Luxman MQ-300
 

Has anyone heard this amp? Only 8 WPC but apparently sounds amazing. I will be hearing for myself tomorrow. Hopefully I won't hit the "reset" button and start the whole buying and selling process again!

No kidding!

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a6/62/41/a...353c0238a5.jpg

:D

There is not much out there regarding this tube amp but here is a link to an article.

http://www.avhub.com.au/news/hi-fi/l...lve-amp-415589

Anyway - I will be listening to this little gem some time this weekend.

Greg.......What speakers do you plan to drive with the 8 watt amplifier? If you expect to have any headroom for dynamic range without clipping, you will typically be listening to 0.5 watt. This will require very efficient speakers in order to enjoy any level of volume above conversational level.

I will be interested to read your impressions. Let us know the associated equipment and speakers used for the audition.

They will be the Pandora's Box brand speakers!!! The audition will include Paradigm Persona 9H (way over my budget) and Klipsch Cornwalls.

If I go this route, there will definitely be some speaker due dilegnce in order! Obviously no way the Luxman will drive my Aerial 7Ts.

Best,

Greg

I see horns in your future. The Viking Berliner is 96db and pretty good looking too.
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d...fd2a75c70a.png

Greg.......The Klipsch Cornwall speakers would be a nice match with an 8 watt amplifier. Their 102 decibels efficiency with 1 watt would work well with the Luxman MQ-300.

http://assets.klipsch.com/product-sp...-Sheet-v03.pdf

Thanks Dan,


If I get serious about this total re-do, I will definitely be wanting to get some other recommendations too! You have always been a great source of objective information and of course your amazing reviews are First Class!

Awesome looking speakers Tony. Have you heard them?

Greg

I heard them 3 years ago at RMAF with Elliott Studio Arts tube amps and they sounded very nice. I remember being impressed with vocals, soundstage and imaging.

As Dan says, the Cornwall is also a great speaker. Other high efficiency options are Zu and Devore.

Another Klipsch option would be the new Forte III. A slimmer size, newest 12" woofer supplemented with a 15" passive woofer, quality x/o parts, patented Tractrix contour horns, Titanium HF and MF drivers, 38Hz-20kHz, and price friendly.

After 4 hours of listening to the MQ-300 with a variety of speakers :music: I can safely say that I am in BIG trouble. More details later!

Surprisingly, the Totem Element Metal sounded better than the Klipsch Forte III and the Cornwalls. The other speaker was the Persona 9H but at $35,000, they were only slightly better than the Totems.

I was very surprised to see how tube friendly this particular Totem model was.

Appears that you have the Totem speakers 'on their way'. Should be very E-600 friendly at 4-ohm & 91db sensitivity. Think of all the pieces of gear that have come and gone in my systems over the years the one I should have kept is the little Luxman NQ-10. 10wpc of EL84 power that was sublime.

Hi Glenn,

The Totems have arrived at my dealer and will be delivered some time this week. This will be the first step towards comparing my existing rig to the Luxman C-900u and the MQ-300. It's a major expenditure so I want to audition these pieces in my audio room (after the Totems are broken in).

Maybe the E-600 will redeem itself!! :D

Greg.......This thread was missing one important photo.


http://www.luxman.com/images/product...095837_596.jpg

Thanks Dan.

It looks even better in person!

Beautiful amp, but the cost of the recommended $2500/pair 300 output tubes might set my teeth on edge. My 20wpc SET monoblocks using the 572 tube was bad enough at $450/pair. They were great sounding, but only about 1000hr before the tubes went belly up. Two pair a year was getting expensive for a 'wear item'.

Luxman MQ-300
 

I do not know how good are those 300B tubes but 2500 dollars for a pair just makes no sense.
A pair of Gold Lion reissue 300 B tubes sound fabulous and cost around 350 dollars.

