Please SUBSCRIBE and LIKE THIS VIDEO. This is THE ONLY way you guys can let me know you want to see more of this type of content. Lastly, please give me your comment underneath about the results !
Just I suspected. The warmer, slightly smoother presentation of the Luxman was the one chosen by most of the viewers. I preferred #3 the very detailed and dynamic Constallation. The Simaudio is highly detailed, but leaner in dynamics. WE ARE THE REAL WINNERS! The exposure to true high end and Ulrra high end systems sound delivery develops our hearing knowledge base. Which is our most precious pocession as audiophiles. Thank you, thank you, thank you Jay.
This was a cool experiment. I recently bought the Luxman 595 Anniversary Integrated and it’s the best amp/preamp I’ve ever owned including a number of more expensive separates including tubes. The 595 is 12k and potentially all one needs. So I’m not surprised the Luxman won. Truly an incredible piece of kit.
Thank you, Jay. Great work!!! I can only imagine all the painstaking effort and hard work that it must take to handle and put together all these wonderful components for your comparisons.
A huge THANK YOU, Jay for the enormous work and financial expenses to bring a amazing comparison of these 3 amazing amps to us. I have the m-900u and it has been my absolute favorite and unlike many comments the bass sounds great on my system but that could be related to the synergy with my speakers that go down to 20hz with great control.
I may not be able to afford the ultra high end but I enjoy learning what they bring to HiFi. I like the seeing these more affordable versions so keep them coming.
Great video Jay! It would have been interesting to have the Boulder in there as amp # 4 to see if and how many folks preferred it over the other 3 in comparison and how they would all rank 1 to 4.
Jay, the Primary reason I have the Highest Respect for you is that you have always Presented the Best Equipment without ever putting any Manufacturers down and always stated it is your opinion! Absolute Respect for Skill Sets! 💪
Very Nice Video. I getting your pros and cons for each one - I thought it was a comprehensive and apt comparison. I will be definitely recommending this video (and your channel in general if they want your consultation) to my friends that are in the market for amps in this price Range. Keep it up Jay.
Thank you, Jay, for all your effort. For me, the Constallation was the clear winner. It was a little sweet, but it was also the most articulate, with the most air. The vocals were much better than on the other two. The Luxman was a good showman, indeed, but, for me, I felt its vocals fell short. Again, thank you, Jay.
Thank you for describing their characteristics as you heard them live. I selected amp 2 like many others, but personally I like equipment to be as flat as possible and "honest" as you described. I'm surprised it's amp 1 which has that cbaracter, which I thought was a little too bright of all three. Again, the speaker characteristics have a huge say in the overall sound. Again, thanks for detailing their specifics, tonal characteristics, behaviour and speaker matching characteristics. A lot of effort on your part. Thank you.
I hope and pray your pockets become very very deep so you can bring the simaudio 888 to your home and channel. I would actually be very interested to hear your thoughts on it. I'm quite undecided on simaudio because it's a name that's new to me and one shouldn't be quick to jump to conclusions one way or another because of just one item they made. I'll pray for you InshaAllah you'll be able to get your hands on the 888! 😅
Is really difficult to take this vid as a reference for your next amp upgrade. Tons of variants that define the sound, cables, power conditioner, speakers, room acoustics, preamp, music source, etc. so maybe in your room the worst will be sound awesome and the best not so good who knows!! Thanks for the vid Jay!!
Out of curiosity, I just looked up the UK prices of these amps and I ranked them correctly in terms of their UK prices, the constellation is £ 25,998.00, 5 grand more than the Sim audio which is £18,600.00, 2 grand more than the Luxman at £15,995.00 that I rated last. 3,1.2 was my ranking, so maybe I'm not doing too bad with my judgement.
I believe Safe and Sound has that Sim Audio 888 that you want to hear out in one of their display rooms. They are in Massachusetts, which is closer to you than Canada. Loved the shootout! Thank you
I chose the Luxman just for the VU meters. I wish Luxman would bring out a series that pays homage to its 80’s design style with the backlighted crystal like buttons.
Jay, awesome. I chose 1, 3, 2. You said it yourself - The Sim is more neutral, etc. and what you surround it with makes the magic. Well, look at what surrounds these amps! Basically best of breed power, source, cabling, etc! This is why it stood out to me as my preference, and why the Constellation was second, and Luxman, third. Basically, as you walk down the "more romantic" chain each became too much of a good thing and exaggerated in your best of breed system. Also agree that it would have been incredible to have the Boulder in the chain to see where it fell in the results!
