OP, if you are poised to purchase Tannoy’s in near future, I would not spend a dime on any other component now. It’s important to get the synergy right between your Integrated and Speakers. Adding a DAC or phono is not going to mask the issues between Luxman and R3S. I have been down this road where I kept on upgrading upstream components instead of addressing the real problem. Having heard Luxman Integrated, I do not believe Luxman is a right match for your R3S or Tannoy’s.
Where to insert tubes while running a Luxman SS integrated
I've recently upgraded my integrated amplifier from a Cambridge CXA81 to a Luxman l-507uxii. The Cambridge is definitely not bad for its price, but the Luxman is a different animal and is making me want to upgrade everything else in my system. Which brings me to my point of discussion: I'd like to insert tubes somewhere in my system to get some additional warmth and a more holographic soundstage. Would adding a tube preamp and running the Luxman as only a power amp be best to do this, or would it be better to get a tube dac for my digital, and separately, a tube phono stage for my vinyl?
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@lalitk sounds like words of wisdom. Do you have any speaker recommendations in the 4-6k range to run with the Luxman? |
@mapman perhaps not, but I’m very satisfied with the combo when I play my good vinyl pressings and even some well-recorded digital. It’s really bad pressings and some digital that become too harsh (which the R3s do not mask at all—I had the same issue, perhaps slightly worse, when I was running them with the Cambridge). The dilemma is if those particular recordings/pressings can be masked/improved by adding something else to chain. Or maybe I just need to move to warmer speakers. |
I run a Cambridge Evo 150 with KEF Ls 50 metas +sub and that is a very good combo. I’ve heard R3s and would expect the same. The Evo uses Hypex Class D amplification which is very highly regarded. The sound is incite fun and dynamic but never harsh even on recordings that can be on some high end gear. The Evo does it all pretty much very well for about $3K. Just add speakers and maybe phono source if needed. |
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