Jump to content

Taking the leap to Tube:


Recommended Posts

Hi there,

 

I've been a fan of vintage audio for years (currently on a Marantz 1152dc intergrated amp), but ive reached a stage where i want to invest in something new. Im keen to try a tube amp and to preserve the vintage look - so I have been looking at Luxman and Leban Integrated amplifiers. I've ruled out Leban, so...

 

Anyone have experiences good/bad with the Luxman SQ-38u?

 

Really appreciate your thoughts.

 

Cheers,

 

--Abby

Edited by Abby
Link to comment
Share on other sites



Abby

I'll start out by saying that I really don't know. But I am a Luxman tragic. Folk do say that Luxman are kinda pipe and slippers amps: relaxed and comfortable. My experience of their older gear is consistent with this. Apart from some monstrous solid state devices like the B-10 monoblocks, they don't impress with slam or grit. They do, on the other hand, play music very well, and they are well made. Reviews of their current gear suggest that in this respect things have not changed from their hey-day 30-40 years ago. (I'm leaving out of consideration all the rotten cheap stuff that came out after the Alpine takeover in 1983, although throughout the period since Luxman has turned out very high end gear for the Japanese market only.)

Any chance you can get to hear the integrated in Sydney? Surely there's a retailer there.

Or if you are feeling adventurous, there are many treasures to be found on yahoo Japan. Including exciting things we never saw before.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It will probably sound fat and slow (tube sound of yore) i.e euphonic - rolled off highs and woolly in the bass like the other contemporary Japanese tube amps I've heard which have included the Luxman SQ-N100. And the 6moons audio review of it seems to confirm my suspicion :

 

With the tonal balance center shifted downwards, top-end air diminished and the bass tyre bled for a softer cushier ride, the SQ-38u belongs into the comfort sound camp. Its emphasis was more on the bigger than minute gestures, more on great dynamic scaling over longer arcs than the intermittent spikes poking out of the thicket. The weighty low end and potent macrodynamic scaling outshone deep tone modulations and dynamic micro cues. The focus was on impact, wallop, richness and warmth instead.

 

If you like that kind of sound then, go for it. The Leben would also be of the same ilk. The Japanese seems to go for this type of sound,

Edited by Sir Triode
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps a better approach would be to evaluate various amplifiers (SS and valve) on your current system, to see which provides you with the best sound quality. Do not fall into one of the following traps:

* Valve amps are better than SS amps.

* SS amps are better than valve amps.

* All valve amps sound good.

* All SS amps sound good.

ALL the above statements are wrong. Your Marantz amp was a pretty decent, mass market, design for 1978. Some SS amps have moved on. There were superior (SS) amps available back then, just as there are superior SS amps available now.

Edited by Zaphod Beeblebrox
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites



Hi Abby, haven't heard Luxman but have had great sessions with a full Accuphase system (not tubes but another great Japanese company). It was certainly fun and musical. Nothing was overstated but it was resolving and high quality, something you can live with long term. I wouldn't rule out Leben at all if I was you. I'm not sure why you see second hand Lebens on the market but it may be that Leben owners are also lovers of brands such as Shindo and Mactone which system wise are more expensive and perceived as a logical move up the chain. I reckon Leben is just as good and offers different benefits. The Leben is a keeper for most owners including myself who enjoys the magic that these types of amps offer. I have the Leben CS-600 which I initially struggled with due to system matching but after some perseverance now have a synergetic match. I have never been so satisfied and can highly recommend Leben. Just get the matching correct (including the tubes as it takes so many different types which change the character vastly). I'd imagine the Luxman would also be a very pleasing long term amp once you've system matched and fine tuned the variables.

Best of luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not tempted to buy valve anything until their distortion specs become as good as solid state....

These type of statements are plain stupid,  Each has its good and bad points same as digital vs vinyl. 

Edited by keitha
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites



These type of statements are plain stupid,  Each has its good and bad points same as digital vs vinyl. 