This channel is one of my favorites Jay. I'd be curious what other channels your subscribers enjoy? The channels I watch daily include yours, Steve Guttenberg's, John Devore's, John Darko's, Audiophile Junkie, OMA (Oswald Mills Audio), SkiFiAudio, and 45 RPM Audiophile (I'm into vinyl). What about the rest of you?
Jay is outstanding as usual, did you know or YOU probably do know that AudioQuest is coming out with a new line of interconnects that are supposed to blow away the old. The speaker cables are set and won't change, just the interconnects from water on up. I will be attending an event where the engineer will be present and showing off the interconnects, what's interesting is the price points will be lower and step up over the new ones in some cases for half of the price. We will also be meeting Richard Vandersteen again and he will be showing off his new speakers.
Jay this is only my opinion my previous comments were that they don't compare to Pilium BUT...If Pilium didn't exist I would get the Luxman with the new Preamp they are making that is not out yet for it. I think the synergy even at this lower upper mid tier level would do a lot more for the presentation...The main reason is Luxman's new circuit that dials in feedback only when distortion comes in has been vastly improved and you need the preamp with the same circuitry to maximize that equation to it's fullest. I am not taking away from the boulder that is dead nuts neutral I am just saying to maximized the Luxman puzzle you need this new 20k preamp in again when it comes out for this amp next year in 2023. I hope we can hear that mega combo burrito when it is available.
Thanks so much Jay for your time and a lot of effort to this fun and valuable experience! Yeah! many of us got it right, No. 2, the Luxman, which is so sweet, so musical, and sounds like one of very expensive tube amplifiers might cost 2-3 times more. Please keep similar comparisons coming! Thanks again and have a great day Sir!
We've all heard how the Boulder amp sounds from previous videos, at through the limitations of RUclips. Personally I liked how the luxman amp presented music more than the Boulder.
I'd love to hear you audition the Moon 888 simply because it competes price-wise against the Boulder 3000 series, and to my ear is a bit more musical. Denver dealer ListenUp had a pair on display for about a year so I got to become quite familiar with them connected to the top of the line Focals (Grand Utopia EM EVO) and also a pair of Sonus Faber Arias.
Jay, a mí me gustaría que siguieras con la alta gama. Es la única oportunidad que tengo de conocer estos equipos. Son un sueño! Además, hay muchos canales de gama media o de equipos más asequibles en precio. Saludos y gracias!!!
I enjoy the gear you showcase on this channel. Even if the majority of the stuff is out of our price range, It's still cool to watch. It surprises me however to see hardly any women in this hobby. My love for audio and home theater comes from my husband and our set up we have here at home. He also subscribes to your channel. (Thanks to me of course lol ) one day he handed me the remote, I started listening to stuff I really liked and the rest is history. This channel would prolly never get the proclaimed wife approval when they see how much this stuff costs. lol Not this wife though. :) Love your vids Jay. You have this wife's approval to start showcasing more affordable gear. lol :)
Hey Jennifer ! I also feel sad to not see many women in this hobby. My wife isn't as into it as you are so it would be cool to have a wife like you that enjoys this male dominated hobby. Your husband is a lucky man FOR SURE!
Thanks for the videos, Jay. On this one, just a bit of info on price and when each amp was released, would make it much more useful. Sure I could look this up…but I don’t watch RUclips because I’m interested in working for it😅
Some folk still believe it will be the Topping LA90 as it "measures the best" (according to a limited set of parameters, not all of which are audible).
My vote went for the Luxman. As far as I could hear it, the Luxman had more meat in the mids which I preferred, the other frequencies are irrelevant to me because of listening through headphones via RUclips.
Excellent video Jay! Have you listened to the entry level Boulder products (1161 and 1160)? Was hoping they would be reviewed by you one day. They are both under $30k so it would be interesting to know their performance compared to these three amps...
Amazing shootout, Jay! 👍 Constellation sounded more visceral, clear, full range, open, like real live music. As opposed to the other 2 amps… Not sure what everyone else is hearing ?? Obviously doesn’t quite match the Boulder 3020 level, but pretty close 🙌
Hmm, my big Krell FPB 400cx gets REALLY hot in about 30 minutes of playing time, but I swear the sound seems to be way better after maybe 10 hours. Of course, leaving the dang thing on for extended periods is no good for my electric bill!
Although I liked number two the most as well this wasn’t a fair shoot out using the boulder preamp it may not have synergy with one of these amplifiers .
How the amplifier interacts with the speaker load is very important as well. As Jay points out the "best" would be very system dependent. As opposed to "really, really good" which I bet all three of these would be with most systems.
"looking for a more romantic presentation" at least when paired with Magico S7's (and the rest of your system which I suspect is extremely neutral). That opinion could well change if this were done with a half dozen different speakers or different upstream components (say the ARC ref 6 as the preamp).
