Luxman granted AXPONA multiple North American product debuts, including the class-AB M-10X stereo power amplifier ($19,995, specified as delivering 150Wpc into 8 ohms, 300Wpc into 4 ohms, and 600W into 8 ohms (mono); reviewed by JA in the May 2022 issue), D-10X SACD player ($16,995; backordered for months, said Sigmund), PD-151 Mk.II Reference belt-drive turntable (price TBA), and the LMC-5 MC cartridge ($2695), Luxman's first cartridge in 40 years (currently in residence chez Micallef for review).
Completing this magical rig, the Magico M6 floorstanding loudspeakers ($185,000/pair) played with incredible precision, power, nuance, and control. Having never heard the Magicos properly setup, I found them a revelation.
"All credit goes to Peter Mackay," said Sigmund. "He spent hours fine tuning the system to this room, which, with its multi-layered ceiling, presented a real challenge."
AudioQuest provided cabling and conditioning: FireBird Zero speaker cables ($18,900/pair) and interconnects ($8000/pair—$20,900/pair); Blizzard ($1295/4.5m), Thunder ($1300/3m), Tornado ($1995/3m), and Dragon ($11,300/3m) power cables, and Niagara 3000 Low-Z Noise Dissipation System ($3300).
From bold and bombastic electronic dance music to the cool swinging jazz of Patricia Barber's Step, the Luxman/Magico blew the roof off.
