Luxman EQ-500

[joe_marsh]

I have the EQ500 and really enjoy it in my system. I initially replaced the rectifier with an early 60's NOS Mullard sourced from Brent Jessee. That alone had a notable impact, adding more weight to the sound. I picked up a pair of mid 50's Tele's from TubeWorld Express in WI to replace the 12AU7's but waited to roll them until I could also swap in some Tele 12AX7's as well. I ended up picking up some used (reportedly testing strong) Tele 12AX7's on USAM and proceeded to roll all 6 gain tubes. The result was disappointing, so I started a process of elimination to see which were the offending tubes - turns out they were the 12AX7's. So I'm now running the stock JJ's with Tele 12AU7's and a Mullard rectifier and love the sound - big improvement over stock. I'm in now hurry to replace the JJ 12AX7's but I do suspect that a quality NOS Tele quad would sound stellar.

Deadwax

Do you still have the EQ-500? I just purchased a used one and am shocked at the paucity of info and vagueness of the manual. So, the 12AX7's should all (4) be matched? How does loading work for a MC? Thanks!

 

[Barry2013]

Deadwax

Do you still have the EQ-500? I just purchased a used one and am shocked at the paucity of info and vagueness of the manual. So, the 12AX7's should all (4) be matched? How does loading work for a MC? Thanks!

My experience of the Luxman EQ 500 may be helpful.
I agree the manual is of only limited assistance with MC cartridges and the gain, impedance and capacitance controls seem to be limited to MM cartridges. Changing the settings with an MC cartridge does not make any audible difference.
I substituted the stock tubes with Telefunken NOS tubes and a Mullard NOS rectifier from the Tube Depot. They made a big difference. The sound quality is now excellent.
There is,however, a compromise. The volume is limited to about 63db on the EQ 500. I had to increase the sensitivity on my Vitus SIA 030 to get more volume. It is now much better, but still not as loud as I would like on some rock recordings, but fine with classical LPs.
So a compromise that I am satisfied with, but had I known before buying it I would probably have looked elsewhere. I may at some stage try a step up amp, but suspect it may be more cost effective to change the phono stage.

 

[joe_marsh]

My experience of the Luxman EQ 500 may be helpful.
I agree the manual is of only limited assistance with MC cartridges and the gain, impedance and capacitance controls seem to be limited to MM cartridges. Changing the settings with an MC cartridge does not make any audible difference.
I substituted the stock tubes with Telefunken NOS tubes and a Mullard NOS rectifier from the Tube Depot. They made a big difference. The sound quality is now excellent.
There is,however, a compromise. The volume is limited to about 63db on the EQ 500. I had to increase the sensitivity on my Vitus SIA 030 to get more volume. It is now much better, but still not as loud as I would like on some rock recordings, but fine with classical LPs.
So a compromise that I am satisfied with, but had I known before buying it I would probably have looked elsewhere. I may at some stage try a step up amp, but suspect it may be more cost effective to change the phono stage.

I understand on the volume...not sure how much more gain you could get going to something else. I have a CJ Et-5 with a fair amount of gain. I just turn it to eleven.

 

[DeadWax]

Deadwax

Do you still have the EQ-500? I just purchased a used one and am shocked at the paucity of info and vagueness of the manual. So, the 12AX7's should all (4) be matched? How does loading work for a MC? Thanks!

Just noticed this post a year later - wasn't flagged since there was no @ in front of my name.

