Luxman E-1 preamp

DHL

New Member
Apr 20, 2015
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Ran across one of these for sale. Any input on sound quality? There seems to be little to no reviews published on it. Is it still in production? Cannot find any current new listings for it, only the E-200 which appears to be a radically stripped down version. But the Japanese Luxman site has it listed (although I cannot read it-its all in Konji)

Construction wise, it looks very solid. Dual mono construction. All discrete components. Looks like all the large caps are "glued" to the board with some sort of compound (based on the photos I have seen of the interior) which may make re-capping a bear.

Can anyone also comment on the restoration of Luxman sound quality after the Alpine days? Seems to be a lot of controversy about this issue (ie all the gear produced after the acquisition by Alpine is a cut below the original 70's and early 80's products).
 
Ran across one of these for sale. Any input on sound quality? There seems to be little to no reviews published on it. Is it still in production? Cannot find any current new listings for it, only the E-200 which appears to be a radically stripped down version. But the Japanese Luxman site has it listed (although I cannot read it-its all in Konji)


Construction wise, it looks very solid. Dual mono construction. All discrete components. Looks like all the large caps are "glued" to the board with some sort of compound (based on the photos I have seen of the interior) which may make re-capping a bear.


e1_front.jpg
Luxman released the E-1 back in 2001 and it was only discontinued last year. Clearly a terrific design from the get-go; I was tipped off about this over-achieving phono stage back in 2008 at the Munich High End Show by Luxman's Netherlands distributor. The E-1 is a v. reasonably priced phono stage that sold for $4k and delivers first class performance; it is voiced like a Class A design. I am still using one myself as we wait for the arrival of the EQ-500 (at almost twice the price) though the replacement is a vacuum tube design and we are expecting the replacement to have a denser tonal color. The E-1 will benefit from the finest turntable combos that you can throw at it. Articulator = cartridge demagnetizer, a useful feature.

We have never serviced a E-1 yet and don't expect to have to for many years yet. Luxman products typically run 20 - 30 years before they need service. Let me know if you need an Owner's Manual.



Can anyone also comment on the restoration of Luxman sound quality after the Alpine days? Seems to be a lot of controversy about this issue (ie all the gear produced after the acquisition by Alpine is a cut below the original 70's and early 80's products).

The Alpine ownership was a fiasco for Luxman as they had receivers made in Japan by companies other than Luxman, but used their badge. Though Luxman stopped exporting after they were acquired by Samsung, they never ceased production for the domestic market. Their market share in Japan is huge; they export to over thirty countries which only absorbs 10% of their production.

Nowadays, given that SoundStage gave the C-900u their reference Product of the Year Award 2014, not to mention the fantastic review of the matching M-900u - http://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/838-luxman-m-900u-stereo-mono-amplifier
and Stereophile have many products in their Class A recommended components. Check out Art Dudley's review of the CL-38u in the May issue and John Marks reviews of the M-600A & M-700u in June issue of Stereophile. Even their entry level products are built like audio jewelry.

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions.
 

DHL

New Member
Apr 20, 2015
16
6
0
Philip:
Thanks. I missed getting one on EBay that had a starting price of $1500, but no one bid. I was still researching this along with some other choices when the auction ended, but the opportunity may be gone forever. Seems like the seller was really pissed no one bid, and even though I sent him a follow up message, I got no response. So it sounds like this amp may be recent production (ergo I do not have to worry about re-capping). There is one listed out of Hong Kong, but it is a 100V unit, and for a lot more money.
 
Philip:
Thanks. I missed getting one on EBay that had a starting price of $1500, but no one bid. I was still researching this along with some other choices when the auction ended, but the opportunity may be gone forever. Seems like the seller was really pissed no one bid, and even though I sent him a follow up message, I got no response. So it sounds like this amp may be recent production (ergo I do not have to worry about re-capping). There is one listed out of Hong Kong, but it is a 100V unit, and for a lot more money.

I would pass on the 100V unit (Japanese domestic model); they cannot be serviced here in N.America, but need to go back to Japan for service. Whenever a unit needs service, we need to write to Luxman with the fault & serial number before proceeding. If the unit is not an export model, they decline service, whether its in or out of the warranty period (3 years). If you ever decide to buy a piece on the used market, please forward the serial number to us & we'll confirm that its a N.American export model.
 

DHL

New Member
Apr 20, 2015
16
6
0
That is what I heard, stay away from the 100V units. Besides the servicing angle, a step up transformer also interferes with the sound quality, apparently.
 

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