Why does my Yamaha sound better than the Luxman 595?

You say the shop is local, why not take your Luxman in and have a comparison on the Focal speakers against the Mac? If that's possible be sure the shop uses same CDP or DAC on both amps. This would mean bypassing the 12000's internal DAC. In order to make a decision everything should be as same as possible.

Dman777dman777 said:
Thanks, I am new to this hobby and still trying to figure things out. For instance, a local hifi shop has a McIntosh 1200 and Focal Kanta 2 speakers that I like. But that shop does not have luxmans to compare against or Cornwall 4 speakers to compare with. The only thing I can think of is just buying the equipment and if it does not sound right, send it back or sale it. Is there a better way to go about that?
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Dman777dman777 said:
Because I still cannot cross shop the speakers.
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Cornwall IV's are going to be a VERY different sound than what you have. They are not designed to have pinpoint imaging or the very last piece of detail in the music/sound staging. They are designed to be easy to place and have a larger than life "you are there" feel to them.

I LOVED my pair and are only bettered by the La Scala's I upgraded to. They are smooth, non-fatiguing, amazing dynamics and and have a real rawness of emotion few others can match with fantastically low distortion. They are also super efficient to drive and anything with more than 2 watts (yes 2) will make them sing.

There are MANY good speakers, but you'll need to decide what sound you like. To change amp, speakers and more all at the same time without knowing what sold you like can be a challenge.

Even if it is a several hour drive, you should audition the gear first.
 
I don't understand what you mean. The purpose of taking your Luxman into the store is simply to compare it to the 12000. If the chain is the same and all that changes is the two amps then you get an idea of how the two compare to each other. It's not to buy or compare Focals or whatever. It's simply for you to know if you like the 12000 more than the Luxman.

You were talking about "what can you do", "should Isell this or that, buy this or that", I'm finding your responses confusing, random. Michael gave you good advice. However, you can't make a decision without some information or experience with the gear.

Why did you buy the Luxman in the first place? What makes you want a 12000? Is the 12000 just something you randomly picked? If moving to Cornwalls you wouldn't need as much power as the 12000. The Luxman is a limited edition and if you sell it then find you made a mistake you may not get one again. Digital has come a long way since the 90's and you admit you didn't hear the Lux in its best yet seem to be bent on selling it.

Dman777dman777 said:
Because I still cannot cross shop the speakers.
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Another thing to try that I think would be telling. Take your Sony and connect it to the 3200 using the RCA's. Same way you connected to the Luxman. Then see how the two compare.
 
The purpose of taking your Luxman into the store is simply to compare it to the 12000.
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Oh, I see what you mean. That is a good idea. However, I will still wonder about the synergy of the B&Ws with the 2 amps that I would not be able to compare.

Why did you buy the Luxman in the first place
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Good question... I heard the Luxman 590 AXII on 20k Wilson speakers in a hi fi shop and loved the sound. I cross compared to the Luxman 507z on the same Wilson speakers and found the class A much more exciting. With that, I figured the 595 would be 'even better' and that is why I bought it.

What makes you want a 12000?
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I went to a difff. hi fi shop and heard this unit with Focal tower speakers (I think around 6k) and really liked the sound. I also thought the 12000 looked uber cool. And I like it has a EQ.

The Luxman is a limited edition and if you sell it then find you made a mistake you may not get one again.
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Very good point, thanks!

My ultimate goal is to have 2 separate 2 channel systems and speakers. And I would listen to ether system depending on my mood. However, I found I like the Yamaha's a lot and I might have 3 systems in the long run? I planned on selling the Yamahas later down the road but now I do not know. They sound really good depending on the source and recording. On the other hand, it feels financially irresponsible to have 3 systems like that so I don't know. I mean I can afford it, but I could have just one system instead and have the rest of that money in stocks.
 
If you liked the 12000 & the Focal, that's a clue. Maybe that should be one of your systems.

If you liked the Luxman with Wilson is there a way to hear Wilson with your 595? If you like Wilson my bet is you'd like B&W. Not that they sound the same but to my ears they are more similar than different in a general way. I also like B&W with Mac, way more than with SF.
Dman777dman777 said:
Oh, I see what you mean. That is a good idea. However, I will still wonder about the synergy of the B&Ws with the 2 amps that I would not be able to compare.

