your thoughts and everyone else’s additional data points on all things. I’m enjoying what comes out as a result of everyone’s input. Knowledge and experience shared here is extremely valuable. please keep it up! Joe |
Hi @dpac996 You will have zero such issues with TWL Obsession NCF. I can assure you on that. I am using one for my T+A PA 3100 HV Integrated Amp, and is by far the best I have ever had on that particular piece. It beats other PCs in the $3,000 to $3,500 range. For that price (hopefully you got the current 10% off promotion), it is really a great value.
Please keep us updated once you receive it. Or you can just email me if it sucked for you 😂😂
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What are the salient characteristics of the Obsession? What stands out ? |
@4425 Whatever I say, does not matter. There is only one way to really know: try for yourself |
Pete (of TWL) was great and informed me of his April discount. I ordered the speaker cables to try as well; Should arrive by Monday.
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I have not compared separates from both companies, but have compared integrated amps from both companies at the same price point $10-15K, and Jeff Rowland was clearly superior.
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just to be sure; you’re talking about comparing Luxman integrated amps to same from JRDG ?
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@thyname @denon1
you were right; The TWL Obsession is a fantastic PC and has improved the performance of the system. I tried a Nordost Brahma (bought from a friend and ended up using on the C-900 preamp), Audience AU24SE-HP, Shunyate NRC something, stock, Wireworld Aurora, Analysis Plus Ten; The improvements that I hear described in a few words: effortless dynamics--transient attack is tightened up, decays/trails bloom better, sound seems "detached" from the actual gear; overall refinement and beauty to the sound...I think i'm in the middle of the trial run but I will be keeping this PC.
I ordered a Triode Wire Labs American Digital to test on the DAC. That arrives in a few days.
The construction of the TWL Obsession is top class. The connector bodies are chunky and machined. The cable is very easy to route because its super flexible. Helps for cable management. Thanks for the solid recommendation.
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Glad you like it @dpac996 ! I have two of the Obsessions NCF. Outstanding PCs for their price. My suggestion for you is to buy the same cable for your DAC. Keep it consistent 😂
Those connectors are the Furutech NCF (thus the last part of Obsession name). They are probably the best connectors in the market right now. |
I have nothing to add but am glad I read through the thread. I'll be following as I've been interested for some time in the TWL Obsession NCF power cord. And possibly the speakers cables as well. |
Anyone have any updates on the TWL power cords. |
See above. What other updates are you looking for @pokey77 ?
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@thyname
I was just hoping for more listening impressions. I did see that @dpac996 bought the Digital American. So just wanting to hear how that cable and the Obsessions are sounding in folks systems. Would also be interested if anyone has been able to compare either to IsoTek Optimum or Nordost Frey 2. |
There is only one way to know: try for yourself.
I only own the Obsession NCF. And to me that is a truly SOTA power cord. And I have owned about a hundred power cords over the years. |
@thyname +1
Nothing beats trying yourself. Plus TWL has a 30 days trial.
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@thyname
@joecasey
I appreciate the nudge. I've got a few other items that are more of a priority, but something tells me that the TWL Obsession is an amazing cord. Mentioning that it is SOTA also gave me a little more confidence. Thanks.
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