Description
Luxman L550A-II Amplifier - Fully Boxed. Top-Flight Class A engineering. All in excellent condition and full working order. 230V ~ 50Hz Techradar Review: For sheer musicality and agility, the Luxman L550A-II has the potential to delight vinyl lovers everywhere.Luxman is a founding member of Japanese high end and the fit and finish of the L550A-II shows all the hallmarks of the breed. Every control operates with a precision and solidity that is hugely confidence-inspiring (given the sheer number of them on the front panel its just as well).The chassis has had great attention given to its isolation and layout, and the components used internally are of a high standard, finishing in some of the most solid speaker terminals weve seen in a while.In value terms, the Luxman has to be considered a strong proposition. Whilst it is far from cheap, the extensive connectivity and the presence of a good-quality phono stage and headphone amplifier negates the need to buy external examples of each.It is not the easiest amp to directly compare to the competition, but few other models at this price point offer such a broad range of facilities and features. Other Class A designs especially are generally far more minimalist than the Luxman. Perhaps the closest comparison can be made to rival Japanese brand Accuphase, who also produces high-specification Class A integrated amps but at substantially higher cost than the L550A-II.The great all-rounderIn use, the Luxman is instantly likeable. Even from cold, there is a sense of exceptional space and realism which only improves as the unit warms up. The 20-watt output must also be taken as something of an understatement as the L550A-II is capable of taking all but the most insensitive designs and driving them to levels that should prove sufficient for all.The overall presentation is calm and unforced. Lively and upbeat recordings are reproduced with their force and drive intact, but at the same time there is no sense of calmer recordings being overdriven.The results are fantastic and it is possible to listen to the Luxman for extremely long periods with no sense of fatigue, staring at those hypnotic VU meters while you do so.Pushed very hard indeed into insensitive speakers, the Luxman will harden up slightly, but avoids any real sonic nasties. One of the more impressive areas of sonic performance is the bass. This is both remarkably tuneful and agile, whilst going substantially lower than might be expected of an amplifier with only 20 watts to its name.There are more powerful amps at the same price that will dig deeper still, but few will match the sheer musicality of the Luxman and the sense of timing that comes from the speed and agility it possesses. This timing is not perhaps as assured as some of the acknowledged specialists but it is no slouch.And what of the phono stage? Put simply, it sounds like an extension of the amp. If this sounds a little anti-climactic, that is not the intention. Its possessed of the same remarkable even-handedness of the L550A-II and the same excellent space and tonality. If you like the sonic attributes of the Luxman then the phono stage should prove equally desirable.As the phono stage was developed as an integral part of the amp, it shares the same behaviour and adds an extremely low noise floor and genuinely useful subsonic filter to improve matters further. It is only the increasing need to use external phono stages with their own sonic characteristics that has lead us to believe that the ideal should be any variance in the way that the line inputs and the phono inputs sound.The L550A-II does exactly that and will allow you to hear and enjoy your turntable, arm and cartridge choice with no intervening layer.Vinyl loversThis ability to produce the same excellent sonic performance, regardless of input is a huge bonus to multiple-source systems and goes some way to nullifying the very large size of the L550A-II.As a final ribbon to an already very large bow, the headphone amp is more than up to the task of running some of our favourite headphones up to the £500 price point.We secured the Luxman to test whether the phono stage makes it a strong proposition for vinyl users. The answer to this question must undoubtedly be yes. The internal phono stage is a truly excellent device and is capable of putting up stiff competition to the best standalone devices under £1,000. This excellent device is inclusive to the price of a very talented amp.To simply call this an amp for vinyl lovers is to do it a disservice. The L550A-II is capable of equally stunning results in systems with no turntable and should be auditioned as such. Theres no doubt about it, the Luxman is a genuine superstar.Rated output20W + 20W (8?), 40W + 40W (4?)Input sensitivity / input impedancePHONO (MM): 2.5mV/47k? PHONO (MC): 0.3mV/100? LINE: 180mV/47k? BAL.LINE: 180mV/55k? MAIN-IN: 450mV/47k?Output voltageRECOUT: 180mV, PRE OUT: 1VFrequency responsePHONO: 20Hz to 20kHz (±0.5dB) LINE: 20Hz to 100kHz (+0, -3.0dB)Total harmonic distortion0.007% or less (8?, 1kHz) 0.02% or less (8?, 20Hz to 20kHz)S/N ratio (IHF-A)PHONO (MM): 91dB or more, PHONO (MC): 75dB or more LINE: 105dB or moreVolume adjustmentNew LECUA1000Amplification circuitODNF 4.0Output configurationBipolar parallel push-pullDamping factor200Max. amount of tone controlBASS: ±8dB at 100Hz TREBLE: ±8dB at 10kHzPower supply230V~(50Hz) Power consumption230W 170W (under no signal), 0.5W (at standby)External dimensions440(W) x 178(H) x 454(D) mm front side knob of 20mm and rear side terminal of 27mm included in depthNet weight24.3kg (main unit)AccessoriesRemote control (RA-17A) Power cableSpeaker terminal Supported Y-lug terminal dimensionWidth of part a: 15mm or less Width of part b: 8mm or more * Connection may not be performed depending on the shape of the Y-lug terminal. Will be promptly sent via tracked courier delivery - or collect and save on the delivery charge. Shipping to Highland & Island and Remote locations may cost more - please send a message for a shipping price.
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