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Review 1 of 4
Price Paid:
$175.00
from Ebay auction Summary:
I have had 3 60 watt high current amps in my life so far. The Lux is in the middle of the 3. I have the original LV-103 from 1985, not the "U" version from 1986-on. I have always wanted one of these units because of its tubes in the design and the smooth sound these amps had. I found this one on Ebay for $175 US. I wish I had the U version since it allowed pre-outputs for an external amp. The reason for this is the current output of this Lux is rather weak. It only puts out 7 amps of power and anything above the sound is quite distorted and falls apart. I'm currently trying to get a pre-output connection wired into my Luxman. I will then go back to a Rotel amp for the output stage. My setup includes B&W 602 series 2 speakers. I have noticed on music transient peaks this amp just sounds weak. My Rotel used to scare me when the woofer kicks out a bass peak especially on classical music. The Lux seems rather tame. Given my Denon wasn't much better, it did handle peaks better though. The problem with the Denon was sound wasn't as clean and highs were gritty. The Rotels have excellent current capability. Now as for the sound from the 103, it is very smooth which I'm sure the tubes are responsible for. At lower volumes the quality of sound is quite good and very open. The soundstage is excellent as I can hear where the location of voices and instruments. When the volume is cranked, the sound stage falls apart though and sounds conjested. It still has the smoothness to it, just not as lively. The highs are clean with the Lux. There is some hiss to be heard from the unit when there is no sound playing. I'm told the tubes add noise and distortion to the signal which gives it that tube sound quality. I have looked into getting this unit upgraded with a few better parts installed. I looked into substituting the MOSFET transistors (since the one in this unit are no longer made) for BJT or Darlington transistors. One guy did sub to Darlingtons and had success in doing so. He said he rebiased the amp and it gave slightly better power output. But he did warn this may not always work. Others I have talked to said you cannot switch from one type of transistor (MOSFET) to another type (BJT, Darlington) as it will simply not work and destroy the amp. I also looked into replacing the old capacitors to a slit foil type. Apparently modding this unit according to one is futile since its design is the limiting factor. Well anyway I have yet to work out what I will do to the Lux. It would be better to just get the Conrad Johnson tube preamp and a decent power amp like a Bryston or such. Of course they cost bucks though. Tubes aren't cheap and it seems the Lux LV-103 and 105 were the cheapest units to offer tubes as far as I've seen. Of course the tubes in the Lux are only in the preamp stage acting as a buffer. One person mentioned the tubes in this unit hardly effect the sound at all, so its use is superficial. Its hard to know if this is true or not. Apparently the Luxman units from the mid 80s-on were poorly designed pieces. Apparently the 103 is in this group. The sound is still quite good for average listening and its probably better then the sound coming from todays receivers for the money I spent ($175 US). The list price for the 103 in Canadian when I saw these things out was $1000. The 105 listed for $1200. So these things weren't cheap by any standards. Technology has surpassed however the performance of these units and you can buy better stuff out there now for the same money the 103 cost when new. Make note the LV-103 U was not offered in North America in 1988-89 according to the brochure I have. So the U versions may never have been released in North America. I do know the 103 I have is rare to find, as the 105s are more common- though still hard to find used. People seem to be holding onto these hybrid amps. Don't get me wrong- I do like the 103 however limited it is. I will be keeping it partially out of nostalgia and collecting units like these. When I upgrade to a Conrad Johnson preamp I will probably keep my Lux for a spare unit.
To sum up- clear smooth sound and great soundstage. Sound falls apart at higher levels and lacks current in producing peaks in music that impress the listener. Bass in this unit also seems weak, but is still there. Keep in mind parts for these things are becoming hard to find to fix these things without chaging the design all together. Apparently from one user the tubes used do effect sound quality, so to change the sound a tube swap can be done. I keep the preheat on on this unit. If they are turned off it does take a minute for the relays to kick in to tell the amp is ready for sound output as it warms up.
In all getting decent tube sound isn't cheap. I would stick with Rotel units if you want decent power and sound. Buying this thing used wasn't such a bad deal. I'm just picky. Strengths:
Decent design, clear smooth sound Weaknesses:
Very poor current output (7 amps), doesn't handle high volume very well Similar Products Used:
Denon PMA-300, Rotel RC980 Preamp with Rotel RB 970 amp
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