Luxman C-7 at Allegrosound.Com

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Review As natural as it gets

For that all-natural sound, SHAHRIZA HUSSEIN stares into a Luxman combo and discovers true love of the audio kind

LUXMAN is a name that draws respect, this despite the fact that the brand is not exclusive to the high end. But as even the "budget" Luxmans give an excellent account of themselves, it stands to reason that the high-end models are out of the ordinary.

The Luxman C-7 preamp (top) and M-7 power amp

This reputation for excellence stems from an almost obsessive refusal to compromise. The top Luxmans are crafted, not manufactured, using leading-edge, often innovative technology and custom-made components. Produced in a run of only a few hundred units, they are masterpieces that, by virtue of their consistently high quality of design and build, provide sonic satisfaction over many years of use.

Today's range of high-end Luxman amplifiers comprises the B-10 monoblock, the M series stereo power, the C series stereo pre, the L series stereo integrated, the SQ-38 Signature tubed stereo integrated, and the E-03 phono. Some of these are likely to join the Audio Hall of Fame, just as the SQSB of 1962, the SQ505 of 1968, the C5000A of 1979, the MB300 of 1984, the M06/07 of 1987 and the L570Xs of 1992.

The units sent in for review were the middle members of the M and C series, the M-7 and C-7, each retailing in Japan for 350,000 yen. With the exchange rate and tax calculated in, that's RM40,000 for the two.

Presentation

Quite simply, the Luxman M-7 and C-7 are beautiful. Finish is in gold and piano-polished real wood, and the result is an object that invites one to look, touch and caress.

The C-7 is a preamplifier whose weight puts many power amplifiers to shame. Though only a bit larger than the average audio component, it tips the scales at 18kg. Most of the weight comes from the power supply section and the unique five-footed suspension, a highly rigid FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic) chassis that effectively suppresses vibration and noise.

Slide off the wood casing and you drool at the sight of the craftsmanship within. The construction is modular, the layout as neat as anything made for NASA. Each module easily extracted for inspection or servicing and the highlights here are the two individual mono preamp modules, the three-ganged 48-element attenuator (volume control), the separate tone control module, and the power supply module with its toroidal transformer. This last is sealed and coupled to the chassis via a semi-floating mechanism so as to isolate it from the signal path and protect it from vibration.

The front panel is elegant and you could mistake the C-7 for a tuner. There's just this blacked-out display window flanked by two large knobs (input selector and volume control). Almost unnoticed is a lid at the bottom, abutting the on/off push-button. Flip this lid open and you are presented with six knobs and three push-buttons. The knobs are for bass, treble, channel balance, recording out selector, tape monitor selector, and output selector; the buttons are for channel reversal, phase inversion and straight input. The display window remains dark until the C-7 is switched on, at which point the brand and model logos appear, plus indicators for muting (this goes off when the C-7 is ready to work) and straight input, phase inversion and reverse channel (if these are in use).

The rear panel is more intimidating. RCA coaxial sockets serve five inputs, two tape loops, and two outputs. For balanced connection, there are two XLR inputs and two outputs. All the inputs are line-level, which means you'd need an external phono amp if you want to play vinyl.

Two interesting items here are the remote control connector jacks and a line phase sensor indicator. The first is self explanatory, but the latter tells you whether the polarity of the AC power is correct. If the indicator light comes on, then the polarity is wrong and you're supposed to reverse the two-pin plug in the AC outlet. I have not come across this feature in any other high-end audio brand; goes to show how serious the people at Lux are.

Now for the M-7. The finish is as superb as the C-7, but the front panel sports two oversized VU meters aside from the on/off button. This power amplifier also increases the likelihood of your getting a hernia -- it weighs 26.5kg.

Inside, the M-7 sports the same modular construction, but the power supply section is much larger, dominated by a sealed (against EMS) toroidal transformer and two enormous capacitors. The circuit design is dual mono, with a power output module on either side of the power supply module fully isolated from the latter and each other. The special feature here is the use of a balanced CSSC (Complementary Single Stagger Circuit) in an all-stage direct-coupled fully complementary configuration. CSSC is a specialised application of radio-frequency engineering that achieves wide dynamic range, a high slew rate and high S/N ratio.

Operation is Class A/B, although the M-7 runs as hot as a Pure Class A unit. Output at 1KHz is rated at 150 watts per channel into eight ohms (230 watts

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per channel into four ohms), with no more than 0.004% distortion. The two channels can be bridged to produce 460 watts mono into eight ohms, resulting in a monoblock almost as powerful as the top-of the range B-10.

