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Luxman/Accuphase/Yamaha - Quality?

I am tempted by a Luxman SQ-N150 for use mainly as a headphone amp. Anybody with experience?

Using it with speakers would require some high efficiency jobs which can be positioned close to a wall.
 
I am tempted by a Luxman SQ-N150 for use mainly as a headphone amp. Anybody with experience?

Using it with speakers would require some high efficiency jobs which can be positioned close to a wall.

https://community.naimaudio.com/t/naim-pmc-to-luxman-neo-classico-ii-omega/14216

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A user on the Naim forum has the SQ-N150, and there is a comprehensive review there. On the headphone amp of the Luxman, excerpt from the review as follows;

The headphone out on the Luxman isn’t a built in headphone amp. You basically get the same amp section driving headphones as you do for speakers. I was amazed the Luxman works miles better with my HD-800 than the HL2/HCdr did.
 
https://community.naimaudio.com/t/naim-pmc-to-luxman-neo-classico-ii-omega/14216

9ef12c208dfb57335087ea5611f7faa699a49027-2-1000x1000.jpg


ec6ffec94767e9bfe55f7260f2f64204cffd17b4.jpg

A user on the Naim forum has the SQ-N150, and there is a comprehensive review there. On the headphone amp of the Luxman, excerpt from the review as follows;

The headphone out on the Luxman isn’t a built in headphone amp. You basically get the same amp section driving headphones as you do for speakers. I was amazed the Luxman works miles better with my HD-800 than the HL2/HCdr did.

My Denon's headphone out is ridiculous. A friend bought one and sold £1k worth of separate headphone amplifier as he said the Denon was simply much better.
 
My Denon's headphone out is ridiculous. A friend bought one and sold £1k worth of separate headphone amplifier as he said the Denon was simply much better.
It's quite amazing the Japanese amps can deliver so much for a modest outlay, in this case the small SQ-N150 with the footprint of an A4 paper.

To rub salt into the wound, the user found the supposedly superior dedicated headphone amp setup of the Naim to sound worse than the headphone amp section of the Luxman..
 
It's quite amazing the Japanese amps can deliver so much for a modest outlay, in this case the small SQ-N150 with the footprint of an A4 paper.

To rub salt into the wound, the user found the supposedly superior dedicated headphone amp setup of the Naim to sound worse than the headphone amp section of the Luxman..

The Denon was £700 in 1978, so not so modest!

I think the point I would make is that we were convinced, for years, that separate was best - pre/power, phono stages and then headphone amps; it is often not the case. I am now using a 1978 Denon integrated where, a few years ago, I had a £4k phono stage, £4k pre and £6k power. I do not miss any aspect of what I had.
 
https://community.naimaudio.com/t/naim-pmc-to-luxman-neo-classico-ii-omega/14216

9ef12c208dfb57335087ea5611f7faa699a49027-2-1000x1000.jpg


ec6ffec94767e9bfe55f7260f2f64204cffd17b4.jpg

A user on the Naim forum has the SQ-N150, and there is a comprehensive review there. On the headphone amp of the Luxman, excerpt from the review as follows;

The headphone out on the Luxman isn’t a built in headphone amp. You basically get the same amp section driving headphones as you do for speakers. I was amazed the Luxman works miles better with my HD-800 than the HL2/HCdr did.

My 44 year old Sansui AU-717 has the same design. The amp section's outputs go to the speaker A/B/off switch and also to the headphone socket via a pair of very large resistors. I never understood the purpose of the speaker 'off' setting until I overhauled the amp. When you plug in headphones it doesn't mute like a normal amp, so you have to switch it to off so that only the headphones are driven.
 
I am tempted by a Luxman SQ-N150 for use mainly as a headphone amp. Anybody with experience?

Using it with speakers would require some high efficiency jobs which can be positioned close to a wall.
What a waste, three grand on a headphone amp, surely there are easier and cheaper solutions. You might be surprised at how far those 10 watts go. I’d love to have a dabble with the N 150.
 
Just thought of posting this. As the Sonneteer Orton is underutilised, I thought of setting it up in the main system to see how it would compare to the Luxman, again. Before I proceed, please note that the comparison is not exactly like-for-like. The Sonneteer utilises single-ended connection while the Luxman is on balanced, wired up with premium Acrolink XLR cable. Apart from the difference in the type of connection, the Luxman is connected directly to the wall outlet, again with a top Acrolink power cord (where the cost is higher than the Sonneteer amp) whilst the Sonneteer is connected to a Wireworld Matrix 2 strip with a Naim standard cord which came free with a Naim amp.

The Sonneteer Orton is a great amp, no doubt about it. Music sounds great from the off but after a few tunes, the differences start to show up. The short version is music sounds slightly flat and 2-dimensional with the Sonneteer.

Long version. With the Sonneteer, the bass sounds slightly lightweight. The changes in the bass, nuance and texture are less defined. There is looseness in the low frequencies, a slightly smeared bass with reduced detail. Next up, the upper bass and midrange sound a bit mushy. Higher up, the treble notes(piano, acoustic guitar, saxophone etc.) sound a touch warmer and didn't have the shimmer or lustre of the Luxman.

Make no mistake. The Sonneteer Orton is still a great sounding amp. Music still sounds great when it's matched with the Marten Duke 2. Honestly I could have lived with the Sonneteer if I didn't own the Luxman. However, after experiencing the Luxman it is difficult to not acknowledge its strengths, the unique qualities which brought a little bit more to the musical enjoyment. The added refinement and sophistication, the fluidity which made other amps sound slightly forced. That's about it.

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Still lovin’ my Lux too. It *never* puts a foot wrong, and - apart for a balanced output to match its input - it wants for nothing. Was it a smart purchase? Difficult to say - it’s still a pricy beast and that price gives a lot of choices - but it works for me :)
 
Still lovin’ my Lux too. It *never* puts a foot wrong, and - apart for a balanced output to match its input - it wants for nothing. Was it a smart purchase? Difficult to say - it’s still a pricy beast and that price gives a lot of choices - but it works for me :)
Agreed would have been nice to have the option as well as rca, the one niggle I have is no light on the volume knob, I listen in a dark room and am part sighted so have to guess or go to zero and wind it back up.
 
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This is my Denon. 3 input, self adjusting phono stage. Separately wound left and right channel transformer and a bonza of a headphone socket. It is now the amp I have had longest in my system and it is just flawless in operation and drives every speaker I have used. In line with the point made earlier, I have to turn the speakers off to use the headphone socket as it is driven by the same circuit, hence the quality.
 
Still lovin’ my Lux too. It *never* puts a foot wrong, and - apart for a balanced output to match its input - it wants for nothing. Was it a smart purchase? Difficult to say - it’s still a pricy beast and that price gives a lot of choices - but it works for me :)
It's true there are a lot of choices at this price range but similarly it works great for me as well. Was it a smart purchase? I think I paid more for the Naim amps but the Luxman is still below £10k which is still manageable, I guess. Looking at the costlier options which include Vitus, Gryphon and Audionet ;) which go up to £20k and beyond that, in my mind the Luxman is still a good value buy.
 
50cf646205a55b0cc3f1c92bcda0d8c0.jpg


This is my Denon. 3 input, self adjusting phono stage. Separately wound left and right channel transformer and a bonza of a headphone socket. It is now the amp I have had longest in my system and it is just flawless in operation and drives every speaker I have used. In line with the point made earlier, I have to turn the speakers off to use the headphone socket as it is driven by the same circuit, hence the quality.

Ooh, now that's a proper amp.
 


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