The NEW PD-191A Luxman Turntable | AXPONA 2023 Preview
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Tom Martin interviews VP of Sales John Pravel on Luxman's debut of the PD-191A turntable. We learn about the PD-191A intending to replace the long-running Luxman PD-171 series, its heavy aluminum platter, its complementary tonearm, cartridge, and more...
About Tom Martin:
Tom is a long-time audiophile. He began his reviewing career after acquiring the The Absolute Sound magazine in 1997 and then hi-fi+ magazine in 2002. He has worked closely with Harry Pearson and Robert Harley at TAS and with Roy Gregory and Alan Sircom at hi-fi+. Since Tom and his teams expanded the TAS and Plus platforms in the digital domain, he has served as Chief Content Officer.
Shot and edited by TAS Digital Managing Editor Charles Kinder
What Is The Absolute Sound?
The Absolute Sound magazine has been a leading publication in high-end audio since 1972. Since the early 2000s, The Absolute Sound has expanded to include web, newsletter, digital magazine, social media, RUclips and Substack platforms. The Absolute Sound platforms have a global audience of over 500,000 audiophiles.
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Did anyone else notice that when the gentleman started the turntable, he had to nudge it along with his finger to start it spinning at 2:40? Really?
Beautiful ! Luxman is just a go to Company. Their Amps, turntables, everything from tubes to Solid State ! I would be tickled to death if I had a Luxman stereo system. I would like to have one of everything. I think Luxman is as good as anyone in the Music business ! They sound fantastic !
Stunning looking.. HUGE price difference between USA and Japan prices on Luxmans.. A lot more "affordable" in Japan.
I have a Japanese PD-151 Mk2. It was a lot more affordable on the Japanese market. I don’t see a reason to upgrade to the 191; the 151 performs beautifully. I’ve owned five turntables - the 151 is certainly the best.
I’m sure it’s an amazing tt and beautifully built. But, a $12k tt and a basic cover to protect it is an additional charge?1?
$800-ish extra if my memory is correct.. SMH
@@ptg01 OMG!!😆
Shop around I found a dealer that tossed in the dust cover
Reminds me of my old KD500, which I still have. Heavy, granite base, direct drive motor, strobe pitch control. Of course it has an Infinity Black Widow tonearm mounted on it.
OMG!! Clean your turntable!
Common! it has special everything on it😂
@@johnbravo7542 Oh yes?! I wonder how much extra would they charge for a bunch of grubby fingerprints left behind by "special" VIPs...
What an absolutely ridiculous amount of money for a turntable -- to say nothing of the price of a moving coil cartridge that not only has to be purchased separately but also needs to be entirely replaced once the tip on the stylus wears off!
But you're probably being sarcastic, aren't you?
Still got my PD 284 which I converted to my spare SME 3009 Non Detachable Headshell Version Arm of 40 odd years.Sill looks and sounds great!
Very nice !
Could you all review the all new Qualio Audio IQ Loudspeakers designed by Cube Audio ?
Thank You
“Special” this and “special” that.
I like that they present the main bearing and motor , they are so critical, yet so often omitted from the features list. One might mistake this as a product from the past, looking at the curved tone arm, heavy base, a seventy eight RPM speed, the lighted strobe , and having the motor change speed .
I used to know a high end decorator that used only Luxman as her go to line when the customer wanted a secondary system or didn't want to spent the money for the big cost no object brand she usually used.
I was surprised the arm used a knife edge bearing, and wonder how they designed it, knowing that SME used a knife edge in the past, but discarded the design after finding that it got excited and chattered in use , so I wonder how it is implemented to resist vibrations. I was impressed by the design of the main bearing, because oil is not often incorporated there, but obviously has performance stability and the quietness of the oil film as a feature. and mainly because I own Michell that uses the same main bearing materials and incorporates oil, and this approach further vindicates that design thinking. Although vindication is hardly needed , that bearing has been used since 1998, as part of a classic design that is still being sold in todays very competitive market.
Apparently everything on this turntable is ‘special’ according to the Rep. not sure of the details that make each component that special though…
Special polymer, special lubricant, special motor, special whatever.... These are literally standard components.
Yeah,it's all BS audiophile talk to justify the rediculous retail price
Seems like Luxman is overcompensating for how basic this turntable is, by mentioning 'special' this and 'special' that. Imagine calling an acrylic dust cover as 'precision-crafted'. LOL!
There is really nothing special about this table, other than its horrendously overpriced price tag. Even at $5k this would not be my top choice for a turntable, let alone $12k.
What would be your top choice of affordable TT & cartridge?
@@SpirallingOut at the 5k price point? There are many good choices from AVID, VPI, Technics. I'd say Technics is the undisputed value leader in this segment.
At closer to 10k, will personally pick VPI Prime Signature, upgrade it with its ADS speed controller, and still come in cheaper but perform better than this Luxman turntable.
@@meesmo4 yeah I'll take Luxman over the vpi's vynil encased mdf and cheesy as hell industrial design.. same way id take Giselle Buchman over Sandra Bullock...
