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Luxman\u2019s C-900u preamp and M-900u power amp (\u00a39995 each) are part of the wave of retro-flavoured\u00a0hardware that has captivated the big Japanese houses, many of whose \u2018period-look\u2019 units eschew digitalia.<\/p>\n
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As Luxman offers separate DACs and phono stages, they\u2019re not fitted here, eg<\/em>, the C-900u offers only line inputs and full-function remote control, with tone and balance controls set via large rotaries, but\u00a0it has no tape monitor facility. \u00a0The supplied remote allows zooming of the informative fascia display. \u00a0At the rear of the preamp can be found a choice of balanced or\u00a0single-ended inputs and outputs, earthing posts should you wish to add an external phono stage for a vinyl source, and a couple of Ethernet remote comms ports.<\/p>\n With its resolutely analogue fascia meters, the matching M-900u\u00a0power amplifier offers both single-ended and balanced (XLR) inputs, remote power on\/off, massive multi-way binding posts \u2013 some of\u00a0the best we\u2019ve seen \u2013 and switching for mono bridging\u00a0and polarity inversion.<\/p>\n INSTANT SWEETNESS<\/b><\/span><\/span> Detroit Emeralds\u2019 \u2018Feel The Need\u2019 [Atlantic] is more of the same,\u00a0but with richer, more Motown-y vocals and stronger drum activity. Moving to vinyl, the strings grew even sweeter, but saccharine never intruded because the \u2019900s possess such balance, with true equanimity from top to bottom.<\/p>\n After a double-dose of disco, we were drawn to mixed percussion, and Santana\u2019s \u2018Oye Como Va\u2019\u00a0from Abraxas<\/em> [Mobile Fidelity] did the trick, with the track\u2019s congas, woodblocks, guiro scraper and other paraphernalia. Here the weight, the power, the flow, all conspired to make our feet tap\u00a0\u2013 critical listening be damned! And that\u2019s pretty much as high a compliment as one can pay.<\/p>\n Then in place of the Wilson Alexia speakers we hooked up Spendor LS3\/5As, and loaded up \u2018Rock\u00a0The Boat\u2019 once more. The little gems \u2018disappeared\u2019 and we were reminded of why we\u2019d worshipped them for so long… the soundstage bordered on the epic.<\/p>\n What clinched it for us, though, was neither the punch nor the percussive majesty of the above tracks, but the subtlety of At Last<\/em> from Lou Rawls in tandem with Dianne Reeves [Blue Note].<\/p>\n VERDICT<\/strong><\/span> <\/p>\n
\nOur first encounter was with \u2018Rock The Boat\u2019 by The Hues Corporation [Camden (CD)], with the amps hooked up to Wilson Alexias. While the track isn\u2019t overripe down below, it is a dance track with a cool, loping bass, gorgeous harmonies, whucka-whucka guitar, and punchy\u00a0<\/span>brass and strings soaring above it all. The Luxman package sounded almost as tube-y as the company\u2019s MQ-300 stereo amp [<\/span>HFN<\/em> Nov \u201915], but with 25 times the wattage and a far more clearly delineated bass.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThese units worked faultlessly, the remote was a joy to handle, the sound blissfully natural, while the units are made with the sort of finish that\u2019s as cool as Swiss air.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/famous-av.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/\u87a2\u5e55\u5feb\u7167-2018-01-08-\u4e0b\u53483.56.12.png\")
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