Is Class A still the king of tone?

I am very happy with my hypex Nilai class D monoblocks. Difficult to compare with others: because there is also a bryston preamp, but in my room this combo sounds really well for a reasonable price.

The only thing I have against it: there is no button for treble bas correction: when this is not ok you have the wrong setup. In my house it sounds amazing, and that for a class D.
 
Lots of good advice here on amplification. However, if you are going to put them on stands next to the tv, I would consider a full range (or almost full range) floor standing speaker as they don't take up anymore floor space. For almost $5000 there are a lot of good choices. Good luck in your journey. Cheers.
 
radical-squared said:
Hi everyone,

I’m currently exploring Luxman integrated amps for my next system and would love to hear from people who have experience with both their Class A models (L-590AXII / L-595A SE) and the newest generation of Class A/B — especially L-507z and L-509z.

For years, Class A was often considered the “gold standard” for tone, liquidity, and midrange magic. But I also understand Luxman’s new LECUA-EX volume control and advanced feedback designs in the Z-series have pushed their A/B amps to a new level of refinement.

Has anyone done direct comparisons?

Is there still a clear sonic advantage to Luxman’s pure Class A designs — or are the new 507z/509z so good that the gap has narrowed (or even disappeared for some listeners)?

I’m looking for an amplifier that will really deliver emotional engagement, texture, natural tone — especially for vocals, acoustic music, indie, pop, and soul.

Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated!
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This may not be helpful to you but I would be very careful with the Luxman 590AX II. I have had onr for over two years now, bought from new and sonically it is a massive disappointment. It is boring, lifeless, lethargic and really a poor-sounding amplifier. This may be due to my unfortunate speaker association, although I have tried a total of three brands with this amp. The tonal and dynamic qualities are absolutely flat. Music is boring with this amplifier.

I haven't changed it yet due to being lazy about it and not having identified a reasonable alternative.

The looks and build quality are excellent. It works perfectly every time and appears to be extremely reliable. However, using it for amplifying an audio signal is a different story. So. Incredibly. Boring.

This is my experience. There are many people who love and enjoy this amplifier. Good luck on your search.
 
David60 said:
This may not be helpful to you but I would be very careful with the Luxman 590AX II. I have had onr for over two years now, bought from new and sonically it is a massive disappointment. It is boring, lifeless, lethargic and really a poor-sounding amplifier. This may be due to my unfortunate speaker association, although I have tried a total of three brands with this amp. The tonal and dynamic qualities are absolutely flat. Music is boring with this amplifier.

I haven't changed it yet due to being lazy about it and not having identified a reasonable alternative.

The looks and build quality are excellent. It works perfectly every time and appears to be extremely reliable. However, using it for amplifying an audio signal is a different story. So. Incredibly. Boring.

This is my experience. There are many people who love and enjoy this amplifier. Good luck on your search.
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I have to comment on your Jadis/SF combo, one of the best matches I've heard with SF which I am typically not a big fan of. Jadis I have always liked.
 
Mr Peabody said:
I have to comment on your Jadis/SF combo, one of the best matches I've heard with SF which I am typically not a big fan of. Jadis I have always liked.
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Yes, I still have that modest little system which dates from 1996 for both the SF speakers and Jadis amplification. Times and situations have changed since then, not always for the better but that little system has always been such a pleasure. Handling them these days makes me feel like I'm manipulating vintage museum pieces. Somehow, I also feel it was easier to assemble a coherent system a few decades ago as compared to today. Don't know exactly why that it is...Good luck in your search. Brgds.
 
It really is all personal preference. I have owned a few class A amps that were fantastic, but fairly low power. They also run very hot and with long term usage will definitely affect your electric bill. I am no longer a fan of tube amplifiers (everyone I have had seem fairly finicky), however my favorite going away was the Audio Mirror mono amplifiers. I did have a pair that was special ordered with balanced outputs. My biggest concern other than heat and power usage was that they used the funky Russia Mig tubes which were hard to get and I am sure getting even harder. They were also a bit finicky, and required reseating the tubes every so often.

My favorite solid state class A was a First Watt by Nelson Pass. Really nice amp, but boy did it get hot. Power switch on the rear of the amp was also kind of a pain. Also, very low power, but for the most part gave me enough power, barely since I prefer lower efficiency speakers.

