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Luxman L-590AXII vs Pass Labs INT-60

Folks, I was just wondering if any of you guys managed to compare both Luxman and Pass Labs amps in your system or at the dealers. Some brief description on the differences between both amps would be great.

Personally I own the L-590AXII but am curious about the house sound of the INT-60. FWIW I find the Luxman to be very balanced. Although it's a Class A, it does not sound overly warm. The L-590AXII is fairly detailed, refined and nuanced while showing a very slight hint of warmth in the midrange. Bass goes deep and is defined and controlled while the treble is sweet and extended without showing any sibilance or brightness.

In short, I find the Luxman L-590AXII to sound rather neutral, tilting slightly to warmth on the scale. Although it's tuned to sound delicate and refined, the Luxman can rock too and is capable of sounding dynamic and lively when the music calls for it. On the other hand, the same cannot be said about the Accuphase as I read that it sounds quite a bit warmer than the Luxman, sacrificing a little on punch, slam and dynamics. In other words, the Accuphase sounds too smooth with rock or dynamic music.
ryder
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,682 posts
 
@ryder -- I'm in the same boat as you. When I was in the process of auditioning amps, Luxman 590AXII and Pass Labs INT-60 were the top contenders. I ended up going with the Luxman because of all the amps I was able to audition, the 590AXII ticked all the boxes. It seems to me that unless you live in Reno, Nevada, it's pretty much impossible to audition Pass Labs prior to purchasing. But I, too, wonder about the house sound of Pass Labs. I don't understand why there's such a dearth of Pass Labs dealers in the US.

The problem is that you won't find any objective comparisons on the internet. There are a few threads on this topic, but the answers are invariably from fan boys who own one or the other but not both. And we know how that works :)

Realistically, the only option is to buy an INT-60 in the used market, compare the two side by side for a month or two and keep the one you like more. That's what I plan to do next year. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy my Luxman! I do know that other than Pass Labs, there's nothing else that I would ever consider replacing the Luxman with.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Lux has complimentary push pull Bipolar output devices
Pas has complimentary push pull Mosfets output devices.

All else being equal for current delivery into low impedances (power supply etc), I would go the Luxman for bipolar outputs as they aren’t phased by low impedance speakers and current delivery as much as mosfets are.

Cheers George
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
Fwiw, whitecamaross in his long thread and YT channel compared L590AXii to pass labs int250 (a higher integrated in PL lineup (12k vs 9k for int60) and declared the Luxman better. Speakers were Wilson Sasha DAW. He didn’t compare them directly head2head but owned both within couple months on same speakers. Again fwiw. Ymmv
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 




The Sasha DAW have a "similar" looking impedance/phase-angle curve, not quite as bad phase.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/1219Wilsonfig1.jpg
To the Sabrina X https://www.stereophile.com/images/221Wilsonfig1.jpg

Stereophile said this about the SabrinaX:
The SabrinaX has an EPDR of less than 2 ohms between 65Hz and 275Hz, with a minimum value of 1.1 ohms at 90Hz, where music can have high energy. The partnering amplifier needs to be capable of driving 2 ohms without stress.
Probably why the Lux with bipolar output stage is more comfortable pushing current before limiting into that low EPDR impedance than a mosfet amp will, even though the Pass has higher 8ohm wattage.60w v 30w.

Cheers George

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 

Then next level up from the Lux if you have more funds, I’d look at the Gryphon Diablo 120!!

Cheers George
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