Luxman L-509x

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Wintermute, Oct 2, 2020.

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  1. Wintermute

    Wintermute Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    UK
    I've just bought one of these to replace my Sugden I-A4, and I've got some questions:

    Is there a burn-in period for this, as it doesn't sound "full" at the moment?

    How good is the MC phono stage? Compared to a standalone unit, say.

    I may change my speakers (PMC twenty5 24). I need to play loud to compensate for my hearing loss, so looking for more efficient, even though the room is small. Any suggestions?

    Many thanks for any contributions.

    Richard
     
  2. Gibsonian

    Gibsonian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    In my experience, there is a period of burn in. Likely will improve in the first two weeks, after that, it's set ime.

    If you take that little bass knob, turn it slightly to the right from center, you will experience "fuller", immediately!

    Cannot comment on the MC stage, but it all depends on the stand along stage you want to compare it to, that is a wide wide open question there.

    Hope it works out good for you, good luck!
     
    McLover likes this.
  3. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    The L-509X is a very neutral amplifier, coming from a Sugden its probably going to sound "thin" in comparison. This isn't going to go away with burn-in. They make class A versions like the 590AX for people who want a thicker sound.
     
    scobb, Sugar Man, Ivand and 3 others like this.
  4. Bananajack

    Bananajack Phorum ... wat Phorum? Where am I?

    Location:
    Singapore
    Where Rolltide is right, he is right.
    50hrs burn in at least (connect to a tuner), but it won’t be like the Sugden
     
  5. Lowgroove

    Lowgroove Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    I have a 590AXII which I believe has the same phono stage.

    I found the MC phono stage to be very good. I was running a Dynavector P75 Mk3 and was considering upgrading. When I plugged into the Luxman (recent purchase for me) the internal phono was much better than the Dynavector. Having just spent money on the amp the new phono stage is very much on the back burner.

    I am running a Dynavector XX-2 cartridge.

    One issue with the phono stage is lack of adjustment. The unit is set to 100 Ohm which suits my cartridge perfectly. If you have a cartridge that wants different loading it may not suit.
     
    Echoes Myron and Wintermute like this.
  6. Douglas Lam

    Douglas Lam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asia
  7. Erocka2000

    Erocka2000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    You can also use a step-up transformer with the MM input on the Luxman, to get whatever loading you need.
     
  8. LostArk

    LostArk Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Never mind what your dealer said, what did Luxman say? I was thinking about picking up a Luxman but your post stopped me cold. I'd like to see their answer before I'd buy anything. Inbox me your details and I'll send them an email letting them know — maybe it'll help you get the issue resolved too. That fit and finish looks like a DIY job, frankly, not a $10k high end piece. Un-accept-able.
     
    jusbe, csgreene and Douglas Lam like this.
  9. Douglas Lam

    Douglas Lam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asia
    Thanks for your response. The only way I tried to contact Luxman was through the Luxman Facebook page and the guy knew about my complaint to my dealer. Just said he has made feedback to the factory QC. And said wished I should see other units coz they look the same or similar to mine. And they "understand" and they're "sorry". Not a single word of assurance that they will take care of it. What kind of aftersales service is that for a Luxman?

    It's been a month and there's no response.
     
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  10. Wintermute

    Wintermute Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    UK
    To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. It's not easy to photograph, but to me it looks fine.

    This is true! However, it sounds much better when set to speaker B than A + B! Oops...

    Rich
     
  11. Douglas Lam

    Douglas Lam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asia
    Thanks for the reply. So you're saying yours looks ok? Does it look similar to mine with all the white colored stuff inside the holes and that many holes are chipped and with burrs?

    Anyway, regarding the sound, the "thin" sound is actually the sound of a neutral amplifier and that the 509x has a very good control over the speaker cones (high damping factor). Maybe you should get some warmer sounding speakers to balance it out.

    BTW, why do you say it sounds better that set to speaker B (vs A + B)?
     
