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When I reviewed Luxman's L-509X flagship integrated amplifier, in May 2018, that sleek machine shook me to my vitals. I wrote, "Record after record, the L-509X illuminated every important aspect and area of the recording. It lived and breathed in the air around the notes, consistently creating big, solid, spatially natural images that presented me with a) the roundness and complexity of each instrument, b) a holistic sense of the musicians' intent, c) excellent touch and texture and impact, and d) a unified whole, regardless of musical style or dynamic level." I concluded, "the Luxman L-509X…
Unlike many manufacturers that insist you download the owner's manual, Luxman included a copy, which, as Art Dudley wrote in his April 2020 review of the Luxman CL-1000 preamplifier (footnote 1), "suggests a manufacturer who gives a shit about the customer and who realizes that anyone who spends this much money on a single audio product might be presumed to have more than a passing interest in how the thing works."
Setup
Once secured in my audio rack, it was a joy to slide my left hand over the L-509Z's silken casework as my right hand removed the rubbery plastic caps that…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel integrated amplifier with 4 parallel-bipolar, push-pull, class-AB output stage. Inputs, line: 4 pair single-ended (RCA; Line 1 and Line 2 are "Original high rigidity terminals"), 2 pair balanced (XLR); Amplifier in ("Main In," RCA); Phono, switchable MM, high/low, MC (RCA). Outputs, line: Rec Out, Monitor, Pre Out (all RCA); two pair loudspeaker output terminals with independent on/off switching. Input sensitivity/input impedance, MM phono 2.5mV/47k ohms; MC-H phono 0.3mV/100 ohms; MC-L phono 0.1mV/40 ohms, SE line 180mV/47k ohms;…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI Avenger Direct turntable, VPI Fatboy tonearm, Hana Umami Blue MC cartridge.
Digital sources: HoloAudio May DAC, Sonore opticalRendu, Roon Nucleus+, Small Green Computer power supply, TRENDnet switch, Apple iPad mini.
Integrated amplifier: Shindo Allegro, PrimaLuna EVO 400.
Preamplifier: Sugden LA-4 line preamplifier, Manley Chinook phono preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Pass Labs XA-25, LKV Research PWR-3, Shindo Haut Brion.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity O/baby, GoldenEar BRX, Volti Audio Razz, Spendor BC-1.
Cables…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on the Luxman L-509Z using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. The amplifier is specified as having a maximum output power of 120Wpc into 8 ohms; I preconditioned the L-509Z before the measurements by following the CEA's recommendation, running it at one-eighth that power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. Following that period, the top panel was warm, at 92.6°F (33.7°C), and the grilles over the internal heatsinks were hotter, at 111.5°F (44.2°C). I performed a complete set of tests using the single-ended line inputs, as they had…
Social Distortion: Mommy's Little Monster, 40th Anniversary Edition
Craft Recordings CR00679 (auditioned as LP). 2023. Chaz Ramirez, Social Distortion, prods.; Ramirez, Chris Bellman, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Craft Recordings CR00679 (auditioned as LP). 2023. Chaz Ramirez, Social Distortion, prods.; Ramirez, Chris Bellman, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Social Distortion uniquely melded country, blues, rock, and of course hardcore punk into a sound that's a baseline for what's now known as "SoCal Punk." Acts like Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, Rancid, and Blink-182 joined the fan base that emerged when the band released 1983's Mommy's Little Monster on their own 13th Floor Records label.
Front man, lead…
Chien Chien Lu: Built In System
Lu, vibraphone; three others
Giant Step Arts GSA 010 (CD). 2023. Lu, Jimmy Katz, prods.; Katz, James Kogan, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Lu, vibraphone; three others
Giant Step Arts GSA 010 (CD). 2023. Lu, Jimmy Katz, prods.; Katz, James Kogan, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
In jazz, it is rare for a label to become a reason in itself to buy an album. At various points in history, there have been such imprints: Blue Note, Riverside, ECM. Giant Step Arts is much smaller but belongs in this distinguished company, artistically, sonically, and graphically.
Chien Chien Lu, originally from Taiwan, is an imaginative, complete, original vibraphonist. Her early…
Reinbert de Leeuw: Der nächtliche Wanderer / Abschied
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Reinbert de Leeuw & Edo de Waart
Challenge Classics CC72957 (CD, reviewed as DSD). 2023. Anita Wijnen, prod.; Jan Stellingwerff, Frank Mathijssen, engs. Abschied eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics *****
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Reinbert de Leeuw & Edo de Waart
Challenge Classics CC72957 (CD, reviewed as DSD). 2023. Anita Wijnen, prod.; Jan Stellingwerff, Frank Mathijssen, engs. Abschied eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics *****
The music of composer/conductor/pianist Reinbert de Leeuw (1938–2020) is as astounding as anything I've heard. His final two orchestral works, both recorded live, may have been composed 40 years apart, but both are complex, layered, and filled with dark, aggressive, and soul-…
Designer Bill Hutchins, of LKV Research, builds the 2-SB moving-magnet/moving-coil phono preamplifier in North Conway, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire; he uses as many US-sourced parts as possible, and sells his products factory direct. I reviewed the 2-SB in March 2014, on AnalogPlanet.com: the 2-SB's sound was exceptionally fine—especially if you like refined, solid-state quiet and detail, and especially considering its then-price of $2500. Since that review's publication, the 2-SB has been upgraded with a version of the third gain stage from LKV's JFET-based Veros One phono preamp…
LKV Veros One Sound: Depending on your system, you can run the Veros One all balanced, all single-ended, single-ended in and balanced out, or balanced in and single-ended out. Would balanced in and out have produced an audible difference in the level of noise? I don't know—I ran the Veros One single-ended in and out, and with the volume way up and nothing playing, it was essentially dead quiet. With music playing, backgrounds were inky-black.
One of the first records I played was the Syd Lawrence Orchestra's Big Band Spectacular!, a recent direct-to-disc recording by producer…