Hello Sir, thank you for the upload. I have owned that amp for five years and mostly agree with your comments. But I can offer some ideas on improving your setup which will help mitigate the slightly lively top end and enhance the qualities of your system. 1. room treatment 2. move the speakers much further apart with very little toe in. 3. get a dedicated Hifi rack Your system only sounds as good as the room it’s in. Sit closer to the speakers, you will hear less room noise. My floor standers are just 6inches from the sidewalls! My system was setup by a sound engineer. Good luck to you.
this is helpful and brings up an interesting note I don’t think I mentioned. with each amp I found I needed to move the toe in or out of the speaker. you are absolutely correct with the Lucan, due to the focus on highs I toed the speakers outward. with the Mac and Boulder and pass I ended up toeing speakers in. carpet slides have been my friend in listening to these different amps! :)
Talk about room treatments, just fooling around one day I hung blankets on the walls and bought in as many cushions as I could into to room, I was amazed how the room acoustics changed. I couldn’t order some wall panels quick enough. Best sound improvement for $500 I’ve ever made. Audio isn’t always about big dollar amounts for a noticeable improvement. 🤓
I know right! if people find value in these videos and I keep doing them I should get proper recording gear. I have started with sound treatments but after these videos. it’s fun to do all these tweaks over time. thanks for watching!
Try adding a Audioquest Niagara 3000 power conditioner as well change your power cords. I recommend at least Tornado from Audioquest or Hurricane if it’s on your budget. Additionally try from their speaker cables for example Wiliam Tell and your system will sound like 100.000 euro system. Forget about Boulder and other amps.
Excellent review. I own a L-509x and it took about 300 hours to break-in, once it was broken in I noticed the emphasis on the highs smoothed out a bit. I am also thinking about testing the Accuphase E-4000.
You need significantly more power for Wilsons than the 509X is capable of providing. I say this as a 509X owner, its a superb amp, but its not a powerhouse, and has a fairly small power supply. It's good into 8 ohm speakers that occasionally dip, but its not an amp I'd pick to run 4 ohm loads forever. It's just not that gutsy. It probably sounds brighter in your setup as it lacks the current to really balance the bass and mids on the Wilsons with the treble. In my system the 509X is smooth as silk, into speakers well known for occasionally bring bright. Just a sub optimal match sadly. With the Mac I'd have experimented with the different output taps, as changing up to the higher impedance taps can often bring out a cleaner top end response from the amp. Perhaps think about looking at the vitus audio 101 integrated, or one of the bigger perreaux models for something with more grip in the lower registers without going too far on the high end.
This is helpful info for all, thank you kindly for taking the time to share your experience. Interesting to learn the 509 is smooth into a bright speaker in your experience, I think this shows as a great example that at the end of the day best to demo if possible in their own system. I agree, I think that is what I was missing from the 509X, sheer power it seemed a little lean and may have been showcasing even more of the top end. Again, it did sound amazing but ultimately found a pairing more to my liking with the Pass Lab integrated. Your note on the Macintosh taps - I should have mentioned that in the review - that is exactly what I found. It opened up and brought more detail using the 8ohm tap for sure. Good stuff!
Using a room treatment made a big difference for me, switching to Transparent Plus Speaker cables also made a difference. I have tried the Pass Labs Int 250 and if you can live with the significant heat(this will heat up your room) and the weight, and the fact that is only sounds good after half an hour of warming up, than it’s a great amp, a sweet, warm sound. The Accuphase e-800 is absolutely fantastic, but very expensive on the US market
The e-800 does look like an awesome amp. I would love the opportunity to hear one but I don’t have any dealers close by. It’s interesting the comment on the pass heat. Mine doesn’t get any warmer than any other amp I’ve had. But yes I do feel like the sound keeps getting sweeter the longer I listen to it. Thanks for watching!
