Luxman MQ-88uc On the Way - a Few Questions!

[JSQT]

A few words of what got me to where I am today (apologies for the book-length bio):

Been a big fan of Luxman since I got serious about audio and sound about 4 years ago. The bug that bit me was a gorgeous C1010/M2000 combo I found in a Brevard, NC art gallery which was paired with a set of Heresy IIIs... this combo set the stage for the sound I've been chasing ever since - until then I didn't realize that a "stereo" could actually sound like more than a "stereo," but an actual means of teleporting the musicians into your listening room, with all the nuance and dynamics of a live performance. As a former touring/live musician the discovery of high efficiency horns with vintage Japanese electronics was a game changer.

Shortly after I had another transformation when I found a beautifully restored CL-40 valve preamp in showroom condition in that same art gallery. The discovery of what tubes could do and how they could move further toward replicating that "in the room" experience was a revelation. Another revelation was moving from the Heresy IIIs to the La Scala IIs and smoothing out that midrange, coupled with an even and airy top end that moved me closer to my "end game."

I thought I had reached "end game" when I acquired the Luxman L509X about a year ago... my line of thinking was that Luxman was "the best," and the 509X was the best of the best (outside of a $30K investment in separates). Adding the DA-06 DAC and Innuos server was the icing on the cake.

And while I melt every time I listen to the 509X, there has always been a slight twinge I felt, that the magic I heard when I first plugged in that CL40 valve tube amp and ran it into the M2000, that the music poured out of the speakers and into the room, like wearing 3D glasses for my ears... The 509X no doubt has the sweetness and dynamics in spades but I've tried different things over the past year like adding the CL40 as a preamp and using the "Separate" function, etc to get to that last 3% of dimensional imaging I felt I was missing. The CL40 enhanced the sound on some material, but on others it seemed to restrict the 509X and make the sound smaller and reigned in.

Most recently as I've posted here, was the addition of a Rogue CMII integrated, which surprisingly has the imaging and soundstage in spades, but lacks the detail and refinement of the 509X. It's also a bit noisy no matter what I do, and I've read elsewhere that noise and Rogue can be kind of a thing.

So the last piece of the puzzle, I thought, was to upgrade the DAC to something that could possibly enhance the sweetness, dynamics, and detail of the 509X while adding the dimensional holographic imaging - either the MSB Discrete or Chord DAVE seemed like options.

After reading more here and having other conversations with people I trust, it seems like the issue isn't the digital front end but my fixation on the solid-state 509X to give me a sound it just wasn't designed to do... some options have been going further up the Rogue food chain (Stereo 100), but I'm gun-shy due to the noise issues and they don't look that great. Or something like the Berning-designed LTA ZOTLs, which I am now finding are not as "tubey" as I'd hoped.

So I've come to terms that I'm a tube guy and as of today I'm awaiting delivery on a new Luxman MQ-88uc. I am optimistic this is going to be the answer to my problems - everything that I love about the Luxman sound with that dimensional imaging of tubes, paired with the high efficiency La Scala IIs.

Now that the bio is out of the way, I'm interested in hearing from anyone who owns/has experience with the MQ-88uc. Since I have the CL40 I was not interested in getting the CL-38uc, figuring that since my CL40 was restored by Luxman themselves 5 years ago, I'm going to get 95% of what the CL-38uc offers in an objectively more attractive box. But the other thing I have considered is utilizing the preamp stage of the 509X, in order to preserve some of that refinement of the higher end Luxman solid state tech.

Anyone have experience with using solid state pres with tube amps? Or if there are any MQ-88uc owners in the group, what kind of pre are you using? Any experience using the variable input on the amp to bypass the need for a pre altogether (I only use the DA-06 as a source)? Also, with the La Scalas, a sub is a must. I have a JL Audio e112, but both the 509X and CMII have pre-outs... so I assume with the MQ-88uc I'll have to use the high level inputs on the sub. Any downside to this, and what kind of couplers would I need to plug both the sub and the La Scalas into the amp's speaker outputs (assume you can't just wire both to the same speaker jack?) Is it possible to plug the high level sub lines into one of the other impedance speaker outputs - for example wire the La Scala IIs to the 8ohm posts and the JL sub to the 4 ohm posts?

Thanks for following me this far, looking forward to any input!

[Mike]

A few words of what got me to where I am today (apologies for the book-length bio):

Been a big fan of Luxman since I got serious about audio and sound about 4 years ago. The bug that bit me was a gorgeous C1010/M2000 combo I found in a Brevard, NC art gallery which was paired with a set of Heresy IIIs... this combo set the stage for the sound I've been chasing ever since - until then I didn't realize that a "stereo" could actually sound like more than a "stereo," but an actual means of teleporting the musicians into your listening room, with all the nuance and dynamics of a live performance. As a former touring/live musician the discovery of high efficiency horns with vintage Japanese electronics was a game changer.

Shortly after I had another transformation when I found a beautifully restored CL-40 valve preamp in showroom condition in that same art gallery. The discovery of what tubes could do and how they could move further toward replicating that "in the room" experience was a revelation. Another revelation was moving from the Heresy IIIs to the La Scala IIs and smoothing out that midrange, coupled with an even and airy top end that moved me closer to my "end game."

I thought I had reached "end game" when I acquired the Luxman L509X about a year ago... my line of thinking was that Luxman was "the best," and the 509X was the best of the best (outside of a $30K investment in separates). Adding the DA-06 DAC and Innuos server was the icing on the cake.

