2. amps-preamps
  3. 194939-77830

Luxman 509z or Aesthetix Mimas

I am planning to purchase one of these. If I buy the Mimas it will include both optional DAC and Phono stage. The Luxman is $12,495, the Mimas is $11,500. My speakers are Harbeth 30.2 Anniversary edition. I listen to a wide range of music and enjoy vinyl, CD's and Streaming.

Please share your experiences or opinions to help me make the best choice. I know there are other choices; please exclude these from the discussion

layton64
koestner
706 posts
 

Yeah, so all I would like to say to help you out is about the meters. I have a MAC amp and love it, but after a few days I stopped staring at the meters. They're cool and all that, but really, today I hardly notice them. Go for the best sound that you like.

layton64 OP
34 posts
 

Very helpful responses, the only way to make an informed decision is to demo both these products.

freediver
1,392 posts
 

 I have owned both the Harbeth M30.1 & 30.2Xd & run them both with low powered Class A SS (16wpc.) & Class A Tube (10wpc.) power and the sound was absolutely sublime..Peak decible levels of 90 db.with no compression or distrortion were easily obtained with the 16wpc.Sugden but the 10wpc.tube amp did run out of gas quickly..
 When I bought my 30.2Xd’s I was lucky to get them from a dealer that stocked both Luxman & Aesthetix & demo’d them with the Mimas with internal DAC & the Luxman 590AXII/D-N150 combination..
 The Mimas did not have the level of inner detail & texture of instruments that the Class A Luxman had..IMO  it came off as very slightly mechanical compared to the Luxman..The Mimas however did have better defined staging & imaging,something I attributed to it having those 6922 tubes..The Mimas also seemed to have a slightly more authoritative bass,better slam if you will..HOWEVER the bass was not as textured & natural as the Class A Luxman..
 I did not demo the 509 Luxman so I can not comment on that comparison..I believe that as far as overall performance between the Class AB Luxman & the Mimas it will be pretty much a draw with the Mimas again serving up better imaging & staging thanks the the hybrid design..The Luxman also exhibited slightly better build quality,the Mimas feeling just a tad flimsy & thin compared to the bank vault build of the Luxman...
 

freediver
1,392 posts
 

You might find this interesting...
https://youtu.be/3y0q3P4OOgk?feature=shared

erikt
270 posts
 

Luxman USA confirmed the L-509X is biased to run 6watts pure Class A before going A/B to rated power.

I have Audio Note AN-K SPx/Spe speakers rated at 90dB efficiency which sound natural and relaxed at low/moderate levels for jazz and acoustic - probably all within that 6watt envelope.

I would suspect the Z series Luxmans are similar.

 

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