Luxman C-1000-F Brochure

LINE PREAMPLIFIER

LUXMAN
C-1000f

WOJCIECH PACUŁA
Translation: Krzysztof Kalinkowski

There was some trouble with the preparation of the Luxman C-1000f preamplifier test. It is not that it is
always easy with other devices, but in this case it was really time consuming. At first it was to arrive in
Poland together with two power amplifiers M-800A
– again nothing. The device prepared for the 80th anniversary of the brand (Lux corporation was founded in
Japan in 1925) together with the partnering monoblocs B-1000f is by definition a limited product. But
because Luxman succeeded in those “jubilee” products to achieve such a high level of manufacturing and
sound quality that they can compete with best products of the world, the pressure from distributors fighting
for subsequent units is incredible from the very beginning. Every piece is hand made and only when ordered
by a distributor. And because Lux started only recently in Poland, our country – fate – is at the end of the
waiting list. But… Either the warm welcome in Poland or quick introduction of the brand made the Luxman
representative, Mr. Dominic Chun help us. And he helped more than we could ever dream of – he “took”
from headquarters the preamplifier that was to remain in the company museum – with the 00001 serial
number. This number is visible on the back plate, on the bottom of it, just next to the anniversary plaque
(“80th anniversary”). We could say that we deal with a device that is already a collector’s item.

. It did not. Then it was to arrive with the next order and

“

And I wanted the Luxman, because very quickly, already during the test of the m entioned power amplifier M-800A I
realized, that we deal here with a new quality. This working in the c lass A, 60-watt power amplifier turned out to be
extremely p recise and at the sa me time incredibly s ensitive to music, a s if it would not be a h i-fi device but “liv ing
device”. So I couldn’t do anything better than buy the tested unit for my reference system . S hort ly afterwards the dev ice
received our Product of the Year award 2007. There was no other way… That is why from the very b eginning my
attention was focused on the preamplifiers made by this company – C-800f and C-100 0f. The dev ice is mounted inside a
very massive, ultra-rigid aluminum enclosure (the front panel is 30mm thick in the thickest place), and the bottom plate
is made from three layers conn ected by a special g luey material – a layer of a luminum, a layer of copper and again
aluminum. T he device is h eavier than mos t integrated am plifiers until 20000zl and for sure with bette r workmanship .
Model C-1000f is fully balanced, and its heart is the volume control circuitry named LECUA1000 (LECUA is an
abbreviation of Luxman Electronic Controlled Ultimate Attenuator), des igned in such a way, that for every one of the 72
steps, only two resistors are in the sound path. When we look inside we will s e e that ther e are four identica l dev ices, one
for each branch (“+” and “-“). It looks incredible. And one sighs at the very beginning, as the front panel with embedded
volume control and input selector knobs and an amber display is SOMETHING.

SOUND

The Luxman preamplifier plays with an incredibly creamy, incredibly well mannered sound. If I would place the
preamplifiers I remember on an axis, where to the right we would have the most precise and at the same time mo st
neutral ones, but also the least “fleshy” and least “saturated” (although supplying enormous amounts of music) then the
situation would look like this:

Luxman C-1000f...Accuphase C-2810...Nagra PL-P... Accuphase C-2410...darTZeel NHB-18NS...Leben RS-28CX...Audio
Research Reference RS3...BAT VK-52SE

This “warm-cold” is of course a simplification, because it is about a certain “package” of characteristics, where warmth or
coldness are elements that are easiest to describe. However reso lution is related to those, and it is split on the axis in
the same way. All mentioned preamplifiers are superb, and each one is different. Did you notice something peculiar? I
mean that it is not imp ortant if a devic e is sol id state o r tube. Looking from left to right we have: transistor-transistor­tube-transistor-transistor-tube-tube-tube. And this turns the traditional view of the solid state as “cold” and tube as

warm” completely over. I think we finally reached a point, where cheap tricks with speed (trans istor) and saturation
(tube) are no longer enough, and the game is about neutrality, about hi-end. Neutrality is, as one can imagine, a
subjective thing, but it can be excluded in some boundaries, where op inions can be set, where our cho ices are only that
and nothing else – choices.

And I write this on purpose – as we can see, the Luxman C- 1000f, a device so lid stat e to the bone marrow, is on the lef t
end of the scale, where we would like to put the tube preamps . Because this is how th is “Japanese boy ” sounds: with an
incredibly saturated, full midrange, sweet, but without coloring, to which the treble and bass are subordinate. So th e
vocals are uncommon – whether from an aged recording Lullabys of Birdland Chris Connor
Records/Victor Enterteinment, VICJ-61452, K2 HD, CD) or a fresh one, the splendid disc Filia Praeclara Ensamble
Peregrina (Divox Antiqua, CDX-70603, CD) with recordings of XIII and XIV century Polish Poor Clare monastery music.
Every time we had full, big volume, smooth, creamy timbre, splendidly given reverb and w ith this very good positioning
of the instruments. The device has saturated timbre and slightly soft attack. L ooking at tonal balance in th e Luxman it is
set in a more laid back way than in the Leben, that on the oth er hand was darker than the A ccuphase C-2410. Because
like I said, everything is subordinate to the midrange.
Instruments like the piano and saxophone do also sound spectacular. In absolut e terms the resolutio n is lower t han in

(Bethlehem