LUXMAN L-507uX Mark II
Integrated amplifiers
I reviewed the original L-507uX back in 2013 and to date it keeps being one of the best values in integrated amplifiers. The Japanese companies – unlike their Western counterparts – do not like radical changes or planned obsolescence. Why to fix it if it´s not broken? They believe in fine tuning and build electronics that preserves its value for decades. It is not surprising therefore that with the new “Mark II” Luxman applied what they call ´incremental improvements´.
Function and form
For the details on the design please refer to the original review, I will focus on differences only. The Luxman L-507uX Mark II features a new volume attenuator, the improved LECUA 1000, and the latest version (4.0) of their famous Only Distortion Negative Feedback circuit. The attention of Luxman was also given to enhancement of power supply, a new balanced buffer circuit of the preamplifer stage taken directly from the reference C-900u preamp, plus some mechanical improvements. All these small things are expected to add up and should be heard as better linearity, less noise, more drive and better spatial performance.
Do not forget that the Luxman L-507uX Mark II runs in Class AB so it may come as a surprise that it gets quite hot – it isn´t quite a green amplifier either taking 86 watts of power at idle, though it could be put to sleep by a stand-by mode. In return it gives you sweet and balanced sound.
Bass management
John Cambell turn on Tom Waits´ Down In The Hole as found on The Dali CD sampler has different mastering from the regular version available on the Howlin´ Mercy CD album. The Leonard Cohen-like vocal is driven by a deep metronomic bass and underlined by dozens of native rattles. As a whole the track is on the ‘analogue’ side of spectrum with the Luxman L-507uX Mark II. The bass is deep and saturated and it stays so up to high volume levels. During my listening session I drove the VU meters into red field and heard no strain from the amplifier that remained in control. It’s even more surprising considering that the Usher Mini-X monitors are 8-ohm speakers with standard sensitivity. Well, the bass could have been better articulated and a bit punchier, but not at this price.
Unlike with the more expensive models I noted the presence of the Line Straight mode when engaged. The sound with by-passed tone controls was more transparent and a fraction better controlled, yet when I actually used the tone controls and played with their settings, the resulting sound was even more pleasing to my ears. The purist solution may not be for everyone so use your ears to judge – the Luxman provides the option.
Clarity & delicacy
Jana Andevska, with her Bright Avenues (Soza) album, is a relaxing and charming trip through the Luxman L-507uX Mark II. The Slovakian singer swims in the same waters like Vienna Teng or Agnes Obel and I highly recommend the album that is full of beautiful and intimate acoustics like Rose, where guitars and the voice go back and forth in tonally accomplished structures. Despite the album’s dynamic compression (fortunately not too big) I could savor the disc at high volume levels which suited well the swinging Morning Lights track with its attractive lower gravity center.
Tonal accuracy
Should I judge the Luxman L-507uX Mark II in absolute terms I would make a remark about its sophisticated sweetness, a kind of honey-like suppleness that always used to be present in Japanese high-end. After all such a character is much better than cold sterility of some modern amplifiers. I also missed a bit more air around the notes but I knew that by increasing my budget I could get it in the L-507uX more expensive sibling, the excellent L-590AX Mark II integrated amplifier.
Spatial resolution
The macro spatiality of the L-507uX Mark II was limited only by the room. In micro dimensionality the Luxman did not let me hear the thing I was used to hear with much more expensive amplifiers yet it managed successfully to project vertical dimension of the soundstage. No wonder that all live orchestral recordings became more alive and correct – the vertical soundstage remains often unheard even with some ultra-highend electronics.
To sum it up I would conclude that the Luxman L-507uX Mark II is too cheap for its performance. I was shocked to learn that the Mark II did not became more expensive than its predecessor. Which high-end company provides such a bonus to its customers? And it goes beyond that because all the usual extras are already included in the price: a high quality remote control that is very responsive in volume attenuation (feels like a real knob), a fine MM/MC phono preamp and a headphone output.
Recommended resellers
HTP s.r.o., tel: +420 606 642 175
PP HiFi Otrokovice, tel. +420 603 581 305
Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078
Manufacturer's website: http://www.luxman.com
Associated components
- Sources: Luxman D-06u SACD
- Loudspeakers: Usher Dancer Mini-X Diamond
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Luxman 15000 7N XLR, Atohm ZEF Max / Black Rhodium
- Power conditioning: Pangea AC-14SE MkII, Supra lišta
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