Luxman 509X and DA-06

SETDrugs

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2019
64
36
98
47
Fountain Valley, California
Downsizing from Mayer 45/2A3 and 10Y, not missing anything at all. In fact this maybe the best system I've ever had. Certainly the most versatile with speakers as I'm driving the Dynaudio Special 40 and the sound is indeed special. I've always been a big Dynaudio fan since owning their car speakers at the turn of century and these are really nice. Even if I want to play with other speakers later, this amp is more then ready. Having only owned tube components since I entered this hobby, I would never have imagined an integrated solid state amp would sound this good if I had never taken this chance. This is a special integrated amp.

As for the Luxman DAC, its the best DAC I've ever owned and that includes PS Directstream , MHDT Pagoda and Stockholm, Schiit Yggdrasil , Sony HAP Z1ES. There is no hype or marketing of NOS (non-oversampled), tube buffer/ output, or even multibit. Yet it sounds so musical, analogue , and engaging with a huge soundstage and great depth. Just exceptional design and engineering.

I can say that Luxman's sound philosophies and decades of experience in analogue reproduction are pretty special. Of course, my only regret is why did it take me this long to discover Luxman? Would have saved a lot of time and money.
 
Last edited:

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,601
5,411
1,278
E. England
Kevin, saving time and money in this hobby? Where's the fun in that?

Indeed, the true fun is in going thru some interesting avenues and dead ends to finally find an option that truly satsfies. It looks like you're doing that.

As Zu fanboys both, I would still suggest to you that a Zu-based system could still grab yr attention. Maybe based on the new Soul Supremes 6 due from Sean.

Interesting choice re Luxman. I find it fascinating that as a previous Mayer owner, you find you're missing nothing in the switch away from it. Indeed I wonder how many unappreciated gems there are out there that keep up or beat the uber expensive and ultra revered gear mentioned ad nauseum on this forum?
 
Last edited:

Zero000

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2014
2,985
1,139
478
My Luxman M800-A beats all other solid state and tube amps I have ever used in 40 odd years of.messing with hi-fi.

Good amp.

My vintage Luxman L-435 integrated did NOTHING of the sort. It sounded quite nice with cheap speakers. That's about it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SETDrugs

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,601
5,411
1,278
E. England
Marantz CD12/DA12 in 1989, rob the bank to pay for it good
Marantz SA1 in 2003, a doorstop is too good a use for it.
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,434
13,467
2,710
London
My Luxman M800-A beats all other solid state and tube amps I have ever used in 40 odd years of.messing with hi-fi.

Good amp.

My vintage Luxman L-435 integrated did NOTHING of the sort. It sounded quite nice with cheap speakers. That's about it.

I will text you our chat on this
 
Last edited:

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,601
5,411
1,278
E. England
Ooh, this is like Twitter archaeology where current Woke-sters in showbiz are PROVED to be homophobes and transphobes by what they Twatted when drunk and young.

Ked, the PC informant on WBF
 

SETDrugs

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2019
64
36
98
47
Fountain Valley, California
Kevin, saving time and money in this hobby? Where's the fun in that?

Indeed, the true fun is in going thru some interesting avenues and dead ends to finally find an option that truly satsfies. It looks like you're doing that.

As Zu fanboys both, I would still suggest to you that a Zu-based system could still grab yr attention. Maybe based on the new Soul Supremes 6 due from Sean.

Interesting choice re Luxman. I find it fascinating that as a previous Mayer owner, you find you're missing nothing in the switch away from it. Indeed I wonder how many unappreciated gems there are out there that keep up or beat the uber expensive and ultra revered gear mentioned ad nauseum on this forum?

Marc,

Indeed I'm having a blast on this journey so far but for sure I could have saved so much money and time had I discovered and tried out Luxman much earlier.

I'm still a big fan of Zu and their sound philosophies. Like I said, the upcoming Soul 6 is still on my radar. And I'm still a heavy user of their cables as I just upgraded all of my cables to Event MK2, hopefully this will solidify any remaining inconsistencies in my system that I'm hearing.