The m10x/m900-u & 860 v2 are on my short list of amplifiers to upgrade to (currently W/P 6's to eventually be replaced by DAW's or Alexia 2's whenever my company's stock recovers). I was leaning towards the Luxman before this shootout and I don't think that opinion has changed.
@@marksironi3324 hi Mark I have DAWs with the constellation and works very well so worth an audition as well as Luxman. Just make sure to partner with the relevant preamp which does make a big difference imho. Good luck!
Boy, this is so weird. I chose amp #3#2#1 in that order. Even mentioned that I would not purchase amp #1 under no circumstances. However, I have heard the Moon amp at the Montreal audio show and it sounded fantastic. It’s bass was solid, nice soundstage and imaging. It was also very neutral. So not to sure on the final take here…
John Atkinson from Stereophile magazine reviewed the Luxman amp and concluded it was very close to sounding like a straight wire with gain. That tells me he thought the amp was very neutral sounding. Could it be that the other two amps you compared it to weren't necessary more neutral sounding, but rather more clinical sounding?
Good point! A lot of people tend to infer that an amplifier must be more neutral if it seems to highlight the warts in recordings, or that an amp must have a sound of its own if it is sweeter or warmer in its presentation of the music, but I think they overlook that brightness and clarity can give a false impression of more detail or truthfulness. Given that it is simply impossible to say whether a piece of equipment is actually more true to the signal, I believe that the best approach remains to try and determine which amp sounds the most like real music (taking into account the context of the recording, which does not always aim to recreate the illusion of live instruments and voices). For me, this generally means that I will prefer amps that make a larger portion of my music sound more engaging over amps that sound more precise or revealing... because real music is engaging, too, and it is safe to assume that the majority of the recording engineers working for bigger labels know quite well what they are doing.
@@Cipollae let's undergo some illuminati using juxtaposition. I happen to be colourblind. When I see green I see variations of what appears to be something on the spectrum of tan. It gets tricky because I'm not sure at what degree my tan coincides at that degree of normal person's perception of a departure into green shades and values but I favored the luxman to walk away with and have less ruminating with regret
Hi Jay - what preamp did you use for this shoot out? You have previously advised that these power amps need to be used with the same manufacturer preamp for best results?
I have heard the Luxman a dozen or more times at audio shows. The warm and smooth comments did not apply to a single system I heard. They always seem to be bit more on the clinical, cool side of neutral to me. Not saying its a bad amp. Its a great amp. But it was not warm.
@@beachbound6754 I have had extensive chair and listening time on Numerous occasions with the Boulder 3060. Of course I was listening to the system as a whole, but, It is quite impressive in performance at any price. From an available design standpoint I personally would easily bet without other possible advantages that could be applied that the Gryphon Apex Monos are quite handily and quite easily BESTING the Boulder 3060 stereo amp. If I was choosing to buy a commercial available set of monos today without hesitation I would purchase the Gryphon Apex Monos. Lots of Respect to Gryphon on that Product.
Would have taken the Luxman simply because of design, looks great But I did buy a Jeff Rowland 625 S2 for 16k and I´m more as happy with it, guess I will never think about an update ever again
In this 30k Amp Bracket SIMAUDIO FOR THE WIN AS WITH KNOWLEDGE OF SIGNAL INTEGRITY AND SYSTEM PLACEMENT AND COMPLETE INTEGRATION YOU GET MORE FACTS AND LESS DISTORTED COLORATION OR EUPHONICS. I STILL WOULD NOT BRIDGE THESE AS MONOS. AT THAT PRICE OF 2X FOR MONOS PROBABLY OTHER BETTER CHOICES
Please don't shout with all caps. >PROBABLY OTHER BETTER CHOICES This is probably true but ignores the complexity of the situation. If money is no object then certainly you could explore other options (but then you probably aren't looking at any of these amps anyway). But say someone buys a $20k amp new now, and 3-4 years later wants more power. Now your choices are 1) sell your current amp, take the loss, and move to something more expensive or 2) buy a second amp on the used market for 60-65% of retail. This can make the choice far less clear cut. Especially if say that original $20k investment was pushing the limit of what you could afford.
