Amp recommendation -- McIntosh, Luxman, Yamaha


My system now is a Benchmark DAC3L and AHB2 with standalone phono stage for Technics SL-1200GR.

I want to simplify my system and I think a solid integrated will do that (reduce to almost one box)
Interested to possibly use 2 pairs of speakers and A/B them.
Interested to drive a separate power amp (probably tubes) with the same unit.

I'm looking at the Yamaha AS-2200 and Luxman L-507uXII which pretty much fit all the requirements:
Both allow 2 pairs of speakers. MM and MC carts. Preamp out with ability to toggle speakers off. Nice meters.
The McIntosh MA-5300 is another option, it throws in a DAC but lacks MC capability and dual speakers.
Has anyone heard these and compared?

I've got a range of speakers, some vintage JBL L36, JBL 4412 and Klipsch Quartets.
I'm in the process of building Troels Graveson Faital 3WC and Ekta MK2 which will likely be my long term speakers. None are too difficult to drive.

Only interested in additional recommendations if they have similar set of capabilites as above and are in similar range (~$6K and under).
itsikhefez
Well, the 390 lacks phono inputs and dual speakers so it doesnt quite meet those requirements.
That aside, the internal layout and wiring is such a mess, I don't know why they would put that on the product page.
My DIY projects are cleaner and nicer looking.
I have only comments, not specific recommendations:

I had and sold McIntosh SS Amp: MC2250 and SS Preamp C28. Frankly, except bulletproof, nothing special, just ’do no harm’. I (and everyone else) preferred my tube equipment.

I have my first and only Luxman, a tube integrated 10 wpc in my office. I love it, would definitely choose it over McIntosh, but it’s not indicative of the SS unit you are choosing.

Optional Speakers:

I ran 3 amps to 1 pair of speakers, each had WBT Locking Banana Plugs; 3 sets of speakers is simply the reverse. That lets you buy any amp without dual speaker capacity, much wider choices, perhaps larger transformers, ... I put a hook on the wall I could easily reach to hang the banana joints

Idle Speakers: Woofer and Mid Cones of Idle Speakers in the same room can make unwanted vibrations, thus you will need to think that thru, mobility, covers, ...?

Phono:

MM and/or MC: It’s hard to find one you truly like. For MC, these only have single loads, no optional X Factors or Optional Loads, i.e. Luxman is fairly common .3mv/100 ohms. You can select a cartridge to fit that, but I highly recommend just an MM Phono Input, and see if you like it first. Then for MC, a SUT with optional loading will let you use that desirable MM Phono EQ for various MC Cartridges. IF you don’t like the Phono, then you have the option of a separate MM/MC Phono Stage in all cases, IOW, don’t let the lack of MC capability be a concern (I know you want compact, but ...)

I did NOT like my McIntosh SS C28 Preamp’s MM Phono sound, just to reinforce that you may not like the built in MM of any chosen integrated, I would research that thoroughly. Of course you can always use a spare line-in later. Options widen again if Phono is separate.

Remotes/Menu Access/Remote Balance:

McIntosh doesn’t show the remote, I have found in the past I needed to download and read the full manual to ascertain facts. It may have access to it’s menu, perhaps allowing remote balance which, if/when you have a system with excellent imaging, will let you get large improvements with small balance adjustments for individual tracks. Once you have remote balance, you will never live without it.

Luxman and Yamaha remotes do not have a menu button, or remote balance.

Meter Options: the Yamaha has optional settings for the meters, just mentioning it.

best of luck with your decisions,

Elliott




I'm not in a position to comment on SQ, but the Rotel RA1592MKII might be of interest.  It lacks MC the gain stage but hits all your other desiderata.  The MKII has audio tweaks by Ken Ishiwata, a respected Japanese audio guru, so it may not be misplaced in the company of the other amps.  
crustycoot, thanks for the tip.

Elliott, thanks for the thoughtful response, those are great points. I'll comment to them in case someone goes through a similar decision in the future....

The A/B capability for me is currently more for short term swapping and evaluation, so it is convenient when its in the same unit. That said, I've got that in my older Sansuis in case the feature is missing.

Good point about idle speakers. The system is in a dedicated listening room which is fairly treated with Gik Acoustics panels. Not sure if that helps with idle speakers or not.

Phono: 
I currently have AT VM540ML, Nagaoka MP-200 MM carts and AT OC9-XEN MC cart. The default MM/MC loading of the Luxman match these fairly well.
As opposed to the past, I'm not looking to squeeze every last bit of performance but to simplify, so it helps that a single unit can accommodate all of them.
Otherwise, I really like DIY for phono stages and have built a few, the Pass Labs Pearl 2 being my favorite. I've also got Cinemag transformers for building a SUT, which I could always incorporate in the future.

If there is unit out there that is a much better engineered and built product than the Luxman and lacks one of the other features mentioned above, I would consider it, but otherwise it sounds like the Luxman is a solid stereo unit that also happens to have the additional features that are nice to have.
you won't go wrong buying a modern luxman... you will certainly pay up for it, but most feel it is money well spent