@@gregdee9085 even if Giselle is a dead fish on bed, while Sandra won't hesitate to ride you like there's no tomorrow?
Now there's a real corporate man if I've ever seen one, a far cry from the days of Mr. Miura.
Beautiful turntable but man, it needs to be wiped down. It's filthy!
According to the Luxman web site, the platter is 5.2kg. Also, why are the records so often filthy at these events? Can they not afford a record cleaner?
Can't afford it, don't need it, but I like it! Part of me wishes I'd bought a Luxman PD-151, after seeing one at the last NY Audio show. That and the Pro-Ject Xtension 12 were my fantasy tables. During the 2020 pandemic, I bought a SOTA Sapphire VI. Haven't been playing records much, and that's not the SOTA's fault. Oh, well.
I like that it has pitch control what a great-looking turntable. Being that I play the Harmonica and the Drums everything needs to be in pitch. It has some great capabilities I like. My friend asked his brother-in-law who is into High-End audio what is the ballpark you have to be in to get a good-sounding turntable he said $30,000 I have seen a cartridge go for $100,000 which is Crazy money. This would match the,1980s Luxman K-09 tape deck I have. It went for $1200,00 but was on sale for $600,00 I would love to own this turntable. It is the only one I have seen with a
pitch control feature. I'm still trying to find a way to record a record to cd. I wish Luxman had a single CD recorder. I have import records you can't buy and an Out Of Print record I want to listen to them on a cd but I need a cd recorder that can do that but the one that I had was a Philips dual cd recorder. My friend and I had that and it broke and you can't fix it and they don't sell part for it. Yamaha has one called Yamaha CDR-D651 but it is no longer made that looks like a better dual cd player and recorder. I'm looking for something High-End like this Luxman
turntable but still no such luck. I wish Luxman and some other companies would make it because I like recording music that is Out Of Print and Hard To Find and is rare so I don't wear out the good copy. If I scratch a cd or the record I'm out of luck. Some people still love recording music to a cd and I hope these companies will continue to do that. The only other thing that sucks is you can't make a copy from an SACD to a blank disc because it is too encrypted. I was hoping to have a better copy but it won't work. I hate my music being compressed. Too many Millennial kids today can care less about sound quality and when they make a copy of music it is compressed and there are things they don't hear on the cd due to the music being so compressed they don't know what they are listening to or know just how good the music actually is.
Thom by the way your review of magna pens LRS classes excellent could not of found a better representation for magna pan that you laid out on your podcast. A sidenote, a lot of people that could really utilize a Magna pattern and love it as you know, needs a lot of power and the speakers can handle it but that becomes expensive to Minneapolis spending seven $12,000 for a power amp and then you need a preamp, I found a solution for under $2000 power amp. I’ve had it now it’s a Roku Mark to 330 W RMS a sign in the four neutral. I’m using it to print though and I can tell you what I just had 10 audio files over at the house. The systems completed now and we were all blown away and I had everything hidden except the speakers and at this point I was using a real TX5 I can tell you everyone thought it was a 30,000 and $40,000 system. They never heard anything as good as this well I’ve heard things as good as this is so have you but miraculous and for under two grand for a power amp it’ll do this quality parts foil in the transformers 800 damping factor which isn’t great but it’s decent on these anyhow highly recommend you guys thinking of magna planters and you don’t have a time and money check out the rotelle mark two error on everyone in the hobby. Good luck good listening.
Waiting for mine to arrive but not excited that it is coming on a pallet and getting it up a flight of stairs safely.
Also shop around there are dealers that will throw in the dust cover with it!
What is a special motor drive system and a special recordmat? Some people are speaking without saying anything.
In the UK the PD-191A comes with the acrylic cover as standard. It's a nice bit of kit but you can do just as good if not better for a few thousand less.
Such as? I have the PD 171A, I love it.
But I'm interested in your suggestions on a table as good for a few thousand less.
@@luckycharm4623 Linn Sondek LP12 starts at 4k, Origin Live Sovreign with arm 8k, Clearaudio Ovation with arm 9k, Avid Volvere SP with arm 8k, Rega Naia with arm 10k, Michell Orbe full or SE with arm 8k, VIP Prime Signature 21 9k, Thorens TD124 DD 8k, Rega Planer 10 4k, Kuzma Stabi S with arm at 6k, and even the staple diet of many a record collector the Technics SL1200G at 4k just to name a few. Now wether or not you or I think these are as good as the Luxman is just a matter of opinion.
@@luckycharm4623 Linn Sondek LP12 starts at 4k, Avid Volvere SP with arm 8k, Origin Live Sovreign with arm 8k, Clearaudio Ovation with arm 9k, Michell Orbe with arm 8k, Rega Naia 10k, Thorens TD124 DD 8k, VIP Prime Signature 21 9k, Rega Planet 10 4k, Kuzma Stabi S with arm 5k. Even the record collectors favourite the Technics SL1200G at 4k. Now wether you or I think these are just as good or even better or not as good than the Luxman is just our opinion.