A superb review. I’ve watch your mc8950 too. But lm a bit not sure which amp to go for. I have Sonus faber Olympica nova II speakers. I would really appreciate your recommendation between these 2 amps. Thank you
the high energy in the upper frequencies - it really depends on what you're pairing it with. if you're pairing the unit with a warm speaker this could balance out very nicely. but if you combine it with neutral or brighter gear then it could push it over the edge and sound a bit clinical. there's even a massive difference for example when i use my Lumin D2 vs Lumin X1 streamer with this. The Lumin D2 has a Wolfson WM8741 dac and actually pairs perfectly with this unit because the dac is a warmer dac. lots of people out there criticise Luxman for sound bright but in fact, i'd categorise it more as a ''sweeter-detailed high freq.'' bright would be more the early-mid 2000s Klipsch reference sound...
I'm more likely to blame the Wilsons in this respect, or rather a mismatch between the Luxman and the Wilsons. The Wilsons want huge dollops of high current power, or IMHO they can become edgy. It's less that the Wilsons become toppy, but more than without sufficient power, you don't get the heft from the mids and bass that is needed to balance things out. The Luxman is amazing, but its not a power house. I use a 509X with a pair of Harbeth SHL5+, a speaker well known for being very clean, open, airy and with the dual tweeter setup, it doesn't take much to push it into bright, and my system is anything but. The Luxman sounded smooth, elegant, clean and well controlled with these easier to drive speakers. It was exactly what I wanted from an amplifier, easily seeing out the rather dull sounding Hegel H590.
@@iamthewizard2 yep, the 590 sounded broken! For most "real world" speakers, the Luxman is smooth and clean and pretty much pure neutral, but accuphase does tend towards the slightly softer version of events. If you want to hear more clinical brightness, then esoteric would be the way! basically to me those top three are on the 3 parts of the spectrum from bright to warm, with esoteric at the top, Luxman in the middle and accuphase at the warm side. That said, I did love my old E550 accuphase into tannoys!
@1061shrink1061 100% agree on that assessment. I still love my luxman solid states and listen to the 509x every now and then but these days im leaning towards my tube amps a lot more for extra smoothness and warmth.
Thanks a lot for the review, actually i come from Mcintosh and definitely the level of details especially on highs is stunning but from other side could result tiring as too many information, kind of difficult to not get focus on the sound, it is amazing how it gets you into the performance but from other side it is not that relaxing, it is not a down point whether question of taste.I like this amp inside and outside but it is not for everyone (whoever comes from Mc would need little time to get used to).
It’s great hearing there are other people with the same experience! My sentiments exactly. I felt the same way-I could sit down and relax with the Mac and it called me down to listen.
The brightness you speak of is likely due to all the bare walls and hard surfaces in the room. Some treatment will help. Also, you did not discuss how it sounds with poorly recorded music, which is the majority of recorded music out there, especially rock recordings.
Thanks for watching. I am only going to put up so many treatments and was in search of a warmer listening experience. I don’t know that the Luxmon would be my choice for rock music. The Mac would be something I would use for rock music. I actually enjoyed listening to Rock on the Mac a lot. I felt it toned the harshness of the genre and poor recordings. It had the power and bass to match.
I did try turning down the treble and that helped a little bit but what I found from using the tone controls and not going line straight was a fairly dramatic difference in sound quality. I did make a comment that I bet most people listen in line straight since the music was much more clear and alive. I felt that hitting the tone control switch was compared to using a filter or equalizer on a streamer. Thanks for watching!
I would agree! I have found the electronics should actually be elsewhere in the room if possible however with this also being a living space part of the set up is for looks. thank you for your tips! helps us all!
Hello Sir, thank you for the upload. I have owned that amp for five years and mostly agree with your comments. But I can offer some ideas on improving your setup which will help mitigate the slightly lively top end and enhance the qualities of your system.
1. room treatment
2. move the speakers much further apart with very little toe in.