And while I melt every time I listen to the 509X, there has always been a slight twinge I felt, that the magic I heard when I first plugged in that CL40 valve tube amp and ran it into the M2000, that the music poured out of the speakers and into the room, like wearing 3D glasses for my ears... The 509X no doubt has the sweetness and dynamics in spades but I've tried different things over the past year like adding the CL40 as a preamp and using the "Separate" function, etc to get to that last 3% of dimensional imaging I felt I was missing. The CL40 enhanced the sound on some material, but on others it seemed to restrict the 509X and make the sound smaller and reigned in.

Most recently as I've posted here, was the addition of a Rogue CMII integrated, which surprisingly has the imaging and soundstage in spades, but lacks the detail and refinement of the 509X. It's also a bit noisy no matter what I do, and I've read elsewhere that noise and Rogue can be kind of a thing.

So the last piece of the puzzle, I thought, was to upgrade the DAC to something that could possibly enhance the sweetness, dynamics, and detail of the 509X while adding the dimensional holographic imaging - either the MSB Discrete or Chord DAVE seemed like options.

After reading more here and having other conversations with people I trust, it seems like the issue isn't the digital front end but my fixation on the solid-state 509X to give me a sound it just wasn't designed to do... some options have been going further up the Rogue food chain (Stereo 100), but I'm gun-shy due to the noise issues and they don't look that great. Or something like the Berning-designed LTA ZOTLs, which I am now finding are not as "tubey" as I'd hoped.

So I've come to terms that I'm a tube guy and as of today I'm awaiting delivery on a new Luxman MQ-88uc. I am optimistic this is going to be the answer to my problems - everything that I love about the Luxman sound with that dimensional imaging of tubes, paired with the high efficiency La Scala IIs.

Now that the bio is out of the way, I'm interested in hearing from anyone who owns/has experience with the MQ-88uc. Since I have the CL40 I was not interested in getting the CL-38uc, figuring that since my CL40 was restored by Luxman themselves 5 years ago, I'm going to get 95% of what the CL-38uc offers in an objectively more attractive box. But the other thing I have considered is utilizing the preamp stage of the 509X, in order to preserve some of that refinement of the higher end Luxman solid state tech.

Anyone have experience with using solid state pres with tube amps? Or if there are any MQ-88uc owners in the group, what kind of pre are you using? Any experience using the variable input on the amp to bypass the need for a pre altogether (I only use the DA-06 as a source)? Also, with the La Scalas, a sub is a must. I have a JL Audio e112, but both the 509X and CMII have pre-outs... so I assume with the MQ-88uc I'll have to use the high level inputs on the sub. Any downside to this, and what kind of couplers would I need to plug both the sub and the La Scalas into the amp's speaker outputs (assume you can't just wire both to the same speaker jack?) Is it possible to plug the high level sub lines into one of the other impedance speaker outputs - for example wire the La Scala IIs to the 8ohm posts and the JL sub to the 4 ohm posts?

Thanks for following me this far, looking forward to any input!

Congratulations on the MQ-88uc. A wonderful amp. And yes, tubes rule!! Once you hear the great sound of tubes, it’s hard to unhear it. Next step would indeed be a tube pre and perhaps a step up on the DAC side of things. But for now, break in that great amp and enjoy!!

[JSQT]

Congratulations on the MQ-88uc. A wonderful amp. And yes, tubes rule!! Once you hear the great sound of tubes, it’s hard to unhear it. Next step would indeed be a tube pre and perhaps a step up on the DAC side of things. But for now, break in that great amp and enjoy!!

Thanks Mike - what do you think about the preamp side of things with these MQ-88uc's? Specifically my thought about using either my current CL40 vintage tube pre (which is essentially the CL-38uc in a much sexier box without a few modern upgrades) or the preamp stage of the 509X for some extra solid state refinement? Or should I be looking at the CL-38uc or maybe something like a Backert Labs Rhumba etc?

[Mike]

Thanks Mike - what do you think about the preamp side of things with these MQ-88uc's? Specifically my thought about using either my current CL40 vintage tube pre (which is essentially the CL-38uc in a much sexier box without a few modern upgrades) or the preamp stage of the 509X for some extra solid state refinement? Or should I be looking at the CL-38uc or maybe something like a Backert Labs Rhumba etc?

I would go CL-38uc.


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[JSQT]

Turns out Luxman had 2 remaining MQ-88uSE's left in stock at the same price as the uC, so I opted for the SE version... I'm going to give this a spin first with the CL40 and 509X and see how they sound, and if inclined may give the CL-38uC a shot at some point down the road.

Hoping the CL40 rises to the challenge as it's so much more beautiful than the current CL-38uC. The paddle switches and volume control are works of art!

[JSQT]

By the way here is the work order from Luxman Japan in 2013 - Can't read Japanese, but I am told it was a complete refurb (caps, tubes, etc).

[fcdvpds]

Hi everyone,

About a year ago I purchased a Luxman MQ-88uC and really like the sound but I have experienced one problem that is distressing me...suddenly there's no sound from the left channel.

In one year of intense use it has now happened four times. I am using a single source connected directly to the Variable input and after turning the volume down and up a few times the sound eventually comes and no more issues for a few months.

Since it works well most of the time and I can't replicate the problem it feels awkward to send it to repair service. On the other hand it is very disappointing that such an expensive amplifier has this kind of issues. I changed the driving tubes (both ECC83 and ECC82) to NOS mullard after experiencing the problem the first three times, I had hopes this could solve the problem but it happened again. I have checked the bias current and all seems fine, reading near 480mV in all tubes.

Has anyone experienced similar issues? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Best regards.