Luxman L-505u on the rack

[AudioPhilio]

I received the Luxman on January 14th to demo it against my longstanding Cary SLI-80 Signature w/ all F1 mods. I have had the Cary in my office system for almost 4 years now, and I have improved it over time with tube rolling and getting all the factory upgrades performed. Its seductive looks and sound have been close to my heart, but the loose soft bass (in relative terms for me) is something I have been trying to compensate for. So in steps the Luxman!

When I first turned on the L-505u, even cold and new, I was immediately struck with 3 things. First the bass. Wow! There is what I have been craving, tight controlled and deep. Next was the increase in soundstage width. Third was a little surprising to me; I found that the treble is actually more extended and somewhat brighter than the SLI-80. I did not expect more top end air, but it is there.

After letting the unit settle in and get some significant hours on, I spent some time last week listening more seriously to a variety of music. I mostly listen to rock, alternative, folk, Americana, jazz, and blues. What I found most interesting is that I ended up raising the subwoofer level one click. With the Cary I found myself adjusting up or down one-two clicks depending on the source. I have not felt it necessary to change the level with a wide variety of music. With the Cary I believe that bass prominent recordings tended to get a little boomy and that is why I felt the need to reduce the level. I am hearing more detail in music that I am familiar with than I have before. The Luxman seems more accurate to the source and somewhat brighter sounding. I think it may be more that the Cary is warm than the Luxman in bright though. One thing for sure though, leading edge transients are sharper; the sound is fast and detailed.

On the other side of the coin, The Cary has beguiling midrange with lush full sound. The Luxman has a drier sound to me, especially on vocals and piano works. I think the Luxman is slightly fatiguing at higher volume levels in contrast to the Cary; I find myself adjusting the volume more often, turning up favorites initially, then backing them down gradually again.

This unit is very feature rich for its price point. I have always romanticized about getting a record player again and starting to collect vinyl. I have not spun vinyl since the '80s Now I am one step closer. The tone controls actually work pretty well. I used them for the first time to listen to an old favorite CD, Queensryche Operation Mindcrime, which I love but is poorly recorded. Cutting the harshness from the treble and boosting the bass a little made it more listenable, good enough that I could enjoy the music without thinking too much about how crappy the recording was.

So I have decided to keep the Luxman This was my initial thought when I first plugged it in, and after 2 weeks I know it is staying. I really have enjoyed my time with the Cary but now I am enjoying a different flavor. I love the retro look, the functionality and the performance.