McIntosh to Luxman?

TMR has a 14 day return policy. I assume I’m on the hook for return shipping, should I decided against the Luxman.  Shipping is not cheap, but hey, getting a really cool piece of equipment to try out sounds like fun!  Thanks again guys. 
~ Jerry 

If the Luxman revitalizes your system, I’d think the cost of return shipping is a relatively small price to pay, especially at this level.  I say go for it!  Otherwise u may never know, which as a fellow Audiophile I know will gnaw at u like a mole.  Some things are just worth paying for, and an in-home audition is one of them.  Just do it!!!

Go with Mcintosh - the 1.25s

@jrod68 

You will need to upgrade your source component (your Bluesound streamer) to something better. Your Bluesound streamer is the bottleneck and is holding up your entire system setup IMO. 

As for Luxman vs Mac I would say it’s a matter of preference. both are great but I found in general the Luxman sounded more tubey with lush sweet highs and midrange and holographic imaging and soundstage, and while the highs are extended but it’s very smooth with perfect amount of details and resolution. The Luxman IMO has better dimensionality, textures and image specificity compared to comparably priced Mac. The music would sound more dimensional with better instrumental/voice textures and imaging with the Luxman. I felt the Mac slightly lacks the last bits of details, resolution, texture and dimensionality in comparison to Luxman. But again it also depends on what type of speakers you are driving. I’m not sure about your Maggie’s or any Maggie’s speakers in general as I don’t have much experience with Maggie’s at all.
 

My preference would be for Luxman but again it also depends on the synergy between your speakers and amp and other upstream electronics and cables. It’s all about system synergy. There’s no absolute answer in this hobby. Mac gears will pair better with certain speakers while the Luxman will probably pair better with other sets of speakers. 

As a current owner of McIntosh MX160 and MC8207 and former owner of a pair MC1.25kw mono blocks the answer for me is go with the Luxman.  Two years ago I decided to "see what else was out there" and demoed several amps from various manufacturer's.  I demoed Luxman, Audio Research,  Boulder and a few others.  Without a doubt the Luxman was significantly more musical and provided much more depth and detail than the McIntosh. You could hear music on the Luxman, in terms of detail, that you do not hear with the McIntosh. Research Ohms law and it will help provide more guidance about how the Luxman operates versus the McIntosh.  Because the Luxman goes lower in Ohms, especially with electrostats, you will be amazed at your improved soundstage and overall tonality.  Another thing because of how the Luxman is built you don't need as much watts per channel to drive the speakers.  At the time I had Martin Logan ESL15 electrostats and the Luxman combo "blew away" my Mac/Martin Logan combo in every way.  So, my vote is for the Luxman and don't look back.

Let us know what you decide to do.