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Japanese Exotica Kondo, Leben, Luxman, Zanden

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  #11  
Old 03-22-2011, 07:58 PM
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Alberto Alberto is offline
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Hi
I have a Lux 550 A II. It is a really nice amplifier: musical, lots of inner detail with very good sound-staging. Couldn't be happier.

Thanks
Andy
Ooops, I guess I forgot to update this thread on my Luxman 550A II saga.

To make a long story short, my particular unit had a couple of problems.

First, it smelled really bad. At first I thought "OK, this is regular burn in smell, it will go away." But it didn't, it got worse - or at least I became more sensitive to it because after a few days of burn in the smell was making my (and my family) rather nauseous. I am not unfamiliar with "new amp smell" but this was above and beyond what I'd consider normal or acceptable.

I was told to contact the importer and tell him about the smell problem, which I did, but I never heard back from them.

Second, I could hear a distinct buzz and hiss with the volume not even at 50% - and even with nothing plugged in. My unit did not have a ground connector on the plug in the rear - this also did not look normal.

Neither of these problems went away with burn in so, with much hassle and disappointment, I had to ship it back. The online seller, I won't name names, refunded my purchase money, but I was out $200 in shipping cost. Needless to say I was not happy about my experience.

Alberto
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  #12  
Old 03-22-2011, 08:00 PM
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cmalak cmalak is offline
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Originally Posted by AndyPandy View Post
Hi
I have a Lux 550 A II. It is a really nice amplifier: musical, lots of inner detail with very good sound-staging. Couldn't be happier.

Thanks
Andy
Welcome to AA Andy
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  #13  
Old 03-22-2011, 08:03 PM
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cmalak cmalak is offline
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Originally Posted by Alberto View Post
Ooops, I guess I forgot to update this thread on my Luxman 550A II saga.

To make a long story short, my particular unit had a couple of problems.

First, it smelled really bad. At first I thought "OK, this is regular burn in smell, it will go away." But it didn't, it got worse - or at least I became more sensitive to it because after a few days of burn in the smell was making my (and my family) rather nauseous. I am not unfamiliar with "new amp smell" but this was above and beyond what I'd consider normal or acceptable.

I was told to contact the importer and tell him about the smell problem, which I did, but I never heard back from them.

Second, I could hear a distinct buzz and hiss with the volume not even at 50% - and even with nothing plugged in. My unit did not have a ground connector on the plug in the rear - this also did not look normal.

Neither of these problems went away with burn in so, with much hassle and disappointment, I had to ship it back. The online seller, I won't name names, refunded my purchase money, but I was out $200 in shipping cost. Needless to say I was not happy about my experience.

Alberto
Alberto...we figured as much. It's too bad the Luxman unit didn't work out but it sounds like you are enjoying your time with the Shindo gear (at least with those recordings that don't require tone controls ). Have you considered another preamp with tone controls and keeping the Shindo amp?
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  #14  
Old 03-22-2011, 08:40 PM
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Alberto...we figured as much. It's too bad the Luxman unit didn't work out but it sounds like you are enjoying your time with the Shindo gear (at least with those recordings that don't require tone controls ). Have you considered another preamp with tone controls and keeping the Shindo amp?
It would be fair to say that I am in an evaluation and transition period that could take a few months to resolve - and will involve trying out a few more combinations of pre, amp and speakers. This was fully expected and, for me, part of the fun when I decided to dismantle my old system and start anew.

I love the Shindo gear. They are jewels, they look fantastic and I love the idea of point-to-point wiring and nearly "custom" build. I can't find fault with the sonics of either the Auriges or the Montille; unfortunately they - being the high-end gear that they are - seem to be finding faults with some of my listening material .

It's easy to fall in love with a new component during the honeymoon period of the first week or two. You tend to ignore the things that can turn out to be problems later one. That's why I stress the importance of long-term listening tests.