@@marksironi3324Thank You Mark for Your comments. Lots of appreciated and valid points made by You. Knowing what I know and have already accomplished in the price range of this test, I will be curious if a manufacturer or New Brand or New Private Party Brand steps forward with a breakthrough in ultra high end real high power performance about 400 watts monos x2 and ultra low forms of various distortions that offers a $140k comparative quality experience or better in a sub $40k or less retail price. For Lower output of 250 watts x 2 power a similar overall quality experience with a retail price point of $20k and finally a world class performance integrated at $15k or less at 100 watts rms x2. These thoughts of designs would offer no euphonics built in....only ULTRA HIGH END ULTRA FIDELITY facts. All Ultra High End targeted for mind boggling performance. I look forward to those occurrences. Thank You Mark. Your Thoughts are Appreciated 👍
A great value for your hard-earned money can never be found in a Bugatti. Not even in a Ferrari. I bet if you only gave a chance to a great AB-class amplifier like the NAD C 275 BEE, you would quickly realize you don't need a Bugatti to have a satisfying drive on an Autobahn. Get two of them and just use one channel on each of them. With only one channel driven the NAD gives you over 300 Watts continuous into a 2-Ohm load. If people only tried. Each NAD C 275 BEE is only US $1500, which equals to US $3000 for both. Just think about it.
There are no winners and losers just various tastes and different things a listener is trying to achieve for experience. Stuff that is too technical is LIFELESS to me while others might love that and call it CLEAN. I hear too scrubbed and sterile. I think making a system too sterile actually isn't music anymore. You want to hear the imperfections of the artist and the music. That is what transforms a lot of people into the music connecting with the emotion of the artists. I have heard this at concerts also where starting act artists voice are technically clean but they just do not have that magic of emotion or conveyance of presentation in their voice. It's that part that gives the music it's soul.
The RUclips result is irrelevant. We all listen to this through different systems with RUclips compression. Not sharing your opinion on the ranking make this video pointless since I have no data to anchor my assessment to.
It's not irrelevant. Jay did his best. Look how much he spent. If the system you listen on doesn't have enough resolve and clarrity, plus if your ears can't pick it up, it's not the fault of the RUclips video.
Well, I'm not selling MY Boulder gear, made in America there is little chance they will up and leave for a decade requiring their customers to ship gear back to Denmark for service...Boulder it is!!
Please SUBSCRIBE and LIKE THIS VIDEO. This is THE ONLY way you guys can let me know you want to see more of this type of content. Lastly, please give me your comment underneath about the results !
Just I suspected. The warmer, slightly smoother presentation of the Luxman was the one chosen by most of the viewers. I preferred #3 the very detailed and dynamic Constallation. The Simaudio is highly detailed, but leaner in dynamics. WE ARE THE REAL WINNERS!
The exposure to true high end and Ulrra high end systems sound delivery develops our hearing knowledge base.
Which is our most precious pocession as audiophiles. Thank you, thank you, thank you Jay.
Thanks 🙏
David Rivera - I felt exactly as you did. I preferred amp 3 ( just barely) over amp 2. Amp 1 was a little too lean for me.
We appreciate the work you undertake to bring us top of the range quality content.
My pleasure
This was a cool experiment. I recently bought the Luxman 595 Anniversary Integrated and it’s the best amp/preamp I’ve ever owned including a number of more expensive separates including tubes. The 595 is 12k and potentially all one needs. So I’m not surprised the Luxman won. Truly an incredible piece of kit.
👍
595 is just another 590axii
@@swcblad I had both in my listening room for 2 weeks. They did not sound the same.
@@adamk4716 in what ways are they different?
@@adamk4716 and i just really like those meters, why dropping them?
Thank you, Jay. Great work!!! I can only imagine all the painstaking effort and hard work that it must take to handle and put together all these wonderful components for your comparisons.
Thanks Ken
YES, it would ne nice to have reviews and tests of gears *between 8.000 and 18.000 dollars !*
A huge THANK YOU, Jay for the enormous work and financial expenses to bring a amazing comparison of these 3 amazing amps to us.
I have the m-900u and it has been my absolute favorite and unlike many comments the bass sounds great on my system but that could be related to the synergy with my speakers that go down to 20hz with great control.
👍thank you
Wonderful AMP ❤
Thank you Jay for the interesting shootout, and wonderful summery - keep the good job on your channel!
Thank you
I may not be able to afford the ultra high end but I enjoy learning what they bring to HiFi. I like the seeing these more affordable versions so keep them coming.
Subscribe
Great video Jay! It would have been interesting to have the Boulder in there as amp # 4 to see if and how many folks preferred it over the other 3 in comparison and how they would all rank 1 to 4.
Yes 👍
The all new Luxman L-507z is very special indeed !
Jay, the Primary reason I have the Highest Respect for you is that you have always Presented the Best Equipment without ever putting any Manufacturers down and always stated it is your opinion! Absolute Respect for Skill Sets! 💪
Thanks 👍
Very Nice Video.
I getting your pros and cons for each one - I thought it was a comprehensive and apt comparison. I will be definitely recommending this video (and your channel in general if they want your consultation) to my friends that are in the market for amps in this price Range.
Keep it up Jay.
