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Luxman/Accuphase/Yamaha - Quality?

James said:
ISTR he said most of the 'better' Accuphase quality was on the inside and componentry level compared to the Luxman. I agree he should have compared the E-480 with the Lux 590 and Yam 3200 instead of less equivalent models.
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When he should have compared it to the Luxman 509 X because the 590 AXII has way more class A range and lower class AB power rating compared to the E 480. If he would compare the 590 AXII he would have to choose the E 650 and a Pass Integrated because they booth have a high class A range too.

For me this comparison was like a VW Polo vs a BMZ Z4 vs a Mercedes S class.
 
Integrated amps are for for amateurs. Nothing less than Accuphase C-2150 into A-48 will do for me. ;)

That's about VW Polo money.
 
Amber Audio said:
If you’re going separates go big and get the A-250 - 100Watts of Class A!
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In the context of 90+dB/w loudspeakers, that's entirely unnecessary. One mono A-250 costs more than the perfectly adequate C-2150/A-48 45W class A combo. I have to draw the line somewhere ...
 
James said:
In the context of 90+dB/w loudspeakers, that's entirely unnecessary. One mono A-250 costs more than the perfectly adequate C-2150/A-48 45W class A combo. I have to draw the line somewhere ...
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It's a Hi Fi forum, no place for phrases like "entirely unnecessary" & "draw the line" :)

Just had an email to say my 590 is on a DPD van due this afternoon, just in time for the weekend!
 
James said:
In the context of 90+dB/w loudspeakers, that's entirely unnecessary. One mono A-250 costs more than the perfectly adequate C-2150/A-48 45W class A combo. I have to draw the line somewhere ...
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My speakers are 91dB, Luxman 30Watt Class A hopefully will do a great job.
 
Paul Mc said:
In my experience the Accuphase (I speak an a fan) are a lot better built than the two alternatives.
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Having a Luxman L590AX-II right here, I cannot see much room for build improvements on it, not really. It's not as neat looking inside as the Accuphase - I blame that messy transformer design - but it is impeccably finished and constructed. But - and here's where I get a bit controversial - so was the McIntosh MA that it replaced (the story there was that it had a power valve take our a transistor, and I had that repaired and serviced, so decided to trade it against the Luxman (for a very good price) so that I could go solid state - I *loved* the sound of that Mac - in some ways it pips the Lux - but I was very nervous about long term reliability and the cost of parts, especially in a KT88 design that tends to sacrifice components when one goes south. Much as I love the valve sound - especially in that Mac - I was willing to trade a tad of that valve loveliness for the more even-handed, tighter-bass and detailed sounding Luxman. Which also has the best MC phono stage I've yet tried in my system, a big win as it saved me yet another box....

But back to build quality, I do find it hard to believe that there'd be much in it between my Lux and a similarly priced Accuphase, maybe apart from the neater internal layout of the Accuphase.

Amber Audio said:
My speakers are 91dB, Luxman 30Watt Class A hopefully will do a great job.
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I'm almost of the opinion that the 590AX-II enjoys working, and driving my 93dB Tannoys barely scratches the surface of what the amp can do. I bet it can drive almost any modern speaker to silly volumes with ease and total control. Silly exotic 80s full-range ribbons aside....
 
Actually, that above post raises a question I've wondered about - amps have a maximum load and volume up to which they perform optimally. But - car analogy here - is there a minimum load/volume below which amps just don't wake up? I suspect there is, and I often wonder if that's why the DNM PA3^S amp was *so* good, inasmuch as it was magical from the point of inaudibility and up (as far as I ever dared take it). Not sure the Luxman, nor the Mac or my M520 or anything else I've had is quite so magical at super low volumes. Difficult to tell though.

Interesting that the stepped attenuator of the Luxman might not give the ultimate degree of control at super quiet levels into efficient speakers. I am sure I experience a small cut-off point at those near inaudible levels - but I need to try again in case I imagined this....
 
James said:
Integrated amps are for for amateurs. Nothing less than Accuphase C-2150 into A-48 will do for me. ;)

That's about VW Polo money.
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I have the predecessors, C-2120 & A-47 - can't say I'm bored!

