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Luxman leaves me wanting

My current system is a Luxman L590-AXII driving DeVore Gibbon Super Nines. My source is Lumin U1-Mini (w/Sboosterj and Denafrips Venus II. Also a Rega P3. Speaker and interconnect cables are circa late 90s Cardis Cross There is a lot that is right about the sound of my set up, but I feel it’s lacking fullness in the midrange. When I turn on the loudness on the Luxman, I get the meaty weight in the mids I’m missing, but at anything but low volume, it alters the sound in a negative way. 
I had considered a tube Integrated before I got the Luxman, but liked the L590 when I heard it. Now I’m wondering if I should have gone with tubes. (At one point I had a BAT Pre w/ a Classe amp and loved the bloom in the mids and vocals).               I’m attracted to the LTA 40+ from the good reviews and long tube life. I’d be interested in hearing one with my speakers, but there are no dealers, so I could buy and return if I’m not thrilled, but wanted to know anyone has heard the 40+ with Super 9s. Also interested in other options to get a richer sound. Budget is around 8k.

128x128steverrino
ghdprentice
6,397 posts
 

OP,

You are describing the sound of Luxman solid state gear. It has that “high end” sound of emphasized treble and bass. But the sound lacks the midrange, natural balance and rhythm / pace. You can’t really equalize it away. 
 

I would consider two possible alternatives Pass INT 60 or Audio Research. These three form a continuum from the sparkly Luxman, to well balanced with good rhythm and pace Pass to detailed / natural presentation and deeply emotional Audio Research I-50. 
 

I recommend you have a listen to these. One will definitely put you in the right category of sound quality.

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mapman's avatar
mapman
21,855 posts
 

LTA is wonderful stuff because it is very neutral as tube gear goes.

These days, in the land of digital processing and streaming, Neutral hardware is always the best place to start, like a sheet of white paper. Then add some color separately as needed via Roon DSP or any other means you see fit.

Things were different back in 20th century analog olden days when hardware did it all. Nowadays you want neutral hardware then let the software paint the picture your way. Being stuck in the past can be a big and fairly expensive handicap. 

jeffreyw's avatar
jeffreyw
238 posts
 

@steverrino 

I had the same problem! I tried to power a pair of KEF Reference 1 Metas with a 590AXII. I had absolutely no bass and a terrible midrange. It was so bad, I thought the integrated was broken. I brought it to the nearest dealer, and we confirmed that the amp did not have the power to drive the baby KEFs. I upgraded to McIntosh MC611s, and the bass/midrange is jaw-dropping. 

Your Super Nines are not as difficult of a load to drive as my KEFs, but I think you need far more power. Even the Luxman 509x did not have enough juice for the KEFs. The M10x was a different story, though (glorious sound).

r1g450
6 posts
 

If you know someone that can lend you a decent pair of subs, I would try that first. With a budget of 8k its easy to make an expensive mistake. But if you just want some ideas that might work for you, here's a few. BAT, Sugden, Pass, Sim, YBA. Even though they are all very good, I still wouldn't buy anything without trying it in my system first.  

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