Well, I have admit that I was a bit surprised. By way of reference, I was looking for something better than my L-509X integrated amp. Having never heard the Luxman separates in my audio room, I was looking forward to the comparisons.
First, I tried the c700u/m700u combo. Very nice, smooth and detailed. Was it better than my L-509X? To my ears, they were almost the same. I was quite surprised.
Next, I switched out the c700u for a c900u. Much better detail, as if a veil was lifted. Soundstage was about the same as the previous combo and the integrated for that matter.
After two days of listening, I reconnected my L-509X. It sounded really, really good.
Bottom line (at least to me) is that the 700 combo compared to Luxman’s newest integrated is a virtual toss up.
This excercise proved to me that the L-509X punches well above its weight class.
While I was try to avoid lugging a 100 pound amp upstairs, I think I’m going to have to pair the C900u preamp with the more appropriate M900u amp to experience Luxman’s TOTL performance.
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