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Integrated amp -- Pass Labs vs Luxman vs McIntosh

I posted a similar query earlier but did not get a lot of responses unfortunately. As mentioned before, my speakers are Sonus Faber Olympica II, currently driven by Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, in a 20x15 dedicated media room. As an aside, I’m already working with GIK acoustics to treat the room. As much as I love the Cronus Magnum II, it’s clearly struggling with the speakers and room dimensions. I have been doing some research and narrowed my choices to the following (Note: mostly looking for used since my budget is $5 - 6k max)

Pass Labs INT-60 -- love the fact that the first 30 watts are all Class A; these don’t come up for sale often though. I’ve heard that these are as close to the tube sound one can get without compromising what makes SS great. I listened to INT-150 a couple of years ago and was really impressed. From what I’ve read, the 60s are clearly a step up in every way. Besides, I’ve always been fascinated by Pass Labs.

Luxman 590AXII -- I have yet to read anything negative about these. I like the fact that they are a class A design. Unfortunately, the only Luxmans I’ve listened to were 20+ years old and did not leave much of an impression (polite to a fault).

McIntosh MA352 -- A friend has the smaller brother, MA252, which I really like but not sure if they have enough juice to drive my speakers. None of the dealers near me carry the MA352 so I have to rely on feedback alone. I like the fact that this is a hybrid.

Another suggestion from a dealer is Naim SuperNait 3, but honestly I don’t know if it competes in the same playground as the aforementioned amps.

My goal is to find a nice balance between the strengths of tubes and SS -- retain good 3D soundstage, instrument separation, midrange magic, but not at the expense of bass and dynamics. I do understand that I cannot expect an SS, regardless of class A or not, to have the same lush, holographic presentation of tube amps, but want something that gets as close as possible.

I would love to listen from owners or people who have heard the amps before. Since I’m buying used, I will not have the opportunity to return them so due diligence is necessary.




128x128arafiq
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arafiq OP
1,661 posts
 
@ryder Sorry I meant to type 590axii not 509x. The dealer hooked up both 590 and 509 to the same speakers, but honestly I couldn't tell the difference during the audition. Both sounded fantastic!

And I completely agree with you that it was a very, very close second to the ARC. In fact, it was a tough decision to pick one or the other. To be honest, I would have been happy with either one. What tipped the scales in the ARC's favor was that not only does it have a much more expansive soundstage, but the built-in DAC is truly reference level. According to some reviews, the DAC is pretty much the same as ARC DAC9 which retails for $7500. The level of detail and clarity was something I had never heard before (admittedly, I had never heard any DACs > $3500 prior to this). 

Having said that, I felt that the Luxman had more slam and looked much nicer ... those VU meters! But the soundstage and clarity of the ARC was at a much higher level. I suspect that was mostly due to the built-in DAC.
sandstone
358 posts
 
I'm a bit late to the discussion, but the Ayre Acoustics AX-5 Twenty is the most tube-like integrated that I have heard, and seems to check off your other boxes as well. 
They can be found used in the $6200-6800 range.  Good luck!
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
OP, which speakers were used to compare the ARC versus the Luxman?
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,661 posts
 
@kren0006 -- The dealer demoed both brands with Sonus Faber Olympica Nova II. Since I have the previous version (Olympica II), we thought it would be a reasonable match. It was really a toss up between the ARC and Luxman. Like I said, I would have been happy with either.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,661 posts
 
So I thought I'd update this thread since a few things have changed in the last few days....

I bought the ARC GSi75 and was totally amazed at the sound quality. The sound was lush, huge midrange that easily filled the room, and amazingly 3D and holographic. The built-in DAC was truly reference level. The only thing that I missed was that it still didn't control the low end as well as I wanted to. There was a little bit of looseness and bloat that I just couldn't tame. Then a few days ago a used Luxman 590AXII popped up at a very reasonable price that I bought immediately. The goal was to compare both side by side and keep one. Both are well known and well reviewed so I knew it won't be difficult to sell either.

I've been listening to the Luxman for the past 2 days. The dynamics, clarity and transparency is absolutely top notch. Still I felt that the soundstage was not as wide and deep as the ARC, it was sounding a bit dry. I immediately missed the lush, big, all enveloping sound of my ARC. So much so that I was about to pack it up and put it up for sale. Then I realized that I was still using the Luxman stock power cord. On a whim, I grabbed my Cerious Technology Graphene power cord and replaced the power cord with it. I was not prepared for what happened next!

With the new cord, the Luxman opened up in a way that I did not think was possible. Suddenly, the soundstage was as big, wide and deep as the ARC. This amp has got my SF woofers by the balls and I'm getting the best bass I've ever heard in my house, so much so that I removed the REL subwoofer from the mix. There is so much texture and nuance to the bass that I just can't stop listening. And this does not come at the expense of resolution or any other sonic attribute. The dynamics, rhythm, midrange (although not as big as the ARC but by far the closest I've heard SS come to tubes), transparency, this amp has got everything I had hoped for and then some more.

It doesn't hurt that this is probably one of the most beautiful and elegant amplifiers I've seen. Looks much better in person than pictures. Yep, this is the end of my search!
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