THE Luxman 900u arrived

[byrdparis]

I was contemplating about it a lot lately
i have a very small music room where i sit most of the day, i work 12H shifts and in my spare time listening to music (around 7-10h a day)/ evaluate for an audiophile community in Israel. (i have a large web site with forums etc).

a few years ago (around 6) i was ordered some of the best custom made Tube amps available ... it was set me back ALOT! of money on parts alone, let alone the design and work of course i paid to the Master who build them to me..
i had Audio physic Avanti 5 at that time and the design need to be able to power them effortless and so it did... as i grew in our hobby
i was flipping anything else but my amps (and the designated pre amp). a few month ago i ordered Magico S3mk2 and i was afraid my amps will not cut it any more... i was consulting with big mike (thanks mike!) when he told me he is power them with VACs smaller then mine but in a lot bigger room then i have. and finally with Yair Tammam and Alon wolf - )i know them personally, as i said, i'm from Israel) which they told me i will be fine as the MK2 are more convenient from the MK1...

but, as we all know - the Audiophile mind is a restless one. i was visiting a friend with a S3 mk1 which he flipped severals amps till he got the m900 also, that behemoth of an amp is truly spectacular and his system were really getting some qualities around the S3 i wasn't heard before. (he got a terrific system!)
further my endless Love to my amps i was decided to ordered the Luxman C900\M900 also for mating with my future to come S3MK2 and so i did...
(my tubes amps and preamp are not for sale! i love them very much and i would be checking them with the s3mk2 also in the future)
in the meanwhile the Luxman's are here but i'm still waiting for Magico to deliver, so i fired them up flipping my tube set on my Avalon Edilon.
the sound is superb! they will need another few hours of break in i suspect to get their full potential, but still, they are very very musical and dynamic. with a warm and slightly lush mids, i am a bit missing the Body my 4xKT120 aside making, but the definition and extension i'm getting from the 900 set from Luxman is something to die for.
i guess every set will got his positives and downsides relativity to the others, but i am still guessing that the Magico will benefits a large and high current amp like the m900 a great deal, when pushing thru him a large orchestra music and such. (i was thinking that in the last munich show they were a bit under power in that large room with spectral, dont you?)

[joeinid]

Congratulations!

I'm reading all over the place that the 900 combo is spectacular. I'm so happy for you. I'd love to demo them in my system.

[Mike]

Great stuff! So happy for you. I was always curious about the Magico/Luxman pairing and can't wait for your comments.

As for Spectral, I thought the pairing was quite good. I noticed Spectral is lean in the lower mids (in a good way). It's ever so slightly dry, but not old man gasping for a drink in the desert dry like some.

I think the Luxman will be very much like Pass and Vitus. Excellent choice!!

P.S. I've been jonesing to try that new Luxman 300b amp for my AG's.


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[Melbguy1]

Congratulations!

I'm reading all over the place that the 900 combo is spectacular. I'm so happy for you. I'd love to demo them in my system.

+ 1 . If your budget doesn't quite extend to Vitus Signature series or Pass XS series separates, the Lux 900 amps offer good bang for the buck & should have great synergy with Magico. I also like the Audia Flight Strumento amps in that price range. Looking forward to your feedback!

[audio.bill]

@byrdparis -- Congratulations, that's quite an excellent system that you've assembled! I've owned the Luxman C-900u preamp for a few years and it is indeed a truly exceptional performer. I'm confident that along with the M-900u amp the combo will be very engaging driving your new Magico S3 Mk II speakers. I haven't heard much about the audiophile scene in Israel although I have some family there, if you'd care to share your website it could be of interest to some of us here. Enjoy your new gear and music in the best of health, l'chaim!

[4N6]

Congratulations on some fine gear! I am a big fan of Luxman so I hope you find the Luxman/Magico pairing truly exceptional.

[bonzo]

I am a big fan of the m900u though I don't know how it sounds on Magico. if you lack power you can bridge it to monoblock. The m800u easily beat Ypsilon Aelius on Vivid G1, and the 900u easily was better than Viola Symphony on TAD. Details here http://zero-distortion.org/yg-hailey/

Dpod4 also preferred it to some stellar amps on his Maggie 20.7 and Joel of 6 moons (who owns the 800u and Ypsilon aelius) preferred it best to many amps he compared on Maggie 20.7 including Karan m2000, Ayon Orthos XS, etc. I have also compared it to Gryhon Mephisto and while Mephisto is better it is 5 times the cost and one won't miss out with the Lux

[Melbguy1]

So what's the score with Luxman these days, are they designed in Japan & made in China? Or all made in Japan?

[byrdparis]

So what's the score with Luxman these days, are they designed in Japan & made in China? Or all made in Japan?

Luxman it's Japan made all the way. The 900 series is another level altogether and build seperetley several time a year with a special team on the payroll.

[hifinutt]

http://zero-distortion.org/yg-hailey/

thanks for that write up bonzo , must take time to hear that speaker with some luxman

[Melbguy1]

Luxman it's Japan made all the way. The 900 series is another level altogether and build seperetley several time a year with a special team on the payroll.

Just for fun i'd love to do an a-b comparison of the Lux 900 series amps and Vitus SS-103/SL-103. The Vitus amps should be better, but I'm sure the Lux amps would hold their own. They punch above their weight.

[Rob181]

Just for fun i'd love to do an a-b comparison of the Lux 900 series amps and Vitus SS-103/SL-103. The Vitus amps should be better, but I'm sure the Lux amps would hold their own. They punch above their weight.

Yeah...me too...

[byrdparis]

@byrdparis -- Congratulations, that's quite an excellent system that you've assembled! I've owned the Luxman C-900u preamp for a few years and it is indeed a truly exceptional performer. I'm confident that along with the M-900u amp the combo will be very engaging driving your new Magico S3 Mk II speakers. I haven't heard much about the audiophile scene in Israel although I have some family there, if you'd care to share your website it could be of interest to some of us here. Enjoy your new gear and music in the best of health, l'chaim!

Thanks Bill.
we are relativity small community, maybe a few hundred (let say 1000 on base) "true" Audiophiles.
i'm in to it for 15 years now and began to "drive" Audiophila 10 years ago in Israel. build some forums and web sites, writing hundreds of reviews, equipment and music (mostly on classical) and advices/helping fellows music\audio lovers. i'm a musician myself.
we were attending Munich High end shows from 2008, CES a couple of times (i preferred the AVN myself though ) and last year i was at the Warsaw audio show for the first time -on my own (sadly i didn't know Adam back then, i guess it could be more fun and inviting for me if i did).

about the 900u, you right! they are exceptional and will hit a very hard punch on contest with some BIG names against them!
i think when you realised after opening them, not to mentioned after hearing them- the work and design put in to them is off the chart.
add to that the relativity decent price tag that are not the blood bath we use to see on some other "names", and you've got a true Giant Killer.

Aviad.