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Luxman L590AX vs.590AXii

I am in the position of being able to buy either the 590AX or the 590AXii. The AXii is 2x the cost of the AX. I listened to the AX through Focal Kanta No2 speakers, which I own, and was thoroughly impressed. My question is this: what improvements did Luxman do to the AXii  relative to the AX that might justify spending 2x the cash on it?

The AX I listened to was manufactured in 2015 and is in pristine condition.

TIA

128x128re-lar-kvothe
abd1
156 posts
 

Thanks. Why did you settle on the Pass vs Luxman? All have strengths and are beautiful products. What speakers are you driving?

re-lar-kvothe's avatar
re-lar-kvothe OP
166 posts
 

@abd1 

I went with the XA-25 because I already have a history the FirstWatt F6 and I got to listen to the Pass on a set up similar to mine. Price was also a factor as was availability. For speakers I have used Focal Kanta No.2s, Moth Audio Cicadas, Zu Audio Soul MKlls, and my tried and trusty Mirage M760s. All sound great. The Focals are obviously in a league of their own however, and I know this will be difficult for some to agree or understand, but the Mirage absolutely love the XA-25 (and the F6 for that matter). I bought the Mirage in 1986 and used them with a variety of new/vintage amps over the years. Never did they sound mismatched with any of the amps. I have owned Spendors and Harbeths paired with a McIntosh MA-5200 as well. None have impressed me as much as the Mirage. Once I found the sweet spot for them I decided to sell the Focals and am in process of selling the Souls. I am going to keep the Cicadas for my low WPC tube amps. 

abd1
156 posts
 

I was able to get the l590axii for a great price. I have to go out of town so I won’t receive it for a couple weeks. Curious if anyone has used one with an external amp? I love tube amps and have a couple plus a First Watt SIT3. I plan on playing around with configurations using the internal amp and external amps. Perhaps I’ll find the performance of the Luxman good enough to not keep the other amps?

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