 

Some people, mate (typically, "engineers"), can only focus on distortion specs ... not how good the amp makes you feel. ;)

 

Andy

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Muon

Low total harmonic distortion doesn't mean good sounding, it is a measure that marketeers successful push to get sales tough :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

Hi-Fi sound and the reproduction is all about distortion. It all comes down to which distortion, and how little or how much distortion we like the sound of?

 

That's the journey of changing, upgrading, downgrading components and speakers. The hobby and industry will exist forever based on this alone.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



Guest Muon

Hi-Fi sound and the reproduction is all about distortion. It all comes down to which distortion, and how little or how much distortion we like the sound of?

Yes, harmonic distortion is part of every instruments presentation and that of the original recording, It's about getting this as close as possible to what we find closest to the real thing,,,for each of us :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

Yes, harmonic distortion is part of every instruments presentation and that of the original recording, It's about getting this as close as possible to what we find closest to the real thing,,,for each of us :)

 

Well put.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know, just pointing out that THD figures are mostly of little importance.

That depends on your aiming point. If you want to hear the original recorded waveform, the lower the THD of the amplifier the closer your amplified output waveform is to the input (by definition). It is not marketing spin, it is an important number in a set of other numbers to evaluate the nature of a component. If you want to aberrate the input waveform to make a more enjoyable sound, that is a perfectly legitimate option. But it's not something some people are seeking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Muon

Yes, we all seek to tailor the sound to our personal preferences, I agree.

 

But once THD of an amp is below a certain figure it is negligible, also... tube amps can be very linear if that is the aim of the design...It's not only something SS can accomplish IMO.

 

I really don't think it is a case that only one topology can do this, or it can fail badly at it. But It's just my stance :)

 

Edit: spelling

Edited by ortofun
Link to comment
Share on other sites



That depends on your aiming point. If you want to hear the original recorded waveform, the lower the THD of the amplifier the closer your amplified output waveform is to the input (by definition). It is not marketing spin, it is an important number in a set of other numbers to evaluate the nature of a component. If you want to aberrate the input waveform to make a more enjoyable sound, that is a perfectly legitimate option. But it's not something some people are seeking.

 

What you say is axiomatic.  ;)   Push/pull SS amps with lashings of global negative feedback will measure extremely low THD - which implies the least "aberration" of the input waveform.

 

But such amplifiers sound uninteresting (IOW boring ... sterile ... they don't make you want to listen forever) - so:

  • why should this be so?
  • if it is so ... then maybe the THD reading is not an appropriate way to measure how good an amp sounds?

 

Regards,

 

Andy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But such amplifiers sound uninteresting (IOW boring ... sterile ... they don't make you want to listen forever) - so:

  • why should this be so?
  • if it is so ... then maybe the THD reading is not an appropriate way to measure how good an amp sounds?

 

Regards,

 

Andy

 

 

Hi Andy.

i think THD reading only can't complete the picture . i heard some where said that FM acoustic in Switzerland do have a group of people that only do listening test after they products bench tested , any written report from those people will get view by the design engineer and adjust the products accordingly . so our ears is still a good testing equipment ever made :)

Duc

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What you say is axiomatic.  ;)   Push/pull SS amps with lashings of global negative feedback will measure extremely low THD - which implies the least "aberration" of the input waveform.

 

But such amplifiers sound uninteresting (IOW boring ... sterile ... they don't make you want to listen forever) - so:

  • why should this be so?
  • if it is so ... then maybe the THD reading is not an appropriate way to measure how good an amp sounds?

 

 

extremely low THD at low power output settings only, the THD goes up significantly when they need to work. Nobody has suggested THD is an appropriate measurement as to how good an amp sounds. But THD is the perfect measurement to tell you how much harmonic aberration the device adds to the input waveform. If that aberration makes the original input signal sound better, great, if that's what you're aiming for. But if you want to hear the original waveform, the higher the THD, the further you get away from the original, obviously.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I ignore most amplifier measurements, except maybe current output and output impedance. IMO it's far more important to get flat frequency response in your speakers if you want "truth" out of a recording. Once you have honest speakers, match them with an amp that gives you life and emotion in your music. That's just the way I go about it.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...
To Top