The referenced loading is the cart's internal. The actual loading is much higher - ~110 ohms for MC High, and ~50 ohms for MC low. Explained pretty nicely on page 32 of this pdf https://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_103.pdf

I thought this quote at the conclusion of the article was quite the endorsement:

In the end, the dynamic contrast exhibited by the Luxman EQ-500 almost reaches into the territory of the Burmester PH-100, or the Tenor P1. It does not have their frequency extension or solidity of holographic imagery, but the Burmester costs 3x as much, and the Tenor, 10x, so the Luxman EQ-500 is truly a ba Luxman EQ-500 is truly a bargain for what it does. Over a period of 4 months I listened to hundreds of albums on the EQ-500. The sound reminds me of the McIntosh MP1100. It is slightly leaner than the warm sounding Ensemble Fonobrio, and not as voluptuous as the Aesthetix Rhea. It is slightly on the warmer and softer side of being neutral, and not as neutral as the AR Phono Ref 2 or Phono Ref 3, but it is most certainly not as sparkly, nor carry as much slam as the Manley Steelhead. It is a sound carrying enough natural realism to listen for hours without fatigue, yet not to the point of being heavily colored, drowning out other equipment in the reproduction chain. Even with three other phono stages in my collection, all of which cost nearly 10 to 20 times the Luxman EQ-500, I liked it so I liked it so much that I decided to purchase one, and it will likely be a permanent piece in my system.

With this said, I'd be curious if anyone has specifically compared the Luxman EQ-500 MM stage against the Leben RS-30EQ or the MM stage of the newest version Shindo Monbrison. Real world impressions are welcome!

 

[srmusic]

Just noticed this post a year later - wasn't flagged since there was no @ in front of my name.

The referenced loading is the cart's internal. The actual loading is much higher - ~110 ohms for MC High, and ~50 ohms for MC low. Explained pretty nicely on page 32 of this pdf https://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_103.pdf

I thought this quote at the conclusion of the article was quite the endorsement:



With this said, I'd be curious if anyone has specifically compared the Luxman EQ-500 MM stage against the Leben RS-30EQ or the MM stage of the newest version Shindo Monbrison. Real world impressions are welcome!

Hello, about 2 years ago I purchased a brand new Luxman C900/M900 pre/power along with the EQ500 phono stage. My equipment then (and now!) was Leben RS28cx/CS660P amplifier which has an internal very similar if not identical phono stage to the RS-30EQ - in combination with a Coincident SUT. Yes the Luxman setup sounded very good but to my complete and utter suprise (considering the Luxman set up was more than twice the price, and 5 times the power) in my system it was not as musical sounding to my ears as my existing Leben set up with the Coincident SUT. NB. I do believe that the quality of the SUT used is paramount. My speakers are Harbeth HL5 Super 40th Ann. and my cartridge an Airtight PC1 Supreme MC. I hope this is of some help. Cheers, Stuart

 

[DeadWax]

it was not as musical sounding to my ears as my existing Leben set up with the Coincident SUT.

Thanks. Your input is consistent with other's experiences I'm learning. I agree on the SUT synergy and am currently using an A23 SUT configured for EMT carts - it's amazing and sounds much better than using the EQ-500 MC stage with the EMT cart. I keep receiving rave reviews on the Leben and I also understand it pairs very well with A23 SUTs. I suspect i know where this path is leading me

 

[averagemusicenjoyer]

Hey y'all, once again digging out this thread because I too am interested in not only the Luxman EQ-500 but also. how well it pairs with Leben amplifiers.
I've had my eye on the Leben CS600x for a long time and would love to get one eventually, but the phono stage comes first I've also thought of getting the Leben RS-30EQ, which most likely will pair great with the Leben integrated amp. But what's holding me back is that it has only one input.. I need at least two, so that would require a decent, fitting SUT with multiple inputs should I go that way. But I can't seem to find any, so it's probably gonna be the Luxman.

So my questions are: Has anybody heard the Luxman in combination with the Leben amplifier? @DeadWax maybe? If I understand @srmusic 's correctly, you only compared all Luxman vs. all Leben, right? And also, if anybody has recommendations for a great SUT with at least 2 inputs, send them my way

Many thanks
Marc

 

[srmusic]

Hey y'all, once again digging out this thread because I too am interested in not only the Luxman EQ-500 but also. how well it pairs with Leben amplifiers.
I've had my eye on the Leben CS600x for a long time and would love to get one eventually, but the phono stage comes first I've also thought of getting the Leben RS-30EQ, which most likely will pair great with the Leben integrated amp. But what's holding me back is that it has only one input.. I need at least two, so that would require a decent, fitting SUT with multiple inputs should I go that way. But I can't seem to find any, so it's probably gonna be the Luxman.