What I appreciate with Accuphase pre and power amps is the possibility to set the gain in both components. A lot more amps (including integrated amps) should have that. TBH this is a problem I see with the Accuphase integrateds, their overall gain is pretty high which can be problematic when having sources with high output voltage and/or high sensitivity speakers.
 
On the topic of quality. The Luxman appears to have an awful lot of connectors and fixings. However this is possibly more a reliability concern than a quality concern.

Somebody said that the Accuphase has better build quality. I wonder how this is apparent?
e.g. a car analogy: my mate's high end Audi has very solid and heavy doors with very strong detents and they close with a loud thud. In comparison my Toyota doors feel light, have gentle but effective detents and close with a neat click in comparison. Which has the best build quality?
 
JTC said:
Actually, that above post raises a question I've wondered about - amps have a maximum load and volume up to which they perform optimally. But - car analogy here - is there a minimum load/volume below which amps just don't wake up? I suspect there is, and I often wonder if that's why the DNM PA3^S amp was *so* good, inasmuch as it was magical from the point of inaudibility and up (as far as I ever dared take it). Not sure the Luxman, nor the Mac or my M520 or anything else I've had is quite so magical at super low volumes. Difficult to tell though.

Interesting that the stepped attenuator of the Luxman might not give the ultimate degree of control at super quiet levels into efficient speakers. I am sure I experience a small cut-off point at those near inaudible levels - but I need to try again in case I imagined this....
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No it's terrible at low volumes and honestly the 505 is SOOOOO much better. if you want to swap, just PM me ;)
 
S-Man said:
On the topic of quality. The Luxman appears to have an awful lot of connectors and fixings. However this is possibly more a reliability concern than a quality concern.

Somebody said that the Accuphase has better build quality. I wonder how this is apparent?
e.g. a car analogy: my mate's high end Audi has very solid and heavy doors with very strong detents and they close with a loud thud. In comparison my Toyota doors feel light, have gentle but effective detents and close with a neat click in comparison. Which has the best build quality?
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Externally, the Accuphase feels better built and finished, but others may feel differently.
 
For all those folks who believe the Accuphase is better built than the Luxman, can you give examples of were the Accuphase is better, just looking at the L09X, it oozes class compared to any Accuphase model I've seen
 
Quality is fitness for purpose; I reckon it's a bit daft trying to claim one's better than the other. I went Accuphase because that's what my trusted dealer sells (good service is very high on my list of priorities when buying hi-fi). I've seen Luxman amps in the past, & they're lovely things, no doubt they sound a bit different to Accuphase but still excellent - if I'd listened to one of those first, I'd probably have gone with it. The Accuphase is superbly built too, and I happen to love the gold finish.
 
Suffolk Tony said:
Quality is fitness for purpose; I reckon it's a bit daft trying to claim one's better than the other. I went Accuphase because that's what my trusted dealer sells (good service is very high on my list of priorities when buying hi-fi). I've seen Luxman amps in the past, & they're lovely things, no doubt they sound a bit different to Accuphase but still excellent - if I'd listened to one of those first, I'd probably have gone with it. The Accuphase is superbly built too, and I happen to love the gold finish.
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Similarly Accuphase were in the running but there are no dealers even remotely close to me so I've ended up going for a Luxman, the lounge is quite toasty this morning :)
 
S-Man said:
e.g. a car analogy: my mate's high end Audi has very solid and heavy doors with very strong detents and they close with a loud thud. In comparison my Toyota doors feel light, have gentle but effective detents and close with a neat click in comparison. Which has the best build quality?
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A weighty argument there.;). Think the avoirdupois contrast might have a bearing on hifi too.
 
Amber Audio said:
Similarly Accuphase were in the running but there are no dealers even remotely close to me so I've ended up going for a Luxman, the lounge is quite toasty this morning :)
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Do you find it makes the room warmer? I certainly don't, though after a while the Lux does get pretty hot on top. I switch the amp off when not in use, or at least when I know I'm not going to use it anytime in the next couple of hours.
 
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