advertisement


Luxman/Accuphase/Yamaha - Quality?

Gents, an update. I just received the balanced interconnect. Another round of improvement. In simplest choice of words, better clarity, separation and detail. The treble is slightly darker / less bright but smoother and more nuanced. Small details are starting to appear from the background. There is also better separation with higher volume listening as vocals are more separated from the instruments. In short, the control is better than before.

Lastly, the L-590AXII is rocking quite a bit better than before as the bass is now more pronounced and hits harder. It's not quite at the Naim 282/HCDR/250DR level but the gap is closer. I don't expect the L-590AXII to show the agility, punch and dynamics of its Class AB siblings but things have improved.

The SHL5+ is showing a lot of poise and refinement with the Luxman , previously missing with the Naim. I suspect the Marten Duke 2 will sound even better with the Luxman now that's optimised with the balanced cable.

With this last acquisition , it's the end of the road for me.

IMG-20200715-211825.jpg

IMG-20200715-211929.jpg
 
ryder said:
In simplest choice of words, better clarity, separation and detail...In short, the control is better than before...the L-590AXII is rocking quite a bit better than before as the bass is now more pronounced and hits harder.
Click to expand...
I heard the same areas of improvement when I A/B'd the single-ended and balanced of my Schiit Yggdrasil DAC and Mjolnir 2 and Jotunheim headphone amps and have been running balanced ever since. With my Yamaha A-S3000 the single-ended vs balanced was much closer but the balanced still edged it slightly.
 
I’ve got a demo middle of next week. Listening to a Sugden Masterclass IA4, Hegel H590, Luxman 509x and an Accuphase amp, I would have thought the 450 but the dealer recommended 650. I think that might be an unfair comparison to make to the Luxman. It’s Class A and costs £2000 more and my budget is pretty much set at £8,500. Thanks for this interesting thread and all the comments re match up with speakers etc as that will be my next move.

I’ve also decided to go straight for the potential end game, life’s to short.
 
Peter Finney said:
...my budget is pretty much set at £8,500. Thanks for this interesting thread and all the comments re match up with speakers etc as that will be my next move.
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure how many people here would readily view eight and a half grand as overly restrictive.

I confess if it were me I'd be looking beyond your list of 'the usual suspects' but then that's just me.

Good luck with the hunt. Nice 'problem' to be confronted with. Don't forget to take a ruler. Specifications and measurements can be very important apparently.
 
Peter Finney said:
I’ve got a demo middle of next week. Listening to a Sugden Masterclass IA4, Hegel H590, Luxman 509x and an Accuphase amp, I would have thought the 450 but the dealer recommended 650. I think that might be an unfair comparison to make to the Luxman. It’s Class A and costs £2000 more and my budget is pretty much set at £8,500. Thanks for this interesting thread and all the comments re match up with speakers etc as that will be my next move.

I’ve also decided to go straight for the potential end game, life’s to short.
Click to expand...

Probably the E480, E450 is an old model now.
I used to own a Masterclass, luscious amp, but does run pretty toasty.. just enjoy yourself, you'll be hearing some of the best amps around.
Let us know how you get on.
Mac
 
I remember visiting the Tokyo audio show with Mike (Merlin) and the much missed Markus Sauer, probably 12 years ago. Joel had had a bike accident and was out of action. The Accuphase room consisted of the famous Racks of Acc - hundreds of pre/power/integrated amps, CD players, etc, all around the room in racks. We walked in in the middle of a demonstration. Rows of serious Japanese audiophiles listening to serious audiophile music. Markus walked over to one of the preamps on display and spun the volume control. By sheer bad luck, of all the preamps in the room, he had chosen the one being used for the demonstration. Cue much polite apologising.

Anyway - Accuphase make great gear, as do Luxman. Among the best you can buy.
 
I had an 1990s Accuphase E406 for a long while after a period of Naim ownership. Great amp. Nearly doubled in value, so I sold it someone who came over from Poland. Took me a while of box swapping (valves, transistors and hybrids) to settle on a replacement - which was a Linx Stratos and even older than the E406, but ultimately better all round for musical ability after sorting out bodges by previous ownership. I now have an Audionet DNA 2.0, thanks to Cereal Killer's inspiration, but the Linx kit is still in the 2nd system - sounding great after a fresh service. I still miss the Accuphase - it never put a foot wrong, but I also have a soft spot for Yamaha amps which have great performance to price ratios and look great.
 
Cereal Killer said:
@ryder Try some Acrolink Speaker cables too !!
Click to expand...
My current speaker cables cost £2,400 for a 4m pair and it's not supposed to be replaced! :p However... the Acrolink speaker cables will need to wait for a very long time if there's an urge, and this time it's for real as I'm financially broke. :D
 
Paulq2 said:
This has been a great thread and I am glad I started it. However, it's not lost on me that there's been no mention of Yamaha since about page 4 - kinda tells its own story. :)
Click to expand...

If I didn't have access to the likes of Acuphase and Luxman, Yamaha amps would be near the top of ones to try, somethinglike the AS3000.
Mac
 
sideshowbob said:
I remember visiting the Tokyo audio show with Mike (Merlin) and the much missed Markus Sauer, probably 12 years ago. Joel had had a bike accident and was out of action. The Accuphase room consisted of the famous Racks of Acc - hundreds of pre/power/integrated amps, CD players, etc, all around the room in racks. We walked in in the middle of a demonstration. Rows of serious Japanese audiophiles listening to serious audiophile music. Markus walked over to one of the preamps on display and spun the volume control. By sheer bad luck, of all the preamps in the room, he had chosen the one being used for the demonstration. Cue much polite apologising.

Anyway - Accuphase make great gear, as do Luxman. Among the best you can buy.
Click to expand...

Great story, thanks for sharing.
A friend of mine lives in Singapore and him and his mates go down to the Mall each Saturday to listen to high end kit and drink coffee.
In fact, I think he's a member of PFM.
Mac
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top