We're thrilled to share Darko's new YouTube review of the Luxman L-505Z integrated amplifier, the entry point to Luxman's Z-Series.
He starts where everyone starts with a Luxman: the look. "There's no doubt about it, the backlit analog VU meters are the strongest visual draw cards here," he says, adding that the large source and volume knobs "feel great in the hand." (VU stands for volume unit, and on the L-505Z they glow.)
What he heard
Then the music. "I also appreciate just how fat and punchy the Luxman sounds in the low end," Darko says. Side by side with a less costly separates system, he found the difference anything but subtle: "The Luxman injects music's smaller details with much greater jump factor." Brushwork and piano key strikes, he notes, "pop more from the Luxman."
His verdict: "If we're talking about listener engagement, I think the Luxman is a clear step up."
He gave the built-in phono stage a proper listen too, with two moving-coil turntable setups. It adds, he says, "a kind of lushness to the mids," and sounds "creamier" than the outboard phono preamp he compared it with.
The case for the L-505Z
This combination of real sonic substance and elegant design makes the L-505Z a must-consider for anyone ready to take their system up a level. Luxman began in Osaka in 1925, and as Darko points out, the L-505Z's 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms works out to one watt for every year Luxman has been in the business.
Watch Darko's L-505Z review, explore Luxman at Rhythm, and find a Rhythm dealer to hear it yourself.
