Buy a used 590 AXII for around 5-6K. You should be able to get a Brand New one for around 7K. Why the 550....your just going to ditch it to move up the line and lose money in the process. Start at the top and have no regrets!!
Luxman integrated for Harbeth Compact 7's
I’m looking to move on from a Croft phono integrated, which quite honestly, is quite nice with the 7’s. But as it goes in this hobby, we tend to enjoy playing with gear. In searching the forums here and elsewhere, it seems this combination has made some quite happy. My price range is $5000-$6000K US, so it’s the Class A 550 unit which I have my eye on. Looking for some thoughts on this. The Croft is so darned good, I may hold on to it. Especially considering it would only bring in $1000 or so. Thanks for your thoughts.
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I have owned the C7ES3 and have listened to the Luxman pairing. The amp is an awesome looking piece of bling but the combination with Harbeth sounds soft and un-engaging IMHO. Buy it if you want to but there are much better options for sound quality and synergy with the Harbeth C7s at your price point. |
hegel - i have rost and h390 - both lovely, so clean yet warm and holographic, effortless lfd le mk4 - picked one up, very impressed... lil more spotlit, open than hegel maybe lil less bottom end - ergonomics are total sh*t, stone age stuff, but the sound is very very sweet both have the ’breath of life’ factor - just super! |
Thank you- the reason I was on the fence with the 550 was the rated power, and if it would be enough for my 86 db Harbeths. My guess is there will be a trade off of giving up ultimate grip and control in favor of refinement. In this instance, I'm ok with that trade off. The C7's are not quite a rock the house speaker anyway. I've definitely read the flagship 590's power is rated conservatively, so hopefully this holds true with the 550. |
When I bought Harbeth SHL5+, I had the Cronus Magnum II and tried it with the speakers. It was a very good combination. I then bought a Luxman 590AXII, now we're talking. It really opened up the SHL5+ and had a sweet, inviting, revealing, and very open sound. It showed me all the nuances in the music, something the CM2 was not able to do quite as well. I found it to be better in the dynamics and bass areas as well. Overall, it was much more refined than the CM2. Of course, it's quite possible that CM3 is a huge improvement over CM2, so please take my impressions with a pinch of salt. I later bought the Audio Hungary Qualiton a50i. Compared it to the Luxman and decided that for my taste the Qualiton was a clear winner. It has all the attributes of the Luxman but adds the holographic, 'big and juicy' sound that only tubes can provide. It also does not lose anything in terms of clarity and resolution. Yes, it doesn't have quite the same bass slam and dynamics as the Luxman, but what it provides in exchange was enough for me to sell the Luxman. |
My experience with the Luxman 550 AX/II and C7 es3 was not a bad one. I have nothing negative to say, other than for me it was nothing special. I’m also a tube guy who almost always prefers tubes in amplification and phono. My guess is everyone is right. The Luxman’s are excellent solid state amps but perhaps the laid back (non XD) C7’s wanted a little something the Luxman didn’t have....for me anyway. Perhaps I should have gone with the Lux class A/B option. So this is all about Synergy X 5, Mingus X 5...! arafiq, very impressive looking, and I’m sure sounding amp. It’s refreshing to hear the a50i has the grunt to push the Harbeth’s. I still feel like an outlier because I want to pair my 7’s with tubes. I would certainly be in the minority on HUG. |
@mbabst I had a Luxman DA-06 DAC several years ago... very nice sounding, double free DAC. Recommended. |
I’m currently looking at the DA-06. May I ask if you have compared any Chord DACs to the Luxman. The reviews on the DA-06 appear to be contradictory. Some praise it to the heavens while some thought it’s rubbish with an overly warm sound which lacks detail. |
@Ryder It's been a while since I owned the DA-06, but I don't recall it as being overly warm and it definitely does not lack detail. It is well built as you would expect from Luxman. If I didn't need a DAC with built in volume control (direct connection to amp, bypassing the need for a preamp), I wouldn't hesitate to own it today. I had Harbeth M-40.1's at the time, by the way... and they are a warm speaker in my opinion. |
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