So my questions are: Has anybody heard the Luxman in combination with the Leben amplifier? @DeadWax maybe? If I understand @srmusic 's correctly, you only compared all Luxman vs. all Leben, right? And also, if anybody has recommendations for a great SUT with at least 2 inputs, send them my way

Many thanks
Marc

Hi Marc, yes that's right, I only compared my full Leben pre/phono/power set up in combination with my Coincident SUT against the full Luxman pre/power with the EQ500 phono.
As I've said previously the Leben pre/phono/power amplifier set up (with Coincident SUT) was to my suprise a significant improvement imo over the Luxman set up. The only thing I did try with the Luxman was using the Coincident SUT and bypassing the inbuilt Luxman SUTs. Using the Coincident SUT in place of the built in Luxman SUT was (sorry) a big step up in SQ. But the coincident was expensive (when available) and very highly regarded. Have you considered the Gold Note phono stages as a possible alternative? Good luck! Stuart (New Zealand)

 

[averagemusicenjoyer]

Thanks for the reply! An external SUT at some point in the future might be an option aswell. Does the Coincident SUT you mention have multiple inputs maybe? A quick Google search didn't yield any usable results

Have you considered the Gold Note phono stages as a possible alternative?

I've heard the PH-10 some while ago and it wasn't bad, but my goal is to go all tubes everything. Tubes - at least to me - are the pinnacle of analogue, it just feels right somehow! Also, I'd love to build an all-japanese system, from cartridge to at least amplifier, maybe speakers aswell - mainly for flavour So I've kinda limited myself quite a lot already... Some other options I've put my eye on are the Phasemation EA-350 (no tubes tho) or the EAR Yoshino 88PB (not japanese), so maybe I'll have to bend my own rules a bit

 

[srmusic]

Yes I understand, there is something special about tubes especially in a phono stage. The Coincident SUT has only one input and has long been discontinued. Maybe the Luxman EQ500 is your best bet. You can also then try alternative external SUTs in the future. If you do go with the EQ500 then maybe consider upgrading the factory supplied JJ tubes (which are quite reasonable) to some super special NOS tubes. I have a complete set for the EQ500 consisting of Telefunken NOS 4x ECC83 & 2x ECC82 tubes (I tested ie listened to them for less than two hours from unsealing) complete with a Mullard EZ81 rectifier tube. I can send you the detailed review of this particular upgrade if you are interested. It elevates the SQ of this phono stage into much higher territory. They would not be cheap, but would be much cheaper than some of the high end phono stages out there and you would still have the flexibility that the EQ500 offers. cheers, Stuart

 

[averagemusicenjoyer]

Well I think especially with SUTs buying used/vintage equipment poses little to no risk... The Fidelity Research FRT-4 has 3 inputs and would be a nice piece of vintage gear. Just based on looks, tough, I've never heard one.
And yeah, tube rolling also is one of the main reasons I want to go all tubes! I've never done it before and only have very, VERY basic knowledge of how it (or tubes in general) works or even what to look out for when looking for new ones, but learning about these things is kind of the fun I guess
So thank you for the kind offer, but if I decide to go for the Luxman, not only will my fun-funds be depleted for a while , I'd also like to get to know the stock-version of it first, so that I can get a betyer idea of what effects new tubes have. But maybe I'll get back to you at some point...

 

[averagemusicenjoyer]

Keeping this thread going, I just went and bought a second hand EQ-500 and am awaiting delivery! Can't wait for it to arrive Will keep this updated with my listening impressions.

 

[srmusic]

Well done, and I'm sure you will enjoy the EQ500. I am keen to sell my complete set of upgrade tubes for this phono stage listed above (#30) if anyone is interested.
In my experience/opinion a significant improvement in sound quality taking the EQ500 to the next level and allowing it to show its full potential.