As far as the T. Mayer experience, it was a great time and learning experience at the same time. For sure the 45, 46, and 2A3 are some of greatest tubes ever made and this will never change for people who uses them. The big takeaway here is that higher prices doesn't always equate to better sound in this hobby. System synergy is so important. Thomas Mayer stuff is worth the money based on the world class construction and parts used but even with this, I wasn't completely satisfied. For one, the fleawatt power really restricted my speaker flexibility in the longrun. I'm not a fan of traditional horn speakers so that is out of question. The other issue with a low power fleawatt SET amp is intermodulation distortion when you listen even past moderate levels. The higher you turn up, the higher the IMD. Distortion obscures minute details which robs the life, transparency, and emotional engagement out of music and movies.

Not to mention, my growing dissatisfaction with buying and having to maintain expensive tubes. I blew out 2 pairs of 10Y in less then 6 months. Combined with all of the above and my desire to downsize into smaller system for future, I wanted a more powerful amp and one that would give me same musical enjoyment and emotional connection as what I had on my Mayer system while providing more power for future speaker flexibility.

Long story short, I did a lot of research and reading online and arrived at this Luxman integrated amp. I was able to secure a brand new unit at way less then retail so I had to try it out. I was blown away on the first note after turning it on and have been extremely satisfied thus far. Luxman's sound philosophies really matches up with my own and their decades of analogue experience and engineering/innovations gives me a solid foundation of trust which is crucial for any brand in this crazy and unpredictable hobby.

Being so impressed and satisfied with the integrated amp , I had to try out their DAC. After some research online, I was convinced and made a deal with the dealer. Keep in mind , there are integrated amps costing upwards of 20k and DACs of various designs costing upwards of 20k, so for me to go from Mayer and SChiit and Zu to this current system while achieving all of my goals of musical satisfaction, emotional engagement, and current/future speaker flexibility without the crutch of tubes is a dream come true.

I'm sold on Luxman and will be staying with them for a very long time. Unless there are some major breakthroughs with their integrated line or upcoming DACs, I'll be keeping this system for the foreseeable future. If I make a change in the near future it may be to try out the Soul 6, otherwise all is good for now.
 
Last edited:

SETDrugs

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2019
64
36
98
47
Fountain Valley, California
Forgot to mention that the L509X also has a superb buit-in phonostage that supports both MC and MM cartridges. Some of the reviews and feedback online have said this built-in phono can compete with external phono costing up to 3-4k. If true, the performance and future flexibility of this integrated amp is almost a dream come true. Having never tried out vinyl before, I'm excited to build a modest 2nd system in the future around this integrated amp's phono ability. PD-151 may be something I may get in the future.
 
Last edited:

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,434
13,467
2,710
London
The Luxman 509 integrated with the dealer's own three way horns with TAD drivers. Gian's Vyger before it was shipped to him. At Di Prinzio, a big dealer/distributor in Pescara, Italy..

The Luxman was compared to Vitus SIA 25 on these horns as well as on tannoy Canterbury. It sounded better on the horns but Vitus was better on the tannoy.

5429301A-D1B2-44E9-97C1-D1E489A8EE5F.jpeg

86AA01A5-1799-4515-9F09-6C93665B9C7A.jpeg
B740FAE4-BD7F-429D-9756-B0C7DE348B06.jpeg
 

SETDrugs

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2019
64
36
98
47
Fountain Valley, California
Bonzo75,

Thanks for sharing that. It looks really nice. As is the norm in this hobby, I don't expect everyone to fall for the Luxman sound. In general, most solid state amps will take a bit getting used to at first, particularly if one has only heard or used tubes in the past. For me personally, Luxman just hit home in a near perfect way and struck just the right chord in terms of having most or all of the great qualities that I've come to love from SET amps while also having the drive current /power and lower distortion of best solid state designs. Of course system synergy is the X-factor as well. So far have only tested them with Dynaudio Special 40 but they sound amazing. I hope the upcoming Event MK2 cables will take this even further.
 
Last edited:

Zero000

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2014
2,985
1,139
478
SETDrugs - I could have sworn you said you had tried Luxman and Zus and it was a disaster on another thread.