I have had several Class D amplifiers and most sounded great, at first. But they always seemed to come up short, in the long run. I just never got the warm and fuzzy feeling from any of them. I had tried PS Audio, Wyred 4 Sound, the Purifier NAD (which was the best of the bunch), Bel Canto, among others. None felt right enough for me as a long term solution. I considered the new T+A but it was quite pricy and very hard to get. I actually considered the new class D (Purifier) McIntosh, but speaking with technicians at Mc it was clear they felt that the Class D had very good but limited capacity. They highly advised going to their standard class A/B amplifiers.

For over all speaker usage I have settled on an A/B amplifier. I do currently use a Class A headphone amplifier to power my Abyss when in the mood for headphones.
 
Randy Myers said:
I just never got the warm and fuzzy feeling from any of them. I had tried PS Audio, Wyred 4 Sound, the Purifier NAD (which was the best of the bunch), Bel Canto, among others. None felt right enough for me as a long term solution. I considered the new T+A but it was quite pricy and very hard to get.
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When making a statement like this you need to be careful of your limited selection; they do not represent all class D amps made!

I've found they vary more in sound quality than tube amps do. Some are really terrible, some are boring, some play no bass and so on. But some sound really quite nice and and keep up with a class A amp, tube or solid state.
 
atmasphere said:
When making a statement like this you need to be careful of your limited selection; they do not represent all class D amps made!

I've found they vary more in sound quality than tube amps do. Some are really terrible, some are boring, some play no bass and so on. But some sound really quite nice and and keep up with a class A amp, tube or solid state.
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Specifically why I listed the ones I have tried. I still think I forgot one or two. The NAD was quite nice, but I just never got that warm and fuzzy from any of them. The class Ds that I have tried are all nice amplifiers. It is simply a matter of what works best for you.
 
Randy Myers said:
but I just never got that warm and fuzzy from any of them
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In a situation like this it always seems to come down to 'in comparison to what?'

I'm used to class A tube amps as opposed to class A solid state; traditionally the former are often cited as being smoother, more detailed and 'more involving'. I can say I've heard class D amps that do that just as well. But I can't say that is true of all of them. Many I've heard seem to work, but plainly come off as boring.
 
You need to hear the Marantz PM-KI Ruby Integrated. It is Class D with a Class A preamp. It is tonally rich and textured and evokes emotions to the music. It is a wonderful sounding amp but it needs just a bit more detail for me unfortunately. I just sold mine that I bought 3 weeks ago. Too bad.
 
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NewAlkyogre said:
I am very happy with my hypex Nilai class D monoblocks. Difficult to compare with others: because there is also a bryston preamp, but in my room this combo sounds really well for a reasonable price.

The only thing I have against it: there is no button for treble bas correction: when this is not ok you have the wrong setup. In my house it sounds amazing, and that for a class D.
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Nice to read there's someone else in the world playing with the Bryston BP 25 -Hypex Nilai combo ; ) I am very interested what cables you're using between them.
 
Vhond said:
Nice to read there's someone else in the world playing with the Bryston BP 25 -Hypex Nilai combo ; ) I am very interested what cables you're using between them.
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Sorry for my late reply. I couldn’t remember and was on a trip in germany

It has neutrik ncc connectors and got it from an audio store, but have to admit that these cables could be improved.

By the way, if you are in the neighbourhood, you are welcome to listen to my set. Amazing that someone has the same amplifier combination
 
David60 said:
This may not be helpful to you but I would be very careful with the Luxman 590AX II. I have had onr for over two years now, bought from new and sonically it is a massive disappointment. It is boring, lifeless, lethargic and really a poor-sounding amplifier. This may be due to my unfortunate speaker association, although I have tried a total of three brands with this amp. The tonal and dynamic qualities are absolutely flat. Music is boring with this amplifier.

I haven't changed it yet due to being lazy about it and not having identified a reasonable alternative.

The looks and build quality are excellent. It works perfectly every time and appears to be extremely reliable. However, using it for amplifying an audio signal is a different story. So. Incredibly. Boring.

This is my experience. There are many people who love and enjoy this amplifier. Good luck on your search.
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Gee Boring, lifeless and lethargic sounds like 99% of tube amps.
 