The rear panel is designed to please an engineer. Two pairs of inputs are provided, one RCA coaxial and the other XLR, and both pairs controlled by an input attenuator (fixed resistor type). Likewise, there are two sets of speaker terminals, one a humongous screw-clamp type that accommodates soldered ends, spade plugs or banana plugs, and the other professional Spicon connectors. And here again is found Luxman's unique AC line phase sensor indicator.

Setting up

How I wish Sujesh wouldn't pass such heavy items to me! The C-7 was not too heavy to place atop my hi-fi cabinet, but the M-7 had to be manhandled onto a sturdy table. And the need to be careful not to mar the piano-polish finish meant aching limbs.

Once the units were positioned, though, it was a simple matter of connecting up. I used Wireworld interconnects throughout, the Equinox II between the C-7 and M-7 and the Atlantis between the C-7 and my Sony DVP-S7000 DVD player. The speaker wire from the M-7 to my Thiel 2.2 was MIT Terminator 2. Alternates were vdH The Source for the Atlantis and my Arcam Delta 170/Black Box 50 CD transport/DAC for the Sony.

In order to obtain a convenient leeway on the volume control, I set the M-7's input attenuator to -6dB (the range extends from 0dB to -30dB in six steps). This enabled the volume control knob of the C-7 to point to the 12 o'clock position for most classical recordings and to 10 o'clock for the higher-level pop and rock.

Performance

The Luxman didn't blossom until after about an hour of switching on, after which I sat dumbfounded over the subsequent few hours, and over the next few hours, and over the next few days. Because ... how do you describe nothingness?

What I was hearing was every bit of sonic information the Sony/Arcam and Thiels were capable of unravelling. I was hearing the first and last link in my audio system; it was as if there was nothing in between.

I exaggerate, you say? Well, maybe those guys who are lucky enough to afford the highest-end equipment will think so. But to me the Luxman is as utterly neutral an amplifier as I have heard (or, more correctly in this case, not heard), and my own little list is made up of just the top model stereo Chord and the Pass. The Luxman seems to contribute nothing of its own.

Which makes the sound emerge unembellished, and unbelievably natural. It is highly resolved, with chronometer timing and dynamics this side of real life. The tonal balance is as perfect as the CD player and speakers can render it, and ditto for the soundstaging. Excellent recordings sound excellent, good recordings good, mediocre ones mediocre and shitty ones shitty -- no more, no less.

It is this total absence of emphasis that bowls me over every time. The amplifier provides no sheen or overlay that makes musicality noticed. If musicality resides in the recording, it gets revealed; if it's not, then any Ajinomoto that's added comes from the CD player and the speaker. The Luxman merely amplifies, as close to the theoretical "straight wire with gain" as I have come across.

With this kind of performance, it goes without saying that the Luxman does justice to every type of music. I threw practically everything I had at it, even junk pop, and it didn't even blink (I was surprised that some of the sonic pap emerged as actually listenable). And there was more than enough power, even though the Luxman didn't give the impression of reserves as some of the big amps tend to do.

I spent many happy hours over the long Kongsi Raya break listening to music and dialogue. I fed the Luxman everything from CD, DVD, VCD and Astro, and what it received it returned back unaltered. The most enjoyment was derived from my well-recorded classical, as well as the greatest dismay, as blemished recordings were mercilessly revealed, warts and all. But throughout, the sound remained eminently listenable, a magic brew of perfect timbre, tone, melody, space and timing; though all the while I was nagged by the question of how much more glorious the music would be if the Luxman had better partners. But it was an extended holiday period, the shops were all closed and well-heeled hi-fi friends on vacation.

Conclusion

Beautiful and talented, too: What more could you want of an amplifier? I'm no romantic, but night after night I'd sit, after the last strains of music had died away, staring at the Luxman for long minutes, just enjoying the sight. And I'd dream of owning it ... as well as of how to get my grubby hands on 40 grand.

Model: Luxman C-7 preamp / M-7 power amp Price: RM20,000 / RM20,000 Review sample courtesy of JEBSEN & JESSEN MARKETING (M) SDN BHD (03-756-2668), No 5 Jalan Bersatu (13/4), 46200 Petaling Jaya.

For: Sonic performance of the highest order, utterly transparent and natural sounding; superb design, precision construction and simply beautiful finish. Against: I can't afford it.

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