3. get a dedicated Hifi rack
Your system only sounds as good as the room it’s in. Sit closer to the speakers, you will hear less room noise. My floor standers are just 6inches from the sidewalls! My system was setup by a sound engineer. Good luck to you.
this is helpful and brings up an interesting note I don’t think I mentioned. with each amp I found I needed to move the toe in or out of the speaker. you are absolutely correct with the Lucan, due to the focus on highs I toed the speakers outward. with the Mac and Boulder and pass I ended up toeing speakers in. carpet slides have been my friend in listening to these different amps! :)
Good review. If you treat your room, you’ll appreciate the top end of that. It won’t be as lively as you think.
Some acoustic panels will sort the higher frequency I have the new 509z myself and love it I had naim 300dr before luxman .
thanks-since the video we have been adding room treatments
Talk about room treatments, just fooling around one day I hung blankets on the walls and bought in as many cushions as I could into to room, I was amazed how the room acoustics changed. I couldn’t order some wall panels quick enough. Best sound improvement for $500 I’ve ever made. Audio isn’t always about big dollar amounts for a noticeable improvement. 🤓
Holy echos Batman.
Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
I know right! if people find value in these videos and I keep doing them I should get proper recording gear. I have started with sound treatments but after these videos. it’s fun to do all these tweaks over time. thanks for watching!
Try adding a Audioquest Niagara 3000 power conditioner as well change your power cords. I recommend at least Tornado from Audioquest or Hurricane if it’s on your budget. Additionally try from their speaker cables for example Wiliam Tell and your system will sound like 100.000 euro system. Forget about Boulder and other amps.
Excellent review. I own a L-509x and it took about 300 hours to break-in, once it was broken in I noticed the emphasis on the highs smoothed out a bit. I am also thinking about testing the Accuphase E-4000.
Thank you for commenting this is helpful for everyone. I didn’t have that many hours on it-
You need significantly more power for Wilsons than the 509X is capable of providing. I say this as a 509X owner, its a superb amp, but its not a powerhouse, and has a fairly small power supply. It's good into 8 ohm speakers that occasionally dip, but its not an amp I'd pick to run 4 ohm loads forever. It's just not that gutsy.
It probably sounds brighter in your setup as it lacks the current to really balance the bass and mids on the Wilsons with the treble. In my system the 509X is smooth as silk, into speakers well known for occasionally bring bright.
Just a sub optimal match sadly. With the Mac I'd have experimented with the different output taps, as changing up to the higher impedance taps can often bring out a cleaner top end response from the amp.
Perhaps think about looking at the vitus audio 101 integrated, or one of the bigger perreaux models for something with more grip in the lower registers without going too far on the high end.
This is helpful info for all, thank you kindly for taking the time to share your experience. Interesting to learn the 509 is smooth into a bright speaker in your experience, I think this shows as a great example that at the end of the day best to demo if possible in their own system. I agree, I think that is what I was missing from the 509X, sheer power it seemed a little lean and may have been showcasing even more of the top end. Again, it did sound amazing but ultimately found a pairing more to my liking with the Pass Lab integrated. Your note on the Macintosh taps - I should have mentioned that in the review - that is exactly what I found. It opened up and brought more detail using the 8ohm tap for sure. Good stuff!
Go with accuphase or pass labs
Using a room treatment made a big difference for me, switching to Transparent Plus Speaker cables also made a difference. I have tried the Pass Labs Int 250 and if you can live with the significant heat(this will heat up your room) and the weight, and the fact that is only sounds good after half an hour of warming up, than it’s a great amp, a sweet, warm sound. The Accuphase e-800 is absolutely fantastic, but very expensive on the US market
The e-800 does look like an awesome amp. I would love the opportunity to hear one but I don’t have any dealers close by. It’s interesting the comment on the pass heat. Mine doesn’t get any warmer than any other amp I’ve had. But yes I do feel like the sound keeps getting sweeter the longer I listen to it. Thanks for watching!