  12. Warszawa

    Warszawa Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I'd say the 509X is neutral and detailed but with a smooth tone compared to most AB designs. The 590axii is a only a "shade" warmer, a bit more class A "bloom". The Sugden will be closer to the 590 but perhaps warmer still. The 509 will easily beat it in terms of detail and punch however. As mentioned above, the phono stage is excellent if the spec suits your cart.

    I have a 509X with PMC Fact 12 Signature speakers and love the sound. Luxman and PMC are a surprisingly good match. Some people go for the likes of Bryston but I find that combination a bit too lively and hard. You won't need efficient speakers with this amp. Mine are 84dB and go loud as you like.

    I assume you're the guy from Hifi Wigwam? I think we've seen enough evidence that it's fair to say that the rough cut on the holes is normal. There is probably a technical reason Luxman are using glass fibre. It doesn't bother me personally. I'm not sure what you expect Luxman to do about it to be honest.
     
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  13. Douglas Lam

    Douglas Lam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asia
    Yep. I'm the same guy. Good to see you here, LOL. Just trying to get a sense of what is "normal" from different owners. Anyway, I posted the picture links (without any additional comments) on the Luxman FB page and they took it down after a day. So it's "normal" eh?
     
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  14. fcdvpds

    fcdvpds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    I think people have different expectations...to be honest I find those rough edges completely unacceptable, in particular for a high end brand that has been around for so many years. Not sure if you are aware of it but there's a Luxman Facebook page with plenty of 509X owner. You may compare with them.

    I am a Luxman user myself, owner of the MQ-88uc tube amplifier and I love the look and sound. I am also a long Luxman fan but will never forgive Luxman technical service for the way they treated me. When I purchased the MQ-88uc I also purchased the Neoclassic cd player to have a very compact high quality system. The CD player never worked properly. It went 4 times to the official repair service and once they managed to fix the annoying "b disc" error it developed a second problem where the cd tray would suddenly close while changing discs. They never offered to replace the unit even though I had the problem on the first week! In Europe they would have no choice but in Hong Kong customer protection is very weak.

    The problem with the cd player annoyed me so much that I ended selling it at 1/3 of the purchase cost still within the warranty.

    My MQ-88uc amplifier also gave me some minor problems with the volume control...apparently it's just the volume control pot defective and I will just ignore it but it is still disappointing.

    If I know Japanese culture there's probably some lack of identity at Luxman since they were purchased by Chinese IAG group (also owner of Quad, Audiolab, Mission, etc). Just see what happened at Nissan when Renault pressed for a merger...a Chinese company purchasing Luxman was probably the saddest day in the life of many Luxman staff.

    Anyways if it works well, just enjoy it.
     
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  15. Erik Tracy

    Erik Tracy Meet me at the Green Dragon for an ale

    Location:
    San Diego, CA, USA
    There's always 'haters' in any group.

    The vent holes are a purposed textured look and finish - not a defect in manufacturing.

    If you don't like the look - fine. But chasing this across all the audio forums seems like there is an 'agenda'.
     
    RS2099, Razakoz and stax o' wax like this.
  16. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I don't think there's an agenda here on the part of Douglas Lam.

    I've seen good quality photos online of this amp and honestly, none look like his. Perhaps you can't see the details in the other photos as it's not the same level of close up, but the photos I saw where fairly hi res and could be zoomed in to a good degree and it still looked different.

    He spent a bucket load of money on an amp and is trying to get an answer and he's been mostly dismissed.

    Quite frankly, his dealer sucks. They could've sorted this out in a few minutes by either inviting him to bring it in and compare it to other stock, or just taking a close up photo of another one in their shop and emailing it to him. If they had done either, he could've confirmed and then decided to live with it, assuming it is normal, or sell it on.

    I can guarantee you if my regular dealer carried this brand (they don't but I've been looking for a used one) and I wasn't sure about the grill area and I asked them about it, they'd have no problem if I brought it back to them to have a look or for me to go in to check other stock. Any decent dealer would've done this.

