2. amps-preamps
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Going linear - The Luxman 507ux

No one panic, but I just picked up the last Luxman 507ux in the US. About 110w/ch with power meters. 😀

Ill compare them directly with my Class Ds at home. 
erik_squires
jzzmusician
156 posts
 
Erik,
For the past 3 years I've had a Primaluna Dialogue HP integrated.  Besides the stock EL34 tubes, (stupid good) I also had a set of KT 150s. 

Luxman just kept popping up on my radar.  Over and over again. I read the reviews, talked to some friends and pulled the trigger even though I've never heard one.  I live in a small town and the nearest Luxman dealer is at least 300 miles away.   My Epicon 8s will take a lot of power and I had some gear I wasn't using and at the end of the day I had money in the bank.  I'm very curious as to how it will stand up to the Primaluna, as I found it to be a very fine piece of gear.

I'm pretty pumped.  I'll be sure and let you know how it goes on Monday when I get to fire it up.
Also, please accept a quick thank you for your contributions to the forum.  I don't post very often, but I read and appreciate your input here.
- Bob
erik_squires OP
16,592 posts
 
I'm very curious as to how it will stand up to the Primaluna, as I found it to be a very fine piece of gear.

Me too! I've admired their designs, but never heard one. In the end though tubes are not really for me here. If I were to get a huge amount of money, afford my own home I'd love some old school CJ premieres.

Also, please accept a quick thank you for your contributions to the forum. I don't post very often, but I read and appreciate your input here. 


Why thank you, kindly!


Erik

ricevs
1,543 posts
 

The IcePower ASP modules are at least a 13 year old design. The reason Parts Express sells them is that IcePower needs to get rid of the old stock. You cannot buy the latest IceEdge modules at retail. They are only sold to OEMs. I sold an amp in 2006-7 using the ASP 500 modules (basically the same as the ASP 250 modules but more power). You can read a review of my amps on 10 audio that was done in 2007. His review was very accurate. In its day, for the money, it was great. The new stock IceEdge modules are in another league. And run mono and modded and tweaked to the max?.......well simply superb for any class of amp. So, to compare an old stock IcePower module to the latest way more expensive Luxman is well.....? If you really want to hear what Class D can do against a Luxman or other class A/B amps, etc. then you need to hear tweaked mono IceEdge or at the very least the latest versions of the Ncore NC500 and NC1200. Tweaked IceEdge is way less expensive than Luxman. How do they compare sonically? Would be fun to find out. If anyone is in the bay area and wants to hear my modded mono IceEdge amp in their home (versus most any amp) then let me know. You cannot know anything about how something has evolved or sounds unless you listen to the latest thing IN YOUR HOME.

I am not saying that the latest Class D is the greatest or that you will not like something else better. We are not all "looking for" the same sound and it's helpful to get components that match our systems.

jetter
3,084 posts
 
ricevs, there are a number of us that would like to thank you for taking your time to write out the same message that has already been repeated 1,000 times.  The retention skills of posters who feel the need to stammer out the same message obsessively is suspect, as to assume the rest of us require this repetition of a simple message that takes ten seconds to understand.

erik_squires OP
16,592 posts
 
I’m thinking some more about the Luxman vs. my ICEpower 250 ASPs.

Very early on in my audiophile kink I was listening to some large Martin Logans powered by a little Sumo amp (one I eventually bought) and the rep replaced the preamp with a Conrad Johnson PV 10. What I was most impressed with was the ambience and decay around notes that was immediately obvious to me.

In that sense, I’m having the same experience here with the Luxman vs. the ICEpower modules I’m using. In a sense, the ICEpower sounds too warm, and too far back of the hall by comparison. While the 507ux sounds more like that old preamp it also doesn't give up anything at the edges of the frequency range at all.

Can I hear an improvement between the Luxman 507ux and those specific modules yes. Can anyone listen to the ICEpower and say "Oh, wow, Class D sucks!" ? No. The narrative that class D needs to work hard to get to as good or better than linear as an entire class needs to be taken out back and buried.

No one should read this as a condemnation of all of class d anymore than you would if I was comparing the Luxmans to a Class A amp I dind’t like as much.

Still, I’m quite happy with my purchase. In the specific case of these specific, outdated modules, I moved up. Who is to say what I will listen to 10 years from now?

Best,

E
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