Luxman L-590AXII vs Pass Labs INT-60


Folks, I was just wondering if any of you guys managed to compare both Luxman and Pass Labs amps in your system or at the dealers. Some brief description on the differences between both amps would be great.

Personally I own the L-590AXII but am curious about the house sound of the INT-60. FWIW I find the Luxman to be very balanced. Although it's a Class A, it does not sound overly warm. The L-590AXII is fairly detailed, refined and nuanced while showing a very slight hint of warmth in the midrange. Bass goes deep and is defined and controlled while the treble is sweet and extended without showing any sibilance or brightness.

In short, I find the Luxman L-590AXII to sound rather neutral, tilting slightly to warmth on the scale. Although it's tuned to sound delicate and refined, the Luxman can rock too and is capable of sounding dynamic and lively when the music calls for it. On the other hand, the same cannot be said about the Accuphase as I read that it sounds quite a bit warmer than the Luxman, sacrificing a little on punch, slam and dynamics. In other words, the Accuphase sounds too smooth with rock or dynamic music.
ryder
I have a CODA No 8 and agree CODA is the way to go, but the OP is asking specifically Pass 60 vs Luxman 590. For my ears Pass all the way, the only Luxman amps I have liked are the 509 and 900. Also, current measured in amperes is a measureble variable that you can use to objectively compare how these amps will drive a 2 ohm load rather than the type of transistor... not sure how one could measure how differing transistor types affect their respective abilites to channel current.
@kren006 I have not listened to the Krell on my floor standers yet. I was just using them on my RAAL SR1a headphones. However, I am going to be rearranging gear again this week which will give me the opportunity take the Krell out of the rack and listen on my Thiel CS3.7. The Krell is so good that I am going to go to the trouble of doing this.

I have already heard the CODA on the Thiel CS3.7. I had sold the CODA a few days ago but the deal fell through so I have the CODA again. I only sold to raise some cash not because I thought the CODA was worse than the Krell (matter of delivery timing). I am now keeping the CODA and will be cash poor for a while.

Sorry for the thread divergence.

Reno Hifi allows home demos of the PASS gear.
MusicDirect has home demos for Luxman.
What YYZ said regarding the demos. That is the best bet. OP didn’t mention anything about speakers or room... so the bipolar vs mosfet discussion has nothing to do with the original question.

Get a demo from Reno... make a direct comparison. It is really difficult to tell you how amp ‘a’ sounds  because it is different in every room with every system. Having said that, Pass gear tends to be very dynamic, but not particularly colored in any way. Keep in mind, the Int 60 is essentially the XA60.8 with a volume and more inputs...
Ryder, it’s a little off topic, but did you ever have a chance to compare the Luxmann 507 integrated to the 509?. I would have liked to have been able to afford the 509AXII, rather than the 507MKII that I did purchase, but I still sometimes wonder what I’ve missed out on by staying financially responsible.. Nice choice you did make with the 509. My final choice came down to Luxmann or Accuphase too.

Mike
Mike,
I know you are not asking me, but I got to hear the 509 at the dealer. Blindfolded and level matched with a normal speaker I doubt I could tell them apart. The 509 just has more current drive. A slightly beefier power supply and an extra set of output transistors.

I think to be able to really hear a difference you’d need relatively punishing speakers.