Or was that someone else? Or did you change your mind or just found Luxman works well with Dynaudio?
 
Last edited:

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,601
5,411
1,278
E. England
I can't talk to Kevin anymore
No tt
No tubes
And no Zus
What is the world coming to?
Ironically he's bought more Zu cbls, where I traded mine in
Ships that pass in the night
 

SETDrugs

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2019
64
36
98
47
Fountain Valley, California
SETDrugs - I could have sworn you said you had tried Luxman and Zus and it was a disaster on another thread.

Or was that someone else? Or did you change your mind or just found Luxman works well with Dynaudio?

I think you mistaken me for someone else. My Zus were moved to another room and ready to be packed when my LUxman integrated arrived so no I never tested the combo. But there is no reason to believe that any Luxman will sound bad with Zu unless one has tested it out in their system. Both of their sound/analog philosophies really align with one another.

Dynaudio is a brand I've always been curious and interested to hear ( after my experience with their car speakers) and when they released their Special 40 I had to try it out especially with all of the rave reviews online. It is the only speaker in their lineup that is using their classic 1st order crossover which gives it a sound I can relate to coming from Zu.

Besides Dyn, Some brands I will consider later are Devore, Harbeth, Zu ( Soul 6) as I'm sure all of these will be great match with Luxman.
 

SETDrugs

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2019
64
36
98
47
Fountain Valley, California
I can't talk to Kevin anymore
No tt
No tubes
And no Zus
What is the world coming to?
Ironically he's bought more Zu cbls, where I traded mine in
Ships that pass in the night

Lol , I will have more time for music to myself.

But seriously, the built-in phono of the L509X has me excited to try out modest TT /vinyl system later. You will hear from me plenty by then Marc. As a vinyl novice, I will need special counsel for this.
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,601
5,411
1,278
E. England
Will do my best
Prepare for joy/pain on a cosmic scale.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SETDrugs

Zero000

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2014
2,985
1,139
478
Lol , I will have more time for music to myself.

But seriously, the built-in phono of the L509X has me excited to try out modest TT /vinyl system later. You will hear from me plenty by then Marc. As a vinyl novice, I will need special counsel for this.

FWIW and it probably isn't worth much but that Luxman L-435 had, in my opinion, a surprisingly good phono stage considering its low cost and date of issue.

So there's a good case for yours having a much better one;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: SETDrugs

SETDrugs

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2019
64
36
98
47
Fountain Valley, California
There is a DA-06 for sale on Audiogon right now. Great condition with all original boxes and US version. I'm surprised no one has jumped on this great deal. At the listed price, its absolute steal. The original owner liked it so much he bought 2 but is selling the one he no longer needs.

This Dac is hands down the most musical, analogue, and engaging dac that I've owned or had the chance to listen to. I paid much more for it and its worth every penny even at retail considering the ridiculous cost of hi-end DACs out there now.

There is not a better bang for buck DAC if one is looking for tonally rich, luscious, organic and musically engaging sound from their digital setup. Just my honest opinion thus far.
 

yyzSB

Well-Known Member
May 14, 2017
117
39
158
Has anyone heard of new DAC announcements this upcoming Fall by Luxman? Or even any new component news?
 

SETDrugs

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2019
64
36
98
47
Fountain Valley, California
By mid September we should know more but after speaking to Jeff ( Luxman America) it's mostly concerning the news about their discontinued SACD players and of potential replacements. My guess is something to do with SACD laser lens. If you look around , PS Audio and Teac / Esoteric also discontinued their SACD players too. But the standalone DA-06 will still be their top model for this segment( standalone DAC). No current plans for change here.
 
Last edited:

luxman38

Well-Known Member
Oct 26, 2018
12
4
68
74
The C-1000 all tube preamp is coming. It will be priced around 16K. Also recently heard the new Luxman SQN-150 integrated tube amp. Only about 11" wide. Has a built in SS MM/MC phono. Heard it w/a pair of Forte III's and a Clearaudio Concept TT. Just $2750 for the integrated. Also they have a matching CD player w/built in DAC the same size at the same price. Build and SQ typical excellent Luxman product.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing