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Luxman CL34: How does it compare today?

I've always been a fan of the Luxman sound. I own the SQ-N10, L-80V, and L-450. I've been toying around with going into a system of vintage Luxman separates using the CL34 tube preamp and the M-300 amplifier. The thing is, I'd love to hear from some folks who really know about this preamp and may have even had it. 

I see it occasionally selling for around $1600, but I'm wondering, is it worth that price if it's never been serviced (even if it looks like it's in fantastic shape)? The blue book lists it around 950 as of a few years ago, but nobody is selling it that low anymore. 

How does it compare with other tube pre's within the 1-2k price range? 

Have you done extensive tube rolling with it? If so, what were your results?

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zipost's avatar
zipost
199 posts
 
Really excellent made preamp, i believe the cl35 was for North American and the cl34 was for Asia ( could be vice vera).  Nicely built, excellent quality, very warm sounding.    I own a cl35 with a step volume control, imh it was better than the cl34.  Same category as the mcintosh c-22, but slight analytical sounding.  Tube like but sound close to Accuphase.  Tube makes a huge different, i prefer the 803s by telefunken on them.  

br3098
997 posts
 
The CL34 is a wonderful vintage preamp but, like virtually any piece of vintage gear from the 1980s, will require some attention in order to sound it's best.  All of the caps will almost certainly need to be replaced, as well as the resistors that supply the tube voltage and associated diodes in all likelihood.  The pots and rotary switches also get dusty and noisy and will typically need a good cleaning, if not outright replacement.  IMO replacing the cheap volume pot with a stepped attenuator can make a significant improvement in the sound, at the expense of vintage originality.
blisshifi's avatar
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blisshifi OP
1,212 posts
 
@zipost and @br3098, thanks so much for your responses as I've learned something new today about sound quality improvement through stepped attenuators. I'm curious though, why are stepped better than the regular rotary pots, is it because it is more of an explicit switch that regulates voltage better?

And yeah, I'm aware of the amount of work that might have to go into replacing some of the components. I've done quite a bit of that to get it where I want.

Good to know about the tube rolling. I've had great experiences rolling my SQ-N10.

Seeing that you guys have both had experience, would you recommend any newer tube preamps in the $1000-$2000 price range that would outdo the CL34?
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