Luxman 590AX II Break-In

I don’t think it is your amp. As a comparison, I run a 509x into Dynaudio Contour 60i, and the bass slam will exfoliate your face and cause your bones to vibrate. I’ve heard the littler Luxman class A do similar things with Contour 30i. Your speakers are the problem or, rather, the synergy between speaker and amp is your problem. My bass profile was immediate; and after 200 hours of listening, the sound merely congealed more with treble and midrange. I’m sorry you are having issues and am sure it is frustrating x10. Swap out speakers and see what happens. The 590 is a stump puller and is not your issue. Steller amp.

Sell it and buy the Sugden A21se....and while at it, grab yourself a pair of Tannoys....

@jeffreyw

I think brother @Arafiq has given you accurate, insightful, and potentially useful information. I’m running a LUX 550AXII and and I do appreciate what it does right- which is a lot. I also appreciate its many functions- which is the primary reason I purchased it. I would say that it took about 200 hours to break-in. I leave it on 24/7.

My primary speakers are vintage Sonus Faber monitors. 86.5 db, 6 Ohms.

Overall I would say that the music has a silky, perhaps "creamy" quality, but of course, not many would mistake the LUX for a tube amp. :) One more thing- I wanted to buy a new unit and had a 590AXII been available I would have gone with that instead.

Best of luck sorting things out- I’d start with your speakers.

@ps 

Thanks! One thing that I am perplexed over is the fact that all reviews of the Ref 1 Metas are stellar, and the bass is lauded, especially for a stand-mount. The good news is that I will visit a dealer this week to listen to higher-power amps on their Ref 1's. Unfortunately, as many have stated, I think I have a major synergy problem between the Luxman/KEF combo. 

I greatly appreciate the knowledge gained from this OP from the membership! This is a great community!

BTW, the speakers have to stay, the wife is in love with the looks, and that is non-negotiable. Keeping her happy allows me more flexibility with purchases. 😉

When you go listen elsewhere, pay attention to the room acoustics and compare to your own. If the speakers are not malfunctioning, I'm convinced the issue is excess reflections in your space.