On a side note, the best 300B amps I ever heard are monoblocks with Lundhal
transformers, made by a french engineer in Rennes. The guy makes all kind of tube amps just for passion ans sells them for the price of their parts. I paid my monoblocks 1400 euros and I changed the Shuguang tubes for Gold Lion ones. Double the price for the maker to earn some money and you are at 2800 euros. Double the price for the importer and retailer and you get at 5600 euros + taxes.
An amp sold for 5600 euros in a hifi shop and often much more has 1400 euros of pieces inside.
How much do you think this Luxman amp cost to produce ?
Attachment 51871
Attachment 51872

That Luxman amp is GORGEOUS!

Good point, and no doubt there's a hefty mark up, but the Luxman looks pretty serious under the hood:

http://i.nextmedia.com.au/Utils/Imag...ebGuts.jpg&c=0

https://www.dagogo.com/takatsuki-ta-...um-tube-review

Apparently, these tubes are supposed to last a very long time (so I am told).

I can also get a box of NOS Western Electric tubes for $900.

While this thread is in the Japanese Exotica forum, am wondering if the MQ-300 is made in China (one of the China's), as Luxman is owned by IAG, which is a couple of Chinese (Taiwanese) brothers with very deep pockets. IAG also owns Wharfedale, Quad Electroacoustics, Mission, Tag McLaren, Audiolab and Castle Acoustics and has moved most of the production of same from the UK to China, so it would be no surprise if Luxman followed suit. My NQ-10 Luxman stated "Made in China" on the box, but nowhere on the amp did it state where it was made. Most electronics made in Japan still states so.

Says Made in Japan

https://onahighernote.com/oahn/wp-co...Q-300_rear.jpg

Best Sir,

Bob

My recollection is that Luxman moved some production to China a few years ago, but had some problems and moved it back to Japan when they refocused on the high-end market. My SQ-N100, for what it's worth, says made in Japan.

Correct. What little was made in China has been moved back to Japan. None of their high end gear was ever made in China.

The AA Market Place tube dealer offers Gold Lion Platinum matched pair for $250; EH 300B for a bit less at $195.00 pr.

Just sayin'

Best Sir,

Bob

Jerome,

I hear you. $2,500 for a pair of tubes seems outrageous but perhaps these Takaksuki tubes are one on the contributing factors to the magical sound of this amp. Most people who swear by this tube and the original Western Electric claim they are getting 10,000 plus hours of use out of them. I guess if you break it down that way, it's "tolerable".

I hope that more people on AA get a chance to hear this amp.

Wonder if that is why they dropped the SQ-N100/SQ-N10, matching CDP & iPod dock?

They still show the matching CD player and dock on their website, although Music Direct no longer carries t. I know they dropped my model, the SQ-N100, in favor of the SQ-N10. The difference is the N10 has a dedicated input for the docking station, whereas my unit, the N100, does not.

Mq-300
 

Well, I finally got around to an in-home trial. I used my E-600 as a preamp and the Luxman is signing away. The sound is amazing, lush, detailed and not muddy. No shortcomings that I can identify through all ranges.

It's going to be a long night!:music:


https://www.audioaficionado.org/atta...0&d=1508103619




.

Greg.......Sweet looking setup. Take a deep breath, write the check, and call it done.


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4449/...257f41d8_b.jpg

Lovely. Reminiscent of their terrific MB-3045.

What preamp in in your future?

That's a good question. I was hoping to use the pre-out feature of my Accuphase E-600. After about 5 hours of A/B comparisons, the E-600 sounds just as good as the Luxman using the E-600 as a preamp which leads me to believe that I may have to consider the Luxman 900 preamp (gulp) which was what my dealer had the MQ-300 mated with.

This OCD is getting very expensive and before I pull the trigger on a tube rig, I will probably shop around quite a bit.

It's never done (until my wife says it's done). :D

As long as she says "it's done" and not "you're done!" :yes: A good woman willing to put up with an audiophile obsessed husband is hard to find!

I hear you. She is awesome. All she said when I loaded the $21,000 Luxman into my car was "you work hard, you deserve it"!

One thing for sure is that she will NEVER let me trade in HER PrimaLuna Integrated! :D

Greg, congratulations on a beautiful amp and an understanding and supportive spouse!