search
The Luxman L-509X is the first audio component I've reviewed for which the operative descriptor is tender. Without my going all red-faced and teary on you, the L-509X seemed to enjoy reproducing the music as much as I enjoyed listening to/through it. 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…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel, solid-state, integrated amplifier with class-A/B output stage. Line inputs: Line In (4 pairs RCA), Main In (1 pair RCA), Balanced (2 pairs XLR). Line outputs: Rec Out (1 pair RCA), Monitor (1 pair RCA), Pre Out (1 pair RCA). Phono inputs, switchable: MM, high-/low-output MC (1 pair RCA). Output power: 120Wpc into 8 ohms (20.8dBW), 220Wpc into 4 ohms (20.4dBW). Frequency responses: phono, 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.5dB; line, 20Hz–100kHz, ±3dB. Tone controls: Bass, ±8dB at 100Hz; Treble, ±8dB at 10kHz. THD: <0.007% (8 ohms, 1kHz), <0.06% (8…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S turntable & Stogi S tonearm; Denon DL-103, Hana EL, Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook computer running Audirvana Plus; PS Audio NuWave, Mytek HiFi Manhattan DACs; LG BD-550 Blu-ray player; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 moving-coil step-up transformer, Heed Audio Quasar phono stage, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Integrated Amplifiers: Heed Audio Elixir, Octave Audio V80SE.
…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Luxman L-509X using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Before I test an amplifier, I precondition it with both channels driving a 1kHz tone at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour. At the end of that time, the Luxman's top panel was warm, at 95°F (35°C), and the small metal grilles above the heatsinks were hotter, at 107.7°F (42.1°C).
Looking first at the line inputs: The maximum voltage gain at 1kHz from the speaker terminals into 8 ohms, with the volume control set to the maximum, measured 43.4dB…
While covering CanMania at the 2017 Capital Audiofest, I was sitting at the table of HeadAmp Audio Electronics, listening first to John McEuen singing Warren Zevon's "Excitable Boy," from McEuen's Made in Brooklyn (24-bit/192kHz AIFF, Chesky JD388/HDtracks), then to Macy Gray's Stripped (24/96 AIFF, Chesky JD389/HDtracks). I was listening through HeadAmp's extraordinary GS-X Mk.2 headphone amplifier ($2999–$3199), but midway through Gray's "I Try," I stopped, pulled the Audeze LCD-4 headphones off my head, and asked HeadAmp's head of sales and marketing, Peter James, what DAC he was using…
I began with CDs, decoded with the DAC set to NOS. The first to capture my attention was disc 2 of Memphis Jug Band with Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers (4 CDs, JSP 7745). These remasterings by John R.T. Davies of recordings from the early days of electrical recording and RCA ribbon mikes seemed less antique and more just right tonally than I remember ever hearing them. More open. More relaxed. The Spring let me feel rhythm changes with my head and rocking shoulders. The sounds of cheap guitars, clay jugs, washtub bass, and washboards played with spoons weren't just unusually vivid and…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Digital-to-analog converter. Inputs: USB, I2S, AES/EBU, 2 coax S/PDIF (RCA, BNC), TosLink. Outputs: single-ended (RCA), balanced (XLR). Output impedance: 200 ohms.
Dimensions: 16.9" (430mm) W by 2.2" (55mm) H by 11.8" (300mm) D. Weight: 18.75 lbs (8.5kg).
Finish: Black-anodized aluminum with copper buttons, feet, side panels.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 16075965653.
Price: $2499. Approximate number of dealers: Sold direct. Warranty: 3 years, parts & labor.
Manufacturer: HoloAudio, China. US distributor: KitsunéHiFi, 19410…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Mytek HiFi Brooklyn & Manhattan II, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DACs; Kitsuné Tuned Edition Singxer SU-1 USB Audio Bridge; Integra DPS-7.2 DVD-A player (as transport), Mac mini computer running Audirvana + 3.2.
Analog Sources: AMG Giro G9 LP player, Linn Sondek LP12 Valhalla turntable with SME M-2 tonearm; Dynavector DV20X2, EMT TSD 75SFL, Koetsu Rosewood Standard, Miyajima Laboratory Saboten cartridges.
Preamplifiers: Pass Laboratories HPA-1, Rogue Audio RH-5.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Laboratories XA25, PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the HoloAudio Spring DAC "Kitsuné Tuned Edition" Level 3 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"), using both the Audio Precision's optical and electrical digital outputs and USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro running on battery power with Pure Music 3.0 playing DSD and AIFF test-tone files. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Holo Spring as "xCORE USB Audio 2.0" from "XMOS," its serial number as "0 (none)," and confirmed that its USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode. Apple's…
The Los Angeles Audio Show (LAAS), scheduled for June 8–10 in Orange County, opposite the John Wayne International Airport at the former sites of T.H.E. Show, seems to have been cancelled. Although the LAAS website briefly contained a note that conversations were in progress about the possibility of the show being saved by the Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society (LAOCAS), that note has now been removed.
The website's front page contains most of the contents of a mass email that announced the cancellation. The email is from LAAS owner/organizer Marine Presson, 26, who sent it…