Kevin, saving time and money in this hobby? Where's the fun in that?
Indeed, the true fun is in going thru some interesting avenues and dead ends to finally find an option that truly satsfies. It looks like you're doing that.
As Zu fanboys both, I would still suggest to you that a Zu-based system could still grab yr attention. Maybe based on the new Soul Supremes 6 due from Sean.
Interesting choice re Luxman. I find it fascinating that as a previous Mayer owner, you find you're missing nothing in the switch away from it. Indeed I wonder how many unappreciated gems there are out there that keep up or beat the uber expensive and ultra revered gear mentioned ad nauseum on this forum?
Marc,
Indeed I'm having a blast on this journey so far but for sure I could have saved so much money and time had I discovered and tried out Luxman much earlier.
I'm still a big fan of Zu and their sound philosophies. Like I said, the upcoming Soul 6 is still on my radar. And I'm still a heavy user of their cables as I just upgraded all of my cables to Event MK2, hopefully this will solidify any remaining inconsistencies in my system that I'm hearing.
As far as the T. Mayer experience, it was a great time and learning experience at the same time. For sure the 45, 46, and 2A3 are some of greatest tubes ever made and this will never change for people who uses them. The big takeaway here is that higher prices doesn't always equate to better sound in this hobby. System synergy is so important. Thomas Mayer stuff is worth the money based on the world class construction and parts used but even with this, I wasn't completely satisfied. For one, the fleawatt power really restricted my speaker flexibility in the longrun. I'm not a fan of traditional horn speakers so that is out of question. The other issue with a low power fleawatt SET amp is intermodulation distortion when you listen even past moderate levels. The higher you turn up, the higher the IMD. Distortion obscures minute details which robs the life, transparency, and emotional engagement out of music and movies.
Not to mention, my growing dissatisfaction with buying and having to maintain expensive tubes. I blew out 2 pairs of 10Y in less then 6 months. Combined with all of the above and my desire to downsize into smaller system for future, I wanted a more powerful amp and one that would give me same musical enjoyment and emotional connection as what I had on my Mayer system while providing more power for future speaker flexibility.
Long story short, I did a lot of research and reading online and arrived at this Luxman integrated amp. I was able to secure a brand new unit at way less then retail so I had to try it out. I was blown away on the first note after turning it on and have been extremely satisfied thus far. Luxman's sound philosophies really matches up with my own and their decades of analogue experience and engineering/innovations gives me a solid foundation of trust which is crucial for any brand in this crazy and unpredictable hobby.
Being so impressed and satisfied with the integrated amp , I had to try out their DAC. After some research online, I was convinced and made a deal with the dealer. Keep in mind , there are integrated amps costing upwards of 20k and DACs of various designs costing upwards of 20k, so for me to go from Mayer and SChiit and Zu to this current system while achieving all of my goals of musical satisfaction, emotional engagement, and current/future speaker flexibility without the crutch of tubes is a dream come true.
I'm sold on Luxman and will be staying with them for a very long time. Unless there are some major breakthroughs with their integrated line or upcoming DACs, I'll be keeping this system for the foreseeable future. If I make a change in the near future it may be to try out the Soul 6, otherwise all is good for now.