Luxman Integrated - What do they sound like

I completely agree with Steve Huff's review of the Luxman 590-AXII.  I purchased one last year to simplify my setup and have been totally pleased with the purchase.  

I love the sound in my system and the looks!

I was able to sell off my separate amp, pre-amp and phono stage.  These combined separates had a retail of $13500 without cables. 

My separates were:

Zesto Audio Andros 1.0 Tube phono stage - $3500
Classè Sigma SSP 7.1 chl SS pre-amp / processor - $5500
Sanders Sound ESL Mark II SS amp - $4500

I have a pair of Martin Logan Montis speakers.  I was fearful of going to the Luxman with only 60wpc into 4 ohms. The Sanders Sound amp had over 700wpc into 4 ohms.  But the Montis have a step-up built into them and really don't need so much power.  The Luxman seems to have power-a-plenty to drive them.  Fears were dispelled, after a few minutes listening to the Luxman / Montis pairing.

It does get warmer than the Sanders Sound, which was really cool given its power rating.  The Luxman also has a slight transformer noise, if you get really close to it.  From normal listening distances, you cannot hear it.

While the phono stage built into the Luxman is wonderful, I felt that it was not a perfect match for my Ortofon Cadenza Black.  The gain is just not sufficient.  So, I added a Bob's Devices Sky 20 SUT between my VPI Classic 4 and the Luxman phono stage input.  The Luxman is a delightful MM phono stage, which is what I now have it set to.  I love this combination and the convenience of not having to turn something else on and letting it warm up (i.e. the Zesto Andros). 

Thanks and kind regards,
Jason  

Hi @jasonsim
I'm curious what you feel the warm up time for the Luxman is.
Best,
E

hmm...not sure I understand what you are asking.  But I will try.

The Luxman is always in idle unless you unplug the cord.  So pushing the power button on the unit just takes it out from idle and it's ready to go.  It gets warm in about 30 minutes. Meaning that the heat coming from the vents is nearly peak in that time.  However, other factors can alter this such as room temperature and how hard it is being pushed.

The heat is not such a big deal for me.  I placed it on the top shelf and I have a 65in TV right above on the wall.  Never has been an issue.  But I don't leave it on all day either.  

The 590AXII that I have tried at home for the past week with my Spendor D9's warms up fairly quick. Even at peak though, the heat is really not bad at all. I can keep my hand on it so that may tell you something. It is a great sounding amp - one that I like over the 509X but that's me coming from a tube setup. 

Thanks so much for the replies, @jasonsim

It's not actually heat output I'm worried about so much as sound quality, I was trying to assess how long I would have to turn the unit on before it sounds its best.

Thank you,

Erik