What I've (re)learned in the past couple of months is that I am particularly sensitive to certain high frequency sounds. The kind of brightness that most people would consider necessary to achieve adequate levels of realism and detail can get very fatiguing for me very quickly. I also find the noise at loud restaurants and bars very annoying and fatiguing.

I have also relearned that what I consider a good listening volume is many dbs below what most people would use. This might be the reason while I value loudness controls so much.

The Shindo gear is considered very smooth, but it's still very high-end sounding (i.e. it has a lot of detail, resolution and frequency extension.)

Right now, believe it or not, my favorite set up is the MDA1000 going straight into the $400, DIY, Bottlehead SET amp - with a REL sub taking care of the bottom octave. Problem is, with 1.8+1.8W this system sounds great at lower volumes, but the sounds becomes rapidly congested and distorted at higher volumes.

The next logical step, one I am planning to take, is to try a Shindo SET amp (the 10+10W Cortese). I might have an opportunity to try it out in the next couple of weeks.

This might sound like I don't know what I want, but it's exactly the opposite. I know exactly in my head the sound I want and I know it will take a few iterations to get there. That's the same thing that happened when I spent a few months getting my previous system to sound just right for me - then I stayed put with very minor changes for a couple of years - and no changes at all for over one year!

Bottom line: everything is going according to plan. I am having a blast experimenting. I am learning a lot and - thanks to friendly dealers who know and trust me because I am a good customers - I am not spending too much money buying and reselling gear.

Alberto
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  #15  
Old 03-22-2011, 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted by AndyPandy View Post
Hi
I have a Lux 550 A II. It is a really nice amplifier: musical, lots of inner detail with very good sound-staging. Couldn't be happier.

Thanks
Andy
Andy,

Welcome to AA!

I tried to send you a private message but since you are not a member (yet) I couldn't.

Can I ask you a couple of questions about your Luxman 550A.

1) If you got your unit new, did you have an odor problem that persisted for several days?

2) If you put the volume at 45-50% can you hear a faint buzz or hiss from your speakers?

3) If you look in the back of your unit, does the IEC plug have a ground "pole" (the one in the middle) or just the two poles.

Thanks a lot!

Alberto
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  #16  
Old 03-23-2011, 04:37 AM
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Hi Alberto
Thank you for the welcome. And also thank you cmalak!
Yes I think I have to pay some money to send and receive PM's. Not to worry:
1. My Lux was a demo unit - so I did not notice any odour. It has never smelt.
2. No: my unit with my SHL5's is silent until I get up to about 90% volume - when I hear a faint hiss. But nothing really. My Jadis was much the same. I do have a ground loop which gives me tranny hum unless I am very careful about what goes where: but I have it sorted now: mostly.
3.It's a 240 v unit so has the 3 poles. And is probably grounded properly as such.

I'm very happy with the Lux. I have a matching D 05 on the way from Japan. Which I will run balanced.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience - that is awful. Perhaps a faulty unit.

It is easily the best amp I have owned. And I can see myself keeping it for a very long time: which from a long term tube enthusiast, is something of a big statement. Mostly importantly it controls my 5's - which tend to be a little sloppy in the bass otherwise.

My very best wishes

Andy.
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  #17  
Old 03-23-2011, 07:28 AM
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howiebrou howiebrou is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alberto View Post
Andy,

Welcome to AA!

I tried to send you a private message but since you are not a member (yet) I couldn't.

Can I ask you a couple of questions about your Luxman 550A.

1) If you got your unit new, did you have an odor problem that persisted for several days?

2) If you put the volume at 45-50% can you hear a faint buzz or hiss from your speakers?

3) If you look in the back of your unit, does the IEC plug have a ground "pole" (the one in the middle) or just the two poles.

Thanks a lot!

Alberto
Alberto,

Many Japanese products have no ground. It's quite normal. I have seen it in many pieces of Hi Fi although I am not sure about your particular Luxman. If you want i can ask since the Luxman dealer is also the Soulution Dealer

howie
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