What an amazing work to make all of this happening for us! Thank you again Jay. Wonderful teasing for the next power amp 😀 looking forward to it
Thanks !
That was great! Thanks Jay! Sim too forward, Lux too laid back, Constellation seemed to be right in the middle of the two imo. Which I preferred.
👍
Thank you, Jay, for all your effort. For me, the Constallation was the clear winner. It was a little sweet, but it was also the most articulate, with the most air. The vocals were much better than on the other two. The Luxman was a good showman, indeed, but, for me, I felt its vocals fell short. Again, thank you, Jay.
Thanks
Thank you for describing their characteristics as you heard them live. I selected amp 2 like many others, but personally I like equipment to be as flat as possible and "honest" as you described. I'm surprised it's amp 1 which has that cbaracter, which I thought was a little too bright of all three. Again, the speaker characteristics have a huge say in the overall sound. Again, thanks for detailing their specifics, tonal characteristics, behaviour and speaker matching characteristics. A lot of effort on your part. Thank you.
I hope and pray your pockets become very very deep so you can bring the simaudio 888 to your home and channel. I would actually be very interested to hear your thoughts on it. I'm quite undecided on simaudio because it's a name that's new to me and one shouldn't be quick to jump to conclusions one way or another because of just one item they made. I'll pray for you InshaAllah you'll be able to get your hands on the 888! 😅
👍
Is really difficult to take this vid as a reference for your next amp upgrade. Tons of variants that define the sound, cables, power conditioner, speakers, room acoustics, preamp, music source, etc. so maybe in your room the worst will be sound awesome and the best not so good who knows!! Thanks for the vid Jay!!
Out of curiosity, I just looked up the UK prices of these amps and I ranked them correctly in terms of their UK prices, the constellation is £ 25,998.00, 5 grand more than the Sim audio which is £18,600.00, 2 grand more than the Luxman at £15,995.00 that I rated last. 3,1.2 was my ranking, so maybe I'm not doing too bad with my judgement.
Ok
I believe Safe and Sound has that Sim Audio 888 that you want to hear out in one of their display rooms. They are in Massachusetts, which is closer to you than Canada. Loved the shootout! Thank you
👍
I chose the Luxman just for the VU meters. I wish Luxman would bring out a series that pays homage to its 80’s design style with the backlighted crystal like buttons.
looks like
I leaned toward the Luxman as well. All and excellent amps.
Agreed
Saw your Boulder for sale on Audiogon. Such a killer piece!
👍
Great information Jay! Love the channel and your input/insights!! Really appreciate your expertise….
I appreciate that!
Jay, awesome. I chose 1, 3, 2. You said it yourself - The Sim is more neutral, etc. and what you surround it with makes the magic. Well, look at what surrounds these amps! Basically best of breed power, source, cabling, etc! This is why it stood out to me as my preference, and why the Constellation was second, and Luxman, third. Basically, as you walk down the "more romantic" chain each became too much of a good thing and exaggerated in your best of breed system. Also agree that it would have been incredible to have the Boulder in the chain to see where it fell in the results!
👍
With a new Luxman and a new Moon, I would love to see this again.
This channel is one of my favorites Jay. I'd be curious what other channels your subscribers enjoy?
The channels I watch daily include yours, Steve Guttenberg's, John Devore's, John Darko's, Audiophile Junkie, OMA (Oswald Mills Audio), SkiFiAudio, and 45 RPM Audiophile (I'm into vinyl).
What about the rest of you?
👍
Jay is outstanding as usual, did you know or YOU probably do know that AudioQuest is coming out with a new line of interconnects that are supposed to blow away the old. The speaker cables are set and won't change, just the interconnects from water on up. I will be attending an event where the engineer will be present and showing off the interconnects, what's interesting is the price points will be lower and step up over the new ones in some cases for half of the price. We will also be meeting Richard Vandersteen again and he will be showing off his new speakers.
Just get a Benchmark AHB2 or Bryston 4B3 and use the money saved to budget for better speakers.
Jay this is only my opinion my previous comments were that they don't compare to Pilium BUT...If Pilium didn't exist I would get the Luxman with the new Preamp they are making that is not out yet for it. I think the synergy even at this lower upper mid tier level would do a lot more for the presentation...The main reason is Luxman's new circuit that dials in feedback only when distortion comes in has been vastly improved and you need the preamp with the same circuitry to maximize that equation to it's fullest. I am not taking away from the boulder that is dead nuts neutral I am just saying to maximized the Luxman puzzle you need this new 20k preamp in again when it comes out for this amp next year in 2023. I hope we can hear that mega combo burrito when it is available.