    The only reason he's posting on FB and here is simply because no one has done much of anything to help him other than to say "that's normal" to get him to go away. A simple close up photo of another unit would've solved this issue quite easily.

    This is hardly a difficult issue to resolve but anyone in a position to resolve it couldn't arsed to make a small effort to help the guy.
     
  17. Douglas Lam

    Douglas Lam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asia
    You're thinking too much. I have no agenda. I am just an owner trying to find out what other owners think and if theirs look similar. It's great to have forums to share and gather information across the world.

    Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of the amp. The entire unit is built like a tank and the finishing is exceptional (other than the "textured" holes). The chipped holes with burrs just doesn't match and sticks out like an eyesore.
     
    csgreene, SonicCzar, Dorian75 and 3 others like this.
  18. Erocka2000

    Erocka2000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    Why not just return it to your dealer and have your credit card company challenge the charge if he won't replace it? I don't know what anyone here can do for you to fix the issue. Just return the amp and ask for a replacement or refund.
     
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  19. Douglas Lam

    Douglas Lam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asia
    Thanks for your suggestion, but I wished it was that simple. Consumer rights are almost non-existent in Asia.

    I'm simply trying to get more images and feedback so I can judge if it's normal and maybe use it to discuss with the dealer.
     
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  20. Warszawa

    Warszawa Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I hope you don't take offence at this Douglas, but to be honest, I can see why Luxman would delete your post and would be unhappy about your complaining on various forums. You're putting off potential customers by making a mountain out of a molehill.

    When I saw your post on another forum, I had a look at mine and confirmed they were similar. It's the way the glass fibre cuts I guess. It's not particularly pretty but I never noticed until you pointed it out and I can't say it's bothers me. They are very small holes and you seem to be the first person who has complained, publicly at least. As I said before, their flagship power amplifier is probably just the same. I did a quick google image search at the time. Most images aren't big enough to tell but the ninth picture on this page shows the issue: Luxman L-509X Integrated Amplifier with Phono - As New

    I agree that your dealer should've put this to bed one way or another.
     
  21. Razakoz

    Razakoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Utah
    It sounds like it's normal, if you like the amp overall you should try to relax and not fixate on one minor flaw it might or might not have. It does sound like your dealer sucks if they couldn't just give you a straight answer one way or the other.
     
    Douglas Lam likes this.
  22. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    I can understand that when a person pays a certain amount for something they want it to be perfect in every way, but this is just a weird complaint IMO. The L-509X has at least 100 of those holes, and you take a zoomed in picture showing two of them are imperfect, and start an internet campaign against Luxman?
     
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  23. rill

    rill Well-Known Member

    Location:
    PA
    Personally I think that looks terrible and very cheap.

    It looks like that grill piece is actually a cast material, and they used some sort of burning tool, as opposed to a drill. Perhaps those grills are made elsewhere an shipped to Japan for final production. I would love to see the underside of the amplifier top, to see if that grill can be removed and cleaned up.
     
  24. Monty12

    Monty12 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Burlington Ontario
    Wow, that does look rough. It looks like the metal shards or shaving. Look i'm not a handyman at all, but i agree with the poster who said it looks like a amateur job

    I've never seen a Luzman so i cant help you figure out if thats "normal".
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2020
    Douglas Lam likes this.
  25. Douglas Lam

    Douglas Lam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asia
    Thanks for your help with the pictures of your Luxman.

    So if it's normal, there's nothing to be ashamed of right? If is was a deliberately "textured design" with real functionality, why can't it be put on FB? And clearly from the limited responses of my post, there are people who agree that it's not acceptable. So I'm not making things up. I maybe the only person complaining, so maybe I got a bad unit that slipped through QC?

    I hope my posts may also benefit other potential buyers to see if they can accept this kind of "normal".
     
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