Good question... I heard the Luxman 590 AXII on 20k Wilson speakers in a hi fi shop and loved the sound. I cross compared to the Luxman 507z on the same Wilson speakers and found the class A much more exciting. With that, I figured the 595 would be 'even better' and that is why I bought it.

I went to a difff. hi fi shop and heard this unit with Focal tower speakers (I think around 6k) and really liked the sound. I also thought the 12000 looked uber cool. And I like it has a EQ.

Very good point, thanks!

My ultimate goal is to have 2 separate 2 channel systems and speakers. And I would listen to ether system depending on my mood. However, I found I like the Yamaha's a lot and I might have 3 systems in the long run? I planned on selling the Yamahas later down the road but now I do not know. They sound really good depending on the source and recording. On the other hand, it feels financially irresponsible to have 3 systems like that so I don't know. I mean I can afford it, but I could have just one system instead and have the rest of that money in stocks.
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If you liked the 12000 & the Focal, that's a clue. Maybe that should be one of your systems.
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Have you heard the Kanta 2 versus the B&W 804 D3s? I was wondering how they compare and contrast with the 12000 amp being used. I wish I could afford Wilson speakers but those are out of my budget.
 
Good news! I got the Eversolo z8 dac and the Luxman 595 sounds a 100% better! I still need to get acquainted with the new sound so probably this weekend. Questions, please:

1) For the REL T7X sub, that is connected to the Luxman's pre-out... the sub is extremely weak on it compared to the sub line out on the Yamaha r-n2000a. I have to turn the sub volume up about twice as much and it's still not a clean base like the Yamaha's line sub out. Why is this?

2) For the eversolo z8, which I have been streaming music from my phone on bluetooth atm, is it ok to have the DAC volume at 100%? I can't detect any distortion but I was not sure if I was inducing some still

luxman.jpg
 
I have not heard those in direct comparison, nor the 12000.

REL subs are made to use with the high level connection. Not sure why you don't like that connection but that's the situation. Or, should I say it's REL's preferred method of connection.

It's fine to have your phone at 100% when streaming Bluetooth. You should try the digital output of your Sony CDP into the new DAC. Glad the 595 is sounding better to you.

Dman777dman777 said:
Have you heard the Kanta 2 versus the B&W 804 D3s? I was wondering how they compare and contrast with the 12000 amp being used. I wish I could afford Wilson speakers but those are out of my budget.
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I did a lot of listening last night. The luxman sounds really good and I love the separation it has and it's detail.

So far... for electronic music and guitar music, I prefer the Yamahas together (separate preamp with amp) because the sound is more open in the mids. I don't know why, but the Luxman sounds closed/stuffy in the mids when compared to the Yamahas. With that being said, though, the Yamahas can sometimes go a bit to bright while this never happens with the Luxman. And it's strange because the Sonus Faber Lumina II speakers are considered bright speakers by most people so I would think the Sonus Faber Lumnias II would help with the Luxman being more opened and less stuffy. They certainly do for the Yamaha system.

But for jazz, the Luxman sounds phenomenal. I have never heard Jazz sound so good as it does on the Luxman 595. Even better than a live Jazz concert. Just incredible.
 
As far as traveling a long distance to audition a piece of audio gear...FWIW, I traveled 1300 miles to audition 7 different integrated amps. It was the smartest thing I've done while assembling a high end system.
 
Mr Peabody said:
I don't understand what you mean. The purpose of taking your Luxman into the store is simply to compare it to the 12000. If the chain is the same and all that changes is the two amps then you get an idea of how the two compare to each other. It's not to buy or compare Focals or whatever. It's simply for you to know if you like the 12000 more than the Luxman.

You were talking about "what can you do", "should Isell this or that, buy this or that", I'm finding your responses confusing, random. Michael gave you good advice. However, you can't make a decision without some information or experience with the gear.

Why did you buy the Luxman in the first place? What makes you want a 12000? Is the 12000 just something you randomly picked? If moving to Cornwalls you wouldn't need as much power as the 12000. The Luxman is a limited edition and if you sell it then find you made a mistake you may not get one again. Digital has come a long way since the 90's and you admit you didn't hear the Lux in its best yet seem to be bent on selling it.
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I've been burned more than once when buying a component at the shop that sounded amazing there only to get it home and get different results when connected to my own speakers. I would expect a luxman to take some of the bite out of the Kanta mids, while I would expect the opposite with the Mac.

If your dealer will let you take the 12000 home for the weekend without swiping the card that would be ideal.
 
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