Luxman Integrated - What do they sound like

I've had a L590axII in my system for a month now, it replaced a Yamaha a-s2100. I have run el-34 and 300B tubes with the same main speakers. My thoughts...

I like the Lux better (than the Yamaha) all around. Small things mostly.... it has a better system match. To my ears in my room/system the Lux has better low level detail yet retains some bit of warmth- without going overboard.

 I do like the versatility of Loudness button, tone controls, Mono switch, and all sorts of input/ output choices- along with A and B speaker switching. (the Yamaha does share most of those traits) FWIW I run mostly in line straight unless the media/source needs fine tuning for my room/ear.

My main speakers are quite efficient at 100+- DB and the 'B' speakers are probably around 86 +- DB. I agree with others about the Lux possibly running out of steam on lower efficient speakers, tho I never have.

The 590 while testing to a higher level of output (75 or 90 watts into 8 ohm depending on who you want to believe) I think it would be fair to say just pretend it's a 30 watt SS amp with some good headroom.

If you are running some 90+ efficient speakers in a mid size room, 85+ in a small room or 95+ in a larger room you should be OK with the 590- depending on music choice and expectations.

An example of this: At a distance of 5 feet I find my sound level meter sits at 70DB+- on the small 'B' speakers. I switch to 'A' speakers, walk over to more efficient A speakers at 5 feet the same output setting will show a 84+- DB. This is a huge difference that really determines your system matching. 

The 509x could be better with more versatility going forward in speaker choice, depending on what you want to run. I have not heard the 509x, so don't know it's sonic signature.

I like the 590 amp- it gives some hints of what I like about the tube sound- tho I do miss the spatial quality of the 300B a little. It makes up for that compromise in other ways. My main speakers while having some faults,  show great dynamic character which works very well with the 590axII

Cheers,
RW

agrippa29 posts01-20-2019 7:57pmMy amp is a Luxman L-550AXII, but sadly I’m unsure how to explain the differences between it and the many other amps I’ve owned. Fortunately there’s no shortage of reviews to be had by googling, all of which are pretty much raves.

Suffice it to say that it’s the best amp I’ve owned, including gear that cost between two and 3 times as much. Being a Class A device with only 20W (in Class A; it does of course transition into Class A/B when pushed hard) speaker matching is something to keep in mind and you wouldn’t want to pair it with, say, 83dB/4Ohm speakers. uilder3141 posts01-21-2019 10:44pm

590AXII is 30W Class @ 8 ohms. Has the classic Class A sound with a nice midrange bloom. Just note it runs out of steam pretty quickly so a fairly efficient speaker is a must IMHO.

The L-590AX is 30W/channel Class A into 8 ohms, then switches to A/B. It will actually put out over 90W/channel into 8 ohms, and nearly 160 into 4 ohms.

I have looked on Luxman's website  and have not found anything in the specs that states either the L-550AX or the L-590AX transitions to class A/B when driven beyond their 20W and 30W respectively.
I have had a L-550AX in the past with Harbeths and found it lost dynamic when driven to higher volumes.

valinar, go look at the link I posted in one of the first replies of the thread. My answer is based on measured performance of the amp. I’ve always wondered why Luxman wasn’t more forthcoming, it seems like they wanted only to focus on the class A output of the amp, disregarding the rest.

Here you go, I found a review by the same people of the L-550AX, they measured it at 66W into 8 ohms, and 121W into 4 ohms. Take from it what you will I guess.
http://www.navratilaudio.cz/novinky/Test%20L-550AX%20-%203%20str%E1nky.pdf

My own remark was also the result of reading a review of the original L-550AX where measurements were made. I can’t for the life of me remember the site, but I do remember they stated an output of 78W when driven to the max.

It would have been nice to have the full skinny from Luxman, but obviously they want people to think of these amps as pure class A devices. Which isn’t a bad thing in my opinion, as people would likely buy them in order to pair them with less inefficient speakers if the max output was detailed, thereby quite possibly negating the whole point of owning a Class A amp.

Thanks builder1 and agrippa.