I’ve had Luxman on my mind lately. Not just because I’ve been using the Luxman LX-380 integrated amplifier in my main system for the last couple of months and I’m quite smitten–that review should appear in the Summer issue of The Occasional. Not because I’m really lusting after those newer turntables from Luxman such as the PD-171A ($6995) and the PD-151 ($3895), which were featured in the Luxman and Triangle room at AXPONA 2019. It’s really because I have had a long love affair with this brand stretching back to the ’70s when I fell in love with such products as the Luxman R series of receivers and the utterly gorgeous, over-sized plinth of the PD-444 turntable. My only Luxman purchase, however, was an R1040 receiver I bought for $150 on eBay a few years ago. It’s still around here somewhere, and I still love it.
In the Luxman and Triangle room at AXPONA 2019, I was surrounded by plenty of beautiful Luxman pieces–both of the new turntables, the E-250 power amplifier ($2295), the D08-u SACD player ($14,995) and the L-509x integrated ($9495) and much more. With the Triangle Magellan Cellos ($13,000/pair), this system combined a sense of sure-footed elegance with a realism that’s become very familiar to me. That’s becoming the “Luxman sound” for me, a delicacy and kindness that’s still very balanced in its approach.
The Return of TREE-ungel
When it comes to Triangle, it seems like it’s been years since I’ve heard a pair. I always remember thinking that Triangle speakers were detailed and playful, but they could be a little lean in the lower frequencies–something that tended to highlight the forward treble. These speakers sounded nothing like that–bass response was tight and controlled but still had plenty of additional texturing, and the high frequencies were well-blended into the whole of the presentation. Triangle appears poised to make another strong push into the US market, and their speakers are better than ever.
This time in the Luxman and Triangle room was bittersweet, perhaps, a reminder that I’m wrapping up the review on the LX-380 and I’ll be sending it back soon. Luxman and Triangle, as a combination, seem exceptionally well-matched–both marques are focused on reproducing complexity, and in a natural manner.
And I still want a PD-666 turntable one day.
