Luxman Comes Home

In 1976, Glenn Poor's Audio Video added LUXMAN to our roster of brands. LUXMAN was the highest of the high-end of Japanese electronics brands, and, on first listen, was obviously a step above other products from Japan. There was a "feel" that simply exuded quality - from the switches, to the connectors, to the beautiful real rosewood cabinetry. Of course, the sound was the "hook."  LUX amps and pre-amps had a sound quality that took the listener closer to the music than anything we had heard up until then.  The M-6000 and M-4000 solid-state amplifiers had power to spare but were nimble like the best tube amps, and they reflected the live music experience in ways that we hadn't previously heard in our store.  Likewise, the C-1000 pre-amp was in a quality class of its own.  Granted, these products were quite a bit more expensive than others with similar specs, but sonically, they were spectacular!  In fact, the arrival of LUXMAN created an excitement in our stores that we'd not experienced before.  We liked the solid-state gear so much, we brought in the venerable CL-35III tube pre-amp and MB-3045 tube mono-block amplifiers.  Again, we were knocked out.  

All went well until 1987, when the company was sold to Alps, owner of the car stereo brand, Alpine.  The brand's quality steadily eroded to the point where one couldn't really distinguish Lux products from middle of the road offerings from Japan.  Our association with the brand diminished soon after, and we dropped the line.  The brand was rescued, however, in 2009, when the International Audio Group (IAG) took control of the assets of the brand.  Now, with the establishment of Luxman America in 2017, wholly owned by the parent company, the brand is being re-established as a built-in-Japan flagship company.

I heard the new products at AXPONA this year, and met Jeff Sigmund, Luxman America's president.  I was impressed with both the products and the plan to bring Lux back to prominence. It was decided that we would listen to a couple of products and compare them to similar offerings in our Champaign store.  I had already bought a limited edition of the hand-built SQ-N100, a 10 watt/channel integrated amp that also excels as a headphone amp.  The N100 sounds spectacular on my Avantgarde horn speakers, and the build quality is spectacular, so I was anxious to hear the new L-505 uX MarkII integrated amp ($4,495) and the D-05u SACD player.  To say we were impressed is an understatement, as the entire staff, including ultra-critical Craig, was blown away.  LUXMAN is now a valued part of Glenn Poor's line-up, and a terrific addition to our store's offerings.

Come in soon and audition LUXMAN.  You'll find another reason to keep coming back, believe me.

-Geoff

(Originally Posted on 7.5.2020)