👍
Thanks so much Jay for your time and a lot of effort to this fun and valuable experience! Yeah! many of us got it right, No. 2, the Luxman, which is so sweet, so musical, and sounds like one of very expensive tube amplifiers might cost 2-3 times more. Please keep similar comparisons coming! Thanks again and have a great day Sir!
Make sure to subscribe so i can do this more often
We've all heard how the Boulder amp sounds from previous videos, at through the limitations of RUclips. Personally I liked how the luxman amp presented music more than the Boulder.
I'd love to hear you audition the Moon 888 simply because it competes price-wise against the Boulder 3000 series, and to my ear is a bit more musical.
Denver dealer ListenUp had a pair on display for about a year so I got to become quite familiar with them connected to the top of the line Focals (Grand Utopia EM EVO) and also a pair of Sonus Faber Arias.
Nice !
Jay, thank you for the Hard work and opportunity...
Thanks 👍
Good stuff... hope a solid state mono block comparison is coming!
Jay, a mí me gustaría que siguieras con la alta gama. Es la única oportunidad que tengo de conocer estos equipos. Son un sueño! Además, hay muchos canales de gama media o de equipos más asequibles en precio. Saludos y gracias!!!
Gracias !
Have you ever auditioned the AGD amps id love to hear your thoughts
With the new North Series, it would be interesting to do that comparison again
I enjoy the gear you showcase on this channel. Even if the majority of the stuff is out of our price range, It's still cool to watch. It surprises me however to see hardly any women in this hobby. My love for audio and home theater comes from my husband and our set up we have here at home. He also subscribes to your channel. (Thanks to me of course lol ) one day he handed me the remote, I started listening to stuff I really liked and the rest is history. This channel would prolly never get the proclaimed wife approval when they see how much this stuff costs. lol Not this wife though. :) Love your vids Jay. You have this wife's approval to start showcasing more affordable gear. lol :)
Hey Jennifer !
I also feel sad to not see many women in this hobby. My wife isn't as into it as you are so it would be cool to have a wife like you that enjoys this male dominated hobby. Your husband is a lucky man FOR SURE!
Thanks for the videos, Jay. On this one, just a bit of info on price and when each amp was released, would make it much more useful.
Sure I could look this up…but I don’t watch RUclips because I’m interested in working for it😅
Here comes the Gryphon Apex!
Some folk still believe it will be the Topping LA90 as it "measures the best" (according to a limited set of parameters, not all of which are audible).
My vote went for the Luxman. As far as I could hear it, the Luxman had more meat in the mids which I preferred, the other frequencies are irrelevant to me because of listening through headphones via RUclips.
👍
Thanks Jay, as always keep up the Good work
👍
Excellent video Jay! Have you listened to the entry level Boulder products (1161 and 1160)? Was hoping they would be reviewed by you one day. They are both under $30k so it would be interesting to know their performance compared to these three amps...
Thank you 👍
Audio Music would probably give these a run for their money.
Thank You Jay. Great Job 👍
Thanks so much for your support of my channel. It means a lot to me. Much appreciated 👍
Amazing shootout, Jay! 👍 Constellation sounded more visceral, clear, full range, open, like real live music. As opposed to the other 2 amps… Not sure what everyone else is hearing ?? Obviously doesn’t quite match the Boulder 3020 level, but pretty close 🙌
Constellation note decay sounded a bit cut off compared to Luxman IMO.
Thanks
Great job - I agree that all three are special amps. Keep up the good work.
Thanks
My ears didn't fail me this time. Nice job Jay!
Thanks
Awesome post Jay 👍I couldn't agree with you more 👌
👍
Hmm, my big Krell FPB 400cx gets REALLY hot in about 30 minutes of playing time, but I swear the sound seems to be way better after maybe 10 hours. Of course, leaving the dang thing on for extended periods is no good for my electric bill!
👍
Thanks very much for this Jay, again you are breaking ground on the internet for end end hifi!
Thank you 👍
Jay you should try to get some Audionet gear in the lab :O)
Although I liked number two the most as well this wasn’t a fair shoot out using the boulder preamp it may not have synergy with one of these amplifiers .
How the amplifier interacts with the speaker load is very important as well. As Jay points out the "best" would be very system dependent. As opposed to "really, really good" which I bet all three of these would be with most systems.
Excellent review!
Thank you
"looking for a more romantic presentation"
at least when paired with Magico S7's (and the rest of your system which I suspect is extremely neutral). That opinion could well change if this were done with a half dozen different speakers or different upstream components (say the ARC ref 6 as the preamp).
The m10x/m900-u & 860 v2 are on my short list of amplifiers to upgrade to (currently W/P 6's to eventually be replaced by DAW's or Alexia 2's whenever my company's stock recovers). I was leaning towards the Luxman before this shootout and I don't think that opinion has changed.
