Luxman c 1000 f brochure

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And I wanted the Luxman, because very quickly, already during the test of the mentioned power amplifier M-800A I realized, that we deal here with a new quality. This working in the class A, 60-watt power amplifier turned out to be extremely precise and at the same time incredibly sensitive to music, as if it would not be a hi-fi device but living device. So I couldnt do anything better than buy the tested unit for my reference system. Shortly afterwards the device received our Product of the Year award 2007 . There was no other way-¦ That is why from the very beginning my attention was focused on the preamplifiers made by this company -“ C-800f and C-1000f. The device is mounted inside a very massive, ultra-rigid aluminum enclosure (the front panel is 30mm thick in the thickest place), and the bottom plate is made from three layers connected by a special gluey material -“ a layer of aluminum, a layer of copper and again aluminum. The device is heavier than most integrated amplifiers until 20000zl and for sure with better workmanship. Model C-1000f is fully balanced, and its heart is the volume control circuitry named LECUA1000 (LECUA is an abbreviation of Luxman Electronic Controlled Ultimate Attenuator), designed in such a way, that for every one of the 72 steps, only two resistors are in the sound path. When we look inside we will see that there are four identical devices, one for each branch (+ and -). It looks incredible. And one sighs at the very beginning, as the front panel with embedded volume control and input selector knobs and an amber display is SOMETHING. SOUND The Luxman preamplifier plays with an incredibly creamy, incredibly well mannered sound. If I would place the preamplifiers I remember on an axis, where to the right we would have the most precise and at the same time most neutral ones, but also the least fleshy and least saturated (although supplying enormous amounts of music) then the situation would look like this: Luxman C-1000f...Accuphase C-2810...Nagra PL-P...Accuphase C-2410...darTZeel NHB-18NS...Leben RS-28CX ...Audio Research Reference RS3...BAT VK-52SE This warm-cold is of course a simplification, because it is about a certain package of characteristics, where warmth or coldness are elements that are easiest to describe. However resolution is related to those, and it is split on the axis in the same way. All mentioned preamplifiers are superb, and each one is different. Did you notice something peculiar? I mean that it is not important if a device is solid state or tube. Looking from left to right we have: transistor-transistor- tube-transistor-transistor-tube-tube-tube. And this turns the traditional view of the solid state as cold and tube as warm completely over. I think we finally reached a point, where cheap tricks with speed (transistor) and saturation (tube) are no longer enough, and the game is about neutrality, about hi-end. Neutrality is, as one can imagine, a subjective thing, but it can be excluded in some boundaries, where opinions can be set, where our choices are only that and nothing else -“ choices. And I write this on purpose -“ as we can see, the Luxman C-1000f, a device solid state to the bone marrow, is on the left end of the scale, where we would like to put the tube preamps. Because this is how this Japanese boy sounds: with an incredibly saturated, full midrange, sweet, but without coloring, to which the treble and bass are subordinate. So the vocals are uncommon -“ whether from an aged recording Lullabys of Birdland Chris Connor (Bethlehem Records/Victor Enterteinment, VICJ-61452, K2 HD, CD) or a fresh one, the splendid disc Filia Praeclara Ensamble Peregrina (Divox Antiqua, CDX-70603, CD) with recordings of XIII and XIV century Polish Poor Clare monastery music. Every time we had full, big volume, smooth, creamy timbre, splendidly given reverb and with this very good positioning of the instruments. The device has saturated timbre and slightly soft attack. Looking at tonal balance in the Luxman it is set in a more laid back way than in the Leben, that on the other hand was darker than the Accuphase C-2410. Because like I said, everything is subordinate to the midrange. Instruments like the piano and saxophone do also sound spectacular. In absolute terms the resolution is lower than in

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the BAT or AR, or even Leben, what is additionally deepened by the tame treble, but when I put on the disc The Köln Concert Keith Jarrett (ECM, UCCE-9011, gold-CD) from the Japanese, gold mini LP version, that is visibly less vivid and not as transparent as the aluminum version, Luxman showed the audience better, placed it better in space than my Leben, that is more penetrating and resolving. The same happened with the elements from the disc of Art Pepper AP Meets The Rhythm Section (Contemporary Records/Victor Enterteinment, VICJ-41524, K2, CD). I dont know how this happened. But this is just how it is with top devices, nothing is easy and unambiguous. It was similar with dynamics. On the mentioned Pepper disc the dynamics of drums and percussion is registered in such a way, that God should give such abilities to current sound engineers. Roy DuNann that recorded that discs, has something wonderful in his fingers because the disc Way Out WestSonnyego Rollinsa (Contemporary Records/Victor Enterteinment, VICJ-60088, XRCD) is also brilliant, and he was also responsible for that one. But to the point -“ Luxman reproduces jumps of dynamics like the best tube amplifiers. Or maybe a solid state one? I dont know it myself anymore -“ maybe it combines the best from both worlds. Because it is gentle and dynamic. Listening to it we enter in a completely different world, something similar as with Accuphase. Also fascinating is the comparison of both devices, it turns out that Accu plays a bit more to the front with slightly better defined edges, but still the sound of the Luxman is more saturated, more physical in appearance. Both devices are brilliant, but they are not the same, that is why they must be auditioned in a given system. I write the whole time about the primacy of the midrange, maybe not as resolving as with the preamplifiers from the right part of the scale, but incredibly nice. And this is not the classic cut of treble and bass. It is not about that. I do not want to mix-up my thinking, but subjectively those sub-ranges are heard quieter. But when in a recording a stronger impulse appears that is located there, like the strong, motoric bass from Billie Jean, from the disc ThrillerMichael Jackson (Epic/Sony Music Japan, EICP 963-4, CD+DVD), then we have strong entrance and playing with pep, in a matter of speech. Leben differentiates the single sounds better, shows more about the way of playing, etc, but it is the Luxman that seemed more dynamic. It had not such a well articulated bass, but attention was not focused on it. Maybe due to such a volume of sounds the Luxman is more natural, better than the Leben, which -“ in direct comparison -“ sounds with smaller virtual sources. And this is how this preamplifier must be read -“ like an incredibly saturated, focused on the midrange, dynamic device. The resolution is not super-important here, or quarrelsomeness. Here my Leben was visibly better and it describes the edges, shades of the timbre, temperature of the recordings, etc, better. With jazz and classical material we will get a big sound stage with regular size instruments. Luxman is brilliantly built, much better than everything I saw before. Maybe only the darTZeel NHB-18NS could compete with that. This is a device for forever, not only because it is heavy as hell and packing it back is an effort. But we should remember that it has a specified timbre and personality and it is necessary to listen to it personally, in our own system. In contrast to the preamplifier EVO 222 from Krell, that was the ideal partner for the EVO 402 power amplifier (system review HERE ) and outside the company context it sounded with a bit too heavy lower midrange, the Luxman will be a good partner for every type of power amplifier -“ tube or solid state -“ as long as it is a good power amplifier. It is worth to remember that this is a balanced device and sounds best in a balanced system. And then it will be brilliant.