Luxman T-117 Tuner

I owned the Lux T-117 which I bought in mint condition for $150 through AudioMart, a great used equipment journal to subscribe to if your hobby is buying & selling audio equipment. The T-117 was a very good sounding tuner (more like a good analog tuner than a digital tuner sonically). I didn't care for the automatic high blend circuit that self-activated on noisy signals, but it was good sounding, there was some replication of air and it produced a wide soundstage with some depth. It was satisfying enough for me until it was replaced by a 1970's Sansui TU-9900 (picked up for $90, in mint condition, in AudioMart) that was far superior in every respect (soundstage, depth, air, harmonic rightness, etc.)

Hmm. Perhaps we should take a poll. Will everyone who has actually heard a Luxman 5T50 speak? I agree with Bryan here, even though he only said "maybe." Without trying to denigrate someone else's favorite(s), the 5T50 was one of the best sounding tuners in Luxman, and solid state, history. I have one that I bought from a neighbor at a garage sale.

yeah! but, It was also said, at Tuner Info, that the T 117
was one of the best sounding tuners, ever. Better than the MCintosh MR 78, FT 101 and others. Up there with the TU9900,
so that, others might disagree with you, who may have greater knowledge of tuners than you. There is no last word
in sound comparison, and not all tuners sound exactly the same as each other. Evidently, it must be pretty good. NO?

I happen to like the T-117 a lot! Please be aware that to the best of my knowledge Luxman no longer serves the US market. Parts and repairs may be diffucult to come by.

I just came across this old thread and find it interesting.

(1) In an eBay auction that closed yesterday, the T-117 fetched $400. NANDERSON bid $289, above the $225 price he thought it was worth. The Audiogon bluebook average is currently at $260, with a range from $180 (2 years ago) to $370. I think I have not seen it on eBay below $300.

(2) The negative comment on 5T50 is not unlike some similar ones that I have heard for the T-117 and T-110. I have all 3 of them. I would say that if any of these sounded so bad, they should probably be checked out by a qualified technician. Vintage tuners do need repair and alignment. My 5T50 was terrible when I bought it and the culprit was a bad ceramic filter. Once that's replaced and the tuner realigned, it's a different beast. These are all very fine tuners. The people who found them to be terrible probably had a sick tuner and didn't bring it to the doctor.

(3) The T-310 was an older tuner than the T-110 that was a step lower than the T-110. It was sold for more than the T-110 bcs it had AM and Dolby thrown in. It's still a good tuner. The T-88V was another step or two lower in the product line. It sold for less than half the price of the T-110 in UK, about 60% in the US.