@@marksironi3324 hi Mark I have DAWs with the constellation and works very well so worth an audition as well as Luxman. Just make sure to partner with the relevant preamp which does make a big difference imho. Good luck!
👍
Thank you for your kind effort
Thank you
I'm happy with my Luxman m900u.Should I upgrade to the m10x Jay?Thanks.
Consider my consultation service before you do
@@jaysaudiolab Thanks Jay.
For the 30k amp bracket in these tests the SIM
Boy, this is so weird. I chose amp #3#2#1 in that order. Even mentioned that I would not purchase amp #1 under no circumstances.
However, I have heard the Moon amp at the Montreal audio show and it sounded fantastic. It’s bass was solid, nice soundstage and imaging. It was also very neutral. So not to sure on the final take here…
👍
not playing around anymore ;)
Naim Statement
Lol
John Atkinson from Stereophile magazine reviewed the Luxman amp and concluded it was very close to sounding like a straight wire with gain. That tells me he thought the amp was very neutral sounding. Could it be that the other two amps you compared it to weren't necessary more neutral sounding, but rather more clinical sounding?
Not sure
Good point! A lot of people tend to infer that an amplifier must be more neutral if it seems to highlight the warts in recordings, or that an amp must have a sound of its own if it is sweeter or warmer in its presentation of the music, but I think they overlook that brightness and clarity can give a false impression of more detail or truthfulness. Given that it is simply impossible to say whether a piece of equipment is actually more true to the signal, I believe that the best approach remains to try and determine which amp sounds the most like real music (taking into account the context of the recording, which does not always aim to recreate the illusion of live instruments and voices). For me, this generally means that I will prefer amps that make a larger portion of my music sound more engaging over amps that sound more precise or revealing... because real music is engaging, too, and it is safe to assume that the majority of the recording engineers working for bigger labels know quite well what they are doing.
@@Cipollae let's undergo some illuminati using juxtaposition. I happen to be colourblind. When I see green I see variations of what appears to be something on the spectrum of tan. It gets tricky because I'm not sure at what degree my tan coincides at that degree of normal person's perception of a departure into green shades and values but I favored the luxman to walk away with and have less ruminating with regret
magnifico.
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Great shootout, liked it.
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They all sounded excellent on my Nad 3020 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol
@@jaysaudiolab They did. The Nad is used as my smart TV amp
Hi Jay - what preamp did you use for this shoot out? You have previously advised that these power amps need to be used with the same manufacturer preamp for best results?
Boulder 3010. The best preamp in existence today
@@jaysaudiolab Maybe so, but not necessarily the best match for each (or some or one) of these power amps.
Love it jay
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Thanks again.
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Boulder makes amplifiers in this price range... would like to have that in the comparison.
Some day
Great job.. Thanks a lot.....
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Luxman to win...? but would MX 10 sound better as monoblocks or no difference ...loving the white rectangle boxes dropping down...
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For me it was really hard to choose between amp 1 and 3.
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I have heard the Luxman a dozen or more times at audio shows. The warm and smooth comments did not apply to a single system I heard. They always seem to be bit more on the clinical, cool side of neutral to me. Not saying its a bad amp. Its a great amp. But it was not warm.
Number 2, the luxman, sounds more like real music. The other two, not so much.
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Audio take time and is worth every penny and time that you put into it remember Rome wasn't built in a day.
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Just Krell 900 evo monos for 15k used and it beats everything on this video
You seem to be a fan of Boulder. Why none in the mix here?
Didn't have access to any
Thanks!
Wow thanks for the donation. I really appreciate it !
Thanks Jay…💯✅
Thank you 👍
Of course the Gryphon APEX
However, he said the Boulder was the best STEREO amp he has had...the APEX is still stereo, makes you wonder.
@@beachbound6754 I have had extensive chair and listening time on Numerous occasions with the Boulder 3060. Of course I was listening to the system as a whole, but, It is quite impressive in performance at any price. From an available design standpoint I personally would easily bet without other possible advantages that could be applied that the Gryphon Apex Monos are quite handily and quite easily BESTING the Boulder 3060 stereo amp.
If I was choosing to buy a commercial available set of monos today without hesitation I would purchase the Gryphon Apex Monos.
Lots of Respect to Gryphon on that Product.
@@beachbound6754 Gryphon has mono blocks.
@@beachbound6754 have i owned the apex ?
@@jaysaudiolab I suppose I COULD contact John, but that would take all the fun out of it!!!
