Luxman 509X, 590AXII, or Gryphon Diablo 300 for B&W 802d3


Hello All and Happy Holidays,

As the title states, I am exploring an integrated for my B&W's. I would like to get some insight as to your experiences with the aforementioned. I do enjoy a "tubey" midrange and also love my bass (a lot)! The top end is not as important to me. I only do digital and hope to utilize a tube DAC (maybe AudioNote). There is something magical about class A, but can the 30 watts of the Luxman do an adequate job in taming the B&W's?

As far as Gryphon, the reviews are legendary. I have heard Luxman some years ago and it was quite engaging. However, I am having struggles auditioning the Diablo. Please advise on the strengths and weaknesses. I hope to make this my last purchase for many years (at least, I hope!).

128x128jeffreyw

Happy Holidays... "Tube-y" you say... Well then, this for solid state...  This is the Int 250 by Pass Labs.  

As for power output, Stereophile reviewed the Int-150 and into 4 ohms, it belted out 284 wpc; based on this, I think it is safe to say that the Int-250 into 4 ohms would make 500 wpc.  That is not too shabby.  

I have considered the Pass Int-250, unfortunately, I can't find a dealer anywhere near me. I know it has received many accolades for performance. 

You might like the Circle Labs A200. Hybrid design with a novel topology; NOS Siemens tubes paired with an extremely short signal path yields an amplifier that sounds remarkably close to a triode amp, but just happens to make 100 watts into 8 ohms/200 in to 4. High damping factor for great bass control. It sounds "alive".

Positive Feedback reviewed it recently here and added it to their list of Writer’s Choice Awards 2021:

Thus far, it has been a challenge to find integrated amplifiers at the sub $10,000 price point that perform like top-tier separate preamplifier/amplifier combinations. Then along comes the Circle Labs A200 integrated amplifier. At $8995 it is pricey, however to get the sheer power, control, and nuanced details that makes the jump into high end, without the bulk, it is a steal!

The Circle Labs A200 is easy on the eyes, too, with very elegant industrial design. Keeping with the theme of simplicity, one of the beautiful aspects of the A200 is that it does not contain peripheral devices such as a DAC or phono stage. This allows the price to stay reasonable, while providing the "meat-and-potatoes" of what an integrated amplifier is: A low noise line stage followed by a powerful amplifier section, with as short of a signal path as possible.

When listening, the minimalist preamplifier section, and proprietary Circle Power technology performs as a well-engineered piece of equipment should. Control, power, and extreme inner detail are all present as one would hear with a top-tier component, or should I say: Components? The Circle Labs A200 truly sounds like a separate specialty line-stage and large power amplifier. It has a hint of romanticism, too, but most seem to enjoy music that airs on the side of romance since we do not listen to test signals. What else can I give than the highest recommendation to a piece that truly embodies the saying, "buy once, cry once."

I own the Luxman 590AXII and it powers Harbeth 30.2’s which have an 87db Sensitivity (yours are 90 I see) with no problem. I can get well past 95db loudness when cranking it. There has been some discussion about the fact that although Luxman says it’s pure class A 30 watts into 8 ohms, 45 at 4 Ohms, third party measurements have also claimed it does switch into Class A/B above 30 and outputs 90 watts in A/B. Perhaps a dealer will let you try the 590 and switch it out to the 507 if you feel it’s necessary?

I don’t worry about it however, the 590 has a warm, but clean sound, it is clear without being sterile or bright. Great headphone and MM/MC preamp built in, I personally like the tone controls, and for me it drives my speaker fine.

I have never owned B&W speakers, so I can't tell you if it's a good match with them. I have heard PASS, Hegel and other integrated amps and they all sound great. Just a personal choice at that point. Hope this helps.

I own the B&W 803 D3. Before they arrived, I owned the Luxman  L-509X. Something was missing big time compared to what I had heard these speakers many times at at least three dealers and a friend. So I switched to another integrated amp, my current T+A PA 3100 HV. Everything came back to life the moment I switched it on. Couldn’t be happier.