John Darko
The L-505z from Luxman is an all-analogue integrated amplifier that promises 100wpc into 8 Ohms. That’s one watt for every year Luxman has been in the hifi business. The Japanese company was founded in 1925 and is currently celebrating its centenary. The output stage on the L-505z is a “parallel push-pull configuration with bipolar transistor elements” and if your loudspeaker is nominally rated at 4 Ohms, the Luxman will deliver up to 150wpc.
There are two sets of binding posts on the back for two sets of speakers and defeatable tone controls on the front. Want a loudness button for when listening late at night? You’ll need to pick up the remote control for that.
The backlit analogue VU meters are the strongest visual drawcards here. Sitting in front of the L-505z is like being back in the 80s with E.T. on VHS and Terence Trent D’Arby on the radio. Adding to the nostalgia are the large source selector and volume knobs, which both feel great in hand.
Future-Fi, the L-505z is not. There is no DAC or network streamer inside. For that, I’ve been alternating between the Grimm MU2 and the WiiM Ultra. They have occupied two of the Luxman’s five line-level inputs on and off for the past few months. The balanced XLR inputs were given over to a Thorens TD124 turntable and a PS Audio phono stage, which sit some metres away. Mind you, there is a phono stage inside the Luxman: it can talk to MM and MC carts – but the settings for each are fixed. Right now, I have a Technics SL-1300G turntable with a Zu DL-103r hooked up.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Luxman when unboxing it is its weight. This amplifier clocks in at 22.5kg. That’s possibly due to the large transformer and power supplies under the hood. Interestingly, most toroidal-based amplifiers I’ve used in Berlin suffer from transformer hum because of DC on the mains, but the Luxman does not have this issue. That’s probably because it uses an EI transformer, not a toroidal transformer. In case you’d not worked it out already, the L-505z is a Class A/B amplifier.
On its website, Luxman explains how its ‘LIFES’ feedback engine isn’t like other feedback engines:
“LIFES is based on the technical concept of our revolutionary ODNF feedback circuitry, which achieved excellent static characteristics without feeding back any of the musical input signal to the main amplifier, yielding a natural sound quality more akin to a non-feedback system. The circuit has been redesigned from scratch through multiple simulations. By combining carefully selected components and through repeated listening tests, we have achieved the ultimate performance and sound quality, truly worthy of being adopted for LUXMAN’s next-generation components. In LIFES Version 1.0, the entire circuit has been reconstructed and simplified, improving performance, whilst also successfully reducing the number of parallel elements, reducing distortion during amplification to less than half.”
The Japanese company explains the LECUA volume control thusly: “The volume control section is crucial to both the functionality and performance of an integrated amplifier and requires dedicated signal processing. The L-505Z is equipped with LUXMAN’s original, high-clarity LECUA* electronically controlled attenuator, which has been significantly downsized by adopting a solid-state (IC) circuit configuration. LECUA is an ideal level control system that minimizes variations in audio quality and enables smooth and detailed volume adjustment over 88 steps. The LR balance adjustment control also relies on LECUA’s volume shift function. Despite multitasking, LECUA succeeds in minimizing deterioration of sound quality across the full range of the volume control. Intuitive operability is maintained while linked with operations from the remote control. A traditional rotary volume knob achieves that weighty, tactile response and operational feel enthusiasts will enjoy, combining convenience with pleasing operability.”
However, the volume control can be bypassed by connecting a third-party pre-amplifier to the ‘MAIN’ inputs on the Luxman’s back panel. But that would be a bit like having a dog and barking yourself. You buy an integrated because it’s an integrated, especially when you’re dropping €6800 on one. Me? I appreciate being able to read the volume level from the listening position via the bright red LED display.
My review video on the L-505z has been six months in the making and will feature side-by-side comparisons to two less costly amplifiers. I want to answer the question: do we get more when we spend more? I’ll also be taking a closer look at the internal phono stage – asking how it stacks up against a more costly external box – and I’ll have something to say about the headphone amplifier that outputs via 4.4mm balanced or 6.4mm single-ended sockets on the Luxman’s front panel. And as usual, I’ll be using music that we’d read about in the NME, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Resident Advisor.
Further information: Luxman
UPDATE 22nd April: the Luxman L-505Z video review can be found here.
