Just received my new Luxman CL-1000 pre-amp.

Kingsley, what you had was the C-1000 not the CL-1000. It only looks like the CL-1000. Sonically they couldn’t be more different. Besides being a tube pre-amp the CL-1000 was designed around transformer coupled volume control.
Also SOTA parts implementation today are above and beyond what was used in the 70’s. It may look similar, but that’s as far as their similarities go.

I made my first real hi end audio  purchase in the 80's for a Luxman piece. Sounded so smooth and natural, had the caps done and more fifteen years later and kept using it, loved that amp sound.

Phono stage is unbelievable in CL-1000. I was wary since I’d be replacing the Luxman eq500 for it, but it’s a step up from the eq500 in every way. Much quieter  and better focus are the main improvements. I know it has a lot to do with the line stage, but they knew what they were doing when designing the phono stage.

I have been thinking about purchasing the C 900-u for my second system. This has been an interesting read. I looked at the CL 1000 and passed, not because of the lack of remote control. I at one time owned Tube Research Labs gear and my GT 200 preamp was of the non-remote type. My issue is the TVC’s (transformer volume controls).
I’m aware that many believe they are more sonically transparent than resistor arrays. I owned the Music First Audio Reference TVC and liked it so much I also purchased, directly from MFA, the Baby Reference that Sam Tellig reviewed claiming “I have not heard a better preamp, and I’ve been looking for more than 30 years.”. My issue was that after building a custom tubed preamp with resistor based volume control (albeit an insane resistor based volume control) I found the TVC’s to obfuscate minutiae in the music. TVC’s can sound incredible as they have an innate ability to almost act like a sonic expander on the music but my experience has been that they will hide that last little bit of information (miles of wire, hysteresis).
After reading and re-reading the 6 Moons reviews on the original and then the upgraded Wyred4 Sound STP-SE series I decided to give it a try. All the information was there and the fullness of the TVC. I made the purchase and haven’t looked back.

I also own the Luxman EQ 500, along with the AMR PH 77 and an iPhono3 Black Label. The EQ 500 is better than most phono stages I’ve experienced and is dead quiet as in you wouldn’t know it was powered up.

highendmmoe:
Did you compare the EQ 500 side by side with the CL 1000’s phono stage in the same system? I have a hard time imagining any phonostage being “much quieter” than the EQ 500. Hard to imagine the built in stage could compete with the EQ 500 as I’ve found few that can including the ARC Ref 10 I just auditioned. I should mention that I have changed the awful JJ Electronics tubes in my EQ 500 for the Psvane Black Treasure MKII series tubes and the rectifier has been changed to a NOS Mullard along with 4 AMR MKII Gold fuses and one Audio Magic Ultra Bees Wax fuse. The difference in sound from stock tubes and fuses is massive! So we may be talking apples and oranges if you are running stock tubes/fuses.

Either way congratulations, I’m looking forward to getting the C900-u in for my second system. If it doesn’t beat the STP-SE Level 2, I will be adding a second Wyred4 Sound. 
Enjoy.

I own the MQ 300 and would love to get the CL 1000 as I think it’s a perfect match.