Would have taken the Luxman simply because of design, looks great
But I did buy a Jeff Rowland 625 S2 for 16k and I´m more as happy with it, guess I will never think about an update ever again
You'll upgrade
@@jaysaudiolab maybe the preAmp but not the PowerAmp, it IS awesome
Abo for a comparism of a Luxman 595 vs the 10x ;-)
Got enough of those "affordable gear" channels out there! Ultra high end is the best and what everyone should strive for success in life to afford.
Yep
I have not heard it yet, but the Enleum amplifier from Korea is supposed to be amazing under $10K.
Hm 🤔
In this 30k Amp Bracket SIMAUDIO FOR THE WIN AS WITH KNOWLEDGE OF SIGNAL INTEGRITY AND SYSTEM PLACEMENT AND COMPLETE INTEGRATION YOU GET MORE FACTS AND LESS DISTORTED COLORATION OR EUPHONICS. I STILL WOULD NOT BRIDGE THESE AS MONOS. AT THAT PRICE OF 2X FOR MONOS PROBABLY OTHER BETTER CHOICES
Please don't shout with all caps.
>PROBABLY OTHER BETTER CHOICES
This is probably true but ignores the complexity of the situation. If money is no object then certainly you could explore other options (but then you probably aren't looking at any of these amps anyway). But say someone buys a $20k amp new now, and 3-4 years later wants more power. Now your choices are 1) sell your current amp, take the loss, and move to something more expensive or 2) buy a second amp on the used market for 60-65% of retail. This can make the choice far less clear cut. Especially if say that original $20k investment was pushing the limit of what you could afford.
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@@marksironi3324Thank You Mark for Your comments. Lots of appreciated and valid points made by You.
Knowing what I know and have already accomplished in the price range of this test, I will be curious if a manufacturer or New Brand or New Private Party Brand steps forward with a breakthrough in ultra high end real high power performance about 400 watts monos x2 and ultra low forms of various distortions that offers a $140k comparative quality experience or better in a sub $40k or less retail price. For Lower output of 250 watts x 2 power a similar overall quality experience with a retail price point of $20k and finally a world class performance integrated at $15k or less at 100 watts rms x2. These thoughts of designs would offer no euphonics built in....only ULTRA HIGH END ULTRA FIDELITY facts.
All Ultra High End targeted for mind boggling performance.
I look forward to those occurrences.
Thank You Mark. Your Thoughts are Appreciated 👍
Next time please show as the back panel of the amplifier clearly. 🤔.
A great value for your hard-earned money can never be found in a Bugatti. Not even in a Ferrari. I bet if you only gave a chance to a great AB-class amplifier like the NAD C 275 BEE, you would quickly realize you don't need a Bugatti to have a satisfying drive on an Autobahn. Get two of them and just use one channel on each of them. With only one channel driven the NAD gives you over 300 Watts continuous into a 2-Ohm load. If people only tried. Each NAD C 275 BEE is only US $1500, which equals to US $3000 for both. Just think about it.
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There are no winners and losers just various tastes and different things a listener is trying to achieve for experience. Stuff that is too technical is LIFELESS to me while others might love that and call it CLEAN. I hear too scrubbed and sterile. I think making a system too sterile actually isn't music anymore. You want to hear the imperfections of the artist and the music. That is what transforms a lot of people into the music connecting with the emotion of the artists. I have heard this at concerts also where starting act artists voice are technically clean but they just do not have that magic of emotion or conveyance of presentation in their voice. It's that part that gives the music it's soul.
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NAT Audio amps coming soon?
No
I think the neutral amplifier would have more “air”
Is the new amp a Gryphon?
Stay tuned to find out
One can see that this is a well-muscled chap who goes to the gym. Which is just as well if you need to lift one of these babies onto its stand.
Does that mean if more people subscribe you will review affordable HIFi...? (Eg. Under £30,000.00 systems)
What happens to the amps now?
You all will decide that based on how many likes and subscribers join
Zero SHOCK on the New King
The king is dead (Boulder). Long live the king! (EMM Labs).
Huh
@@jaysaudiolab - Jay, just a wild guess on your new amp.
The RUclips result is irrelevant. We all listen to this through different systems with RUclips compression. Not sharing your opinion on the ranking make this video pointless since I have no data to anchor my assessment to.
Just become a member once my website launches
It's not irrelevant. Jay did his best. Look how much he spent. If the system you listen on doesn't have enough resolve and clarrity, plus if your ears can't pick it up, it's not the fault of the RUclips video.
I've listen to all of them. The luxman is far better and more nuanced and natural.
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Y'all forgot Boulder audio
Nope 🤣
Well, I'm not selling MY Boulder gear, made in America there is little chance they will up and leave for a decade requiring their customers to ship gear back to Denmark for service...Boulder it is!!
Ok
The Boulder will be sold...oh....
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