A superb review. I’ve watch your mc8950 too. But lm a bit not sure which amp to go for. I have Sonus faber Olympica nova II speakers. I would really appreciate your recommendation between these 2 amps. Thank you
the high energy in the upper frequencies - it really depends on what you're pairing it with. if you're pairing the unit with a warm speaker this could balance out very nicely. but if you combine it with neutral or brighter gear then it could push it over the edge and sound a bit clinical. there's even a massive difference for example when i use my Lumin D2 vs Lumin X1 streamer with this. The Lumin D2 has a Wolfson WM8741 dac and actually pairs perfectly with this unit because the dac is a warmer dac.
lots of people out there criticise Luxman for sound bright but in fact, i'd categorise it more as a ''sweeter-detailed high freq.'' bright would be more the early-mid 2000s Klipsch reference sound...
I'm more likely to blame the Wilsons in this respect, or rather a mismatch between the Luxman and the Wilsons. The Wilsons want huge dollops of high current power, or IMHO they can become edgy. It's less that the Wilsons become toppy, but more than without sufficient power, you don't get the heft from the mids and bass that is needed to balance things out. The Luxman is amazing, but its not a power house.
I use a 509X with a pair of Harbeth SHL5+, a speaker well known for being very clean, open, airy and with the dual tweeter setup, it doesn't take much to push it into bright, and my system is anything but. The Luxman sounded smooth, elegant, clean and well controlled with these easier to drive speakers. It was exactly what I wanted from an amplifier, easily seeing out the rather dull sounding Hegel H590.
@1061shrink1061 oh yeah i used to own a hegel preamp and power amp seperates. Spent a good 15k on it and returned it cos it sounded so veiled!
@@iamthewizard2 yep, the 590 sounded broken! For most "real world" speakers, the Luxman is smooth and clean and pretty much pure neutral, but accuphase does tend towards the slightly softer version of events. If you want to hear more clinical brightness, then esoteric would be the way!
basically to me those top three are on the 3 parts of the spectrum from bright to warm, with esoteric at the top, Luxman in the middle and accuphase at the warm side. That said, I did love my old E550 accuphase into tannoys!
@1061shrink1061 100% agree on that assessment. I still love my luxman solid states and listen to the 509x every now and then but these days im leaning towards my tube amps a lot more for extra smoothness and warmth.
Thanks a lot for the review, actually i come from Mcintosh and definitely the level of details especially on highs is stunning but from other side could result tiring as too many information, kind of difficult to not get focus on the sound, it is amazing how it gets you into the performance but from other side it is not that relaxing, it is not a down point whether question of taste.I like this amp inside and outside but it is not for everyone (whoever comes from Mc would need little time to get used to).
It’s great hearing there are other people with the same experience! My sentiments exactly. I felt the same way-I could sit down and relax with the Mac and it called me down to listen.
What a nice video..!!! Thank you
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching
First spending money for room treatment. My advice Michael from Germany.
You might consider an Accuphase Integrated.
The brightness you speak of is likely due to all the bare walls and hard surfaces in the room. Some treatment will help.
Also, you did not discuss how it sounds with poorly recorded music, which is the majority of recorded music out there, especially rock recordings.
Thanks for watching. I am only going to put up so many treatments and was in search of a warmer listening experience. I don’t know that the Luxmon would be my choice for rock music. The Mac would be something I would use for rock music. I actually enjoyed listening to Rock on the Mac a lot. I felt it toned the harshness of the genre and poor recordings. It had the power and bass to match.
Get an audiolab 9000a it's great
what do you mean higher freq? Can you just turn down the treble?
I did try turning down the treble and that helped a little bit but what I found from using the tone controls and not going line straight was a fairly dramatic difference in sound quality. I did make a comment that I bet most people listen in line straight since the music was much more clear and alive. I felt that hitting the tone control switch was compared to using a filter or equalizer on a streamer. Thanks for watching!
Room treatment!
since the video we have been adding room treatments.
From personal experience, the cabinet between the speakers is not helping the soundstage 😊
I would agree! I have found the electronics should actually be elsewhere in the room if possible however with this also being a living space part of the set up is for looks. thank you for your tips! helps us all!