Randy Myers said:
Specifically why I listed the ones I have tried. I still think I forgot one or two. The NAD was quite nice, but I just never got that warm and fuzzy from any of them. The class Ds that I have tried are all nice amplifiers. It is simply a matter of what works best for you.
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But do you want a "warm and fuzzy" sound from your system? I would prefer a life-like sound that matches as close a possible a non-amplified live performance in a concert hall or other venue. Dynamic and punchy perhaps, rather than warm and fuzzy! But that's just me!
 
The closest I came to class A was my former Pass X150.5 -- not class A but high enough bias that it was effectively class A most of the time. It was a pleasant sounding amp, very slightly warm sounding, with no real faults.

However when I acquired a Purifi 1ET400A-based amp it was clear that the latter was more detailed, more transparent, and with deeper & more articulate bass. But note: I'm NOT advocating for class D, rather for amplifiers with ultra-low distortion regardless of "class".

Do you wish for your amp that it be a tone control? Personally I think amp first & foremost ought to transmit the recording with complete accuracy and without embellishments.
 
Feanor said:
The closest I came to class A was my former Pass X150.5 -- not class A but high enough bias that it was effectively class A most of the time. It was a pleasant sounding amp, very slightly warm sounding, with no real faults.

However when I acquired a Purifi 1ET400A-based amp it was clear that the latter was more detailed, more transparent, and with deeper & more articulate bass. But note: I'm NOT advocating for class D, rather for amplifiers with ultra-low distortion regardless of "class".

Do you wish for your amp that it be a tone control? Personally I think amp first & foremost ought to transmit the recording with complete accuracy and without embellishments.
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My findings regarding Class A and Class D amps are very similar to yours. However I would add to your last paragraph that there are some amps that may offer "complete accuracy without embellishments" that are nevertheless drearily dull and lifeless, despite being fed music that others amps will deliver in an exciting and entertaining way. In fact it was one such “completely accurate” amp (not Class A or D) that led me to move to Class D, after exhaustive tests of many amps in my own system. Like you, I found that Purifi-based amps that are well implemented can match or better any other Class of amp, but at half the price.
 
Hear Here said:
"complete accuracy without embellishments"
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Every amp - every piece of electronics - every speaker - every cartridge - every streamer - every DAC - every cable - every room - every everything adds a sound to the signal.

Even the recording medium adds its own sonic signature from what left the console (tape, CD, streaming, vinyl).

The concept of an amp that has "complete accuracy without embellishments" does not exist.

And - since everything adds its own sound, how does one know what the unaltered sound SHOULD sound like?
 
Hear Here said:
My findings regarding Class A and Class D amps are very similar to yours. However I would add to your last paragraph that there are some amps that may offer "complete accuracy without embellishments" that are nevertheless drearily dull and lifeless, despite being fed music that others amps will deliver in an exciting and entertaining way. In fact it was one such “completely accurate” amp (not Class A or D) that led me to move to Class D, after exhaustive tests of many amps in my own system. Like you, I found that Purifi-based amps that are well implemented can match or better any other Class of amp, but at half the price.
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My not sure if it has anything to do with the "dullness" phenomenon, but -- not being an expert -- I suspect the a neglected area of measurement is around rise time / slew rate / bandwidth / square wave. I suspect these sorts of measurement would bear on the issue of "dullness" or "microdynamics" as I refer to it, or "PRaT" as the Brits might refer to it. However you don't see any of these measurement much any more.
 
Michaels HiFi said:
Every amp - every piece of electronics - every speaker - every cartridge - every streamer - every DAC - every cable - every room - every everything adds a sound to the signal.

Even the recording medium adds its own sonic signature from what left the console (tape, CD, streaming, vinyl).

The concept of an amp that has "complete accuracy without embellishments" does not exist.

And - since everything adds its own sound, how does one know what the unaltered sound SHOULD sound like?
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Every component adds some sound, OK -- but some add a good deal less that others. Should we doubt that well-measuring equipment falls in the "less" category?

You are right the it's impossible to fully know what unaltered sound should sound like. For my part I deem that equipment that is maximally clean, detailed, and transparent provides the best clue.
 
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