Sugden/Allnic or Luxman L-509X?

I appreciate the info, but unfortunately I live in Austin, Texas. I’ve got a local dealer that carries the full Luxman line, and I’m trying to carve out time for a serious listen.

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses so far.

I saw several recommendations to replace the DAC, Phono, cables, and integrated(!), and in different communication I was told I should replace my speakers ASAP to fix this issue. I suspect there would be some degree of throwing the baby out with the bath water if I were to do all those things, and would essentially be replacing everything in my system. I’m not sure that’s necessary to get what I'm after.

While I understand that Stereophile Recommended rankings aren’t the last word in true sound quality, the MoFi turntable is Class B, as is the Lounge Audio LCR (and that was the base model, mine is Gold plus some additional part upgrades and an LPS, so I’m inclined to think it’s at least high Class B possibly low Class A), the SVS SB-3000 is listed as Class A, the Black Ice (formerly Jolida) DAC won a shootout of multiple DACs up to $5k (and did so with stock tubes, mine has NOS Mullards, tube dampers, upgraded power cord, and it’s truly phenomenal), and The Absolute Sound gave the LSA-10 Statement monitors a glowing review just a year ago. Morrow’s upper range of cables (all of mine are the 6 series) get accolades as well. So I know that I’m at least on the right track.

However, there’s something missing from my vinyl playback in comparison to the digital. That’s what I’m really trying to solve for. Is the “issue” my phono pre (a solid Class B/low Class A performer), or perhaps my integrated? The integrated throws a huge, holographic, detailed, engaging soundstage with my digital playback - honestly it’s everything I want in that regard - so I lean more towards it being something within the vinyl front end - which often feels thin and less engaging, despite having more organic and “real” sound to it.

One caveat is that with the absolute best albums in my collection (AP 45s, MoFi OneSteps, IMPEX, etc) it is a much closer race. Perhaps as it should be. I suspect that those albums sound better on most people’s systems. The difference is that EVERYTHING sounds good on my digital playback ALL THE TIME. I’m not getting the same level of performance from my vinyl setup. I’ve got $4k invested in ultrasonic cleaners, and I’m meticulous with handling, so I don’t believe it’s a media issue.

I’m 100% positive that replacing the Sugden with the Luxman L-509X would be a good jump in quality. I could sell or trade-in my Sugden and LCR, and offset the cost quite a bit. However, I know I’d always wonder how much better that Allnic H-5500 sounded compared to the Luxman’s phono, and if it could’ve been the silver bullet that fixed my analog playback with my current system. It’s a compelling piece of gear, no doubt. The comments regarding the Allnic “unbalancing” my system don’t dissuade me - great gear is great gear. Same with the Luxman. Both are end state devices for me.

So after all that, I’m still sitting square in the middle of the crossroads scratching my head.


….And after rereading my comments before hitting “Post”, I’ve just realized which direction I’m going. The Allnic. I’ll update this thread in a few weeks once I’ve received the H-5500 and had a chance to evaluate its impact in my system. Worst case scenario is that I’ll have to upgrade the rest of my system sooner than later (I see you, Allnic T-2000), but I bet it’s going to be the fix I’m looking for.

For now… ;)

I truly appreciate the feedback from all of you. This feels therapeutic, and I’m excited to report back on how the Allnic sounds.

jet88, that’s precisely why I went the Allnic route. Several folks were casting critical glances at every component BUT my phono pre, but I know how great a high quality digital source sounds through my system.

I figured why not feed it a better analog signal, which should bump the quality up. I’m already considering a LOMC to replace the MasterTracker MM cart. Better cart, better phono pre, better vinyl playback, in theory.

I’ll start a different thread re: possible cartridge upgrades once I’ve received the Allnic and gotten familiar with its sound combined with the MusicTracker. Possible candidates include Hana ML, ZYX Bloom 3, AT ART9, and Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star ES. The Hana is the most square in my sights, but I’m open to being persuaded/dissuaded.

An update: I received the Allnic H-5500 this afternoon. First off, it’s gorgeous! And larger than I thought it would be. After an hour or so of removing the Lounge LCR, making room for the much larger H-5500, rerouting cables, etc I was able to give it a very brief listen. Definitely more everything there, but went to a movie with the family so didn’t get a very extended listen.

I left it powered up the whole time so I could walk in the door later and get after it. That was two hours ago. I’ve gone through a side or two of some recent albums that get regular rotation (Dead Can Dance, Alt-J, SRV, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio, The Cure, and yes, Nils Lofgren), and which I’m very familiar with.

This was the right choice for my system. I heard completely new things, nuances, echo, cymbal strikes, and so on that I’ve never heard before from my digital system. And that liquid, organic sound! Seriously, I’m in heaven. I know these are supposed to really come alive in the 50-100 hr mark, so I’m looking forward to reporting back after a little more time with it.

P.S. That Sugden ANV-50 is incredible. The better the source I feed it, the better it performs. Highly recommended.