@@luckycharm4623 Linn Sondek LP12 start at 4k, Avid Volvere SP with arm 8k, Origin Live sovereign with arm 9K Michell Orbe with arm 8k, Rega Naia 10k, VPI Prime signature 21 9k, Rega Planer 10 4k Kuzma Stabi S with arm 5k Clearaudio Ovation with arm 8K and even the DJ favourite the Technics SL1200G at 4k just to name a few. now whether you or I consider these to be as good, better or worse than the Luxman is just a matter of opinion.
@@luckycharm4623 Linn Sondek LP12 start at 4k, Michell Orbe with arm 8K, Avid Volvere SP with arm 8k, Origin Live Sovereign with arm 9K, Clearaudio Ovation with arm 8k, Rega Naia 10k, VPI Prime signature 21 9k, Thorens TD 124 DD 8k, Rega Planer 10 4k, Rega planer 8 3k and even the DJ's favourite the Technics SL1200G at 4k just to name a few. now whether you and I think these are as good, better or worse than the Luxman is just a matter of opinion.
especially very special
I'll take three.
would be funny if the hinges were mounted
How much is the special cover?
What strikes me is how much more expensive it is compared to the prior PD-171A. The platter and bearing are the same as the PD-171; the motor system comes from the PD-151. The arm is new, but the price is still too high for the difference.
For domestic use in the home….LOL. As opposed to when you have it in your truck?
As opposed to a DJ turntable in a nightclub, or a a TT used in broadcasting, like a radio station.
@@AT-wl9yq Of course. But this particular machine would never be used in any thing other than a domestic setting, so the comment, like much the commentary in this piece is ludicrous
@@edd2771 I took your comment literally. It looks like a DJ turntable. It has an S arm with a removeable head shell. The size and shape is about the same. When I first saw it, I thought it was a modified 1200.
@@AT-wl9yq It’s just like a DJ table except it’s belt drive😂 It also lacks pitch control. But it would be of interest to that segment of the DJ population ready to rock the house by playing 78s 🤣🤣🤣. Of course the S shaped arm is a dead give away….One can only find those on literally hundreds of other tables designed for non-DJ use. Please do think before you critique others. I certainly did so before I critiqued this $14k insult to thinking audiophiles everywhere.
Talking like a true salesman trying to flog a overpriced product
$12k with no cart and cover is optional? Good luck with this.
You can't really do it that way. A phono cart is a very personal choice, and the differences between are not just related to sound quality, but in function, as well. Because of this, you need to match the cart to a phono preamp designed to work with it. For example, the requirements for a high output moving magnet cart, are very different from a low output moving coil design. Not only that, if they included the cart, everyone would just say the opposite of what they are saying now. "I don't want that cart. Why are they forcing me to buy it?", or " I already have a cart. Why are they forcing me to buy one?"
@@AT-wl9yq I completely agree a cart is a separate decision. You misunderstand my point. I was merely being precise in describing how the table is offered while making the larger point that the price is hilariously exorbitant considering the wealth of excellent options at under $10k and even $5k, and this has nothing to separate it to justify the markup against a dozen worthy competitors, many of them just as pretty. . The product will go to a few decor conscious multimillionaires who are not true audiophiles, will promptly be slashed to 40% below list on an ongoing basis, and then disappear. The absolute sound’s uncritical acceptance of the Nonsense uttered here is everything that is wrong with the audio industry and the unholy alliance between “the magazines” and the industry. Please be assured I need no further enlightenment from you and good day.
the only thing the sales man says, that everything is special, special motor, special bearing special lubrication etc.
Wowee , shes a beauty! Sucks being a poor guy!😢😅
Very nice turntable but like everything made today grossly overpriced. I would settle for the classic Luxman tables in the used market in really nice condition ca. 1970 and above. They are as comparable to this one or even superior. Think PD 555, PD 350, PD 300. All excellent. I feel this is the old analogy of OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLES..
Special your fecking special .
I wish i was special... But i'm a....
They are going after the “musicologist” market 😂
"Special"... aaah audio sales guys.. Forgot how goofy they are. ( great TT however)
Nice deck, ABSURD PRICE. Still, most "audiophiles" are absurd, too, so it should suit them well. A fool and their money are soon parted, as they say. 🤣
Why do these guys all sound so monotone . God man get excited about your product.
Too expensive
was not impressed at all when he was showing precision platter it was too far to judge with camera and the many fingerprints on were distracting and he had to nudge it to get to turn when he started the turntable now thats what I call real manual turntable
He lost me @ $12,000…..can’t see them flying off the shelves. 🤔
Regardless of how special it is no cover or cartridge is horseshit for that money
Is there a way remain respectful while still sharing how awful this video is? If you need to sell a polished 50lb stump topped with diamond cut cheese, this is your guy. This video actually made me want to sell all my vinyl.
My AR XA suits me just fine. And I'll put it up against this anytime.
Special Bearing, special lubricant special motor, special BS! Since when is "special" a specification lol... Hollow phrases... Boring!
a shame for the cost no dustcover shame on you