Luxman CD Players

[Phinfan]

I like old CD players, I have about 4 or 5 old Sony’s. I have been thinking about adding a mid to late eighties Luxman but have been having trouble researching the quality of these units. For instance is a DZ-112 superior to a D-112? Is the 112 better than a 111?

I’m not trying to get into a argument over sound quality, although that obviously is a factor. Build quality is a big thing for me as I love my CDP 650es and my CDP 302.

Anyone out there with a good knowledge of that era Luxman CD players?

 

[SoCal Sam]

D-109 is the best of the "BPC" Luxman players. It's not BPC but it looks the part. The D-109 is based on the BU-1C transport found in the Sony CDP-302, 520ES, and other ES models. It has variable output which is a handy feature. It is the matching CDP for the R-117 receiver. Yes, there is a D-117 player but it is not as well built and the cosmetics are not quite right.

 

[Phinfan]

Not sure what BPC means?

 

[luxmaster]

Your Sony's are built and sound better then Luxman players. I've owned so many and they all have had so many problems from finicky button contacts to belts and blown up transistors. The higher end Luxman CD players are the best. But you pay for it. The other op is right about the D-109. The DZ 111 is also pretty solid BPC only because there are no bells and whistles. But then it comes down to preference of sound. The 300 series of Luxman CD players are pretty good. They are built light but sound good.

 

[goodolpg]

Black plastic crap

 

[Phinfan]

Thanks guys!

Any rhyme or reason for the D series or DZ series? Is one better than the other? Are the higher numbers better players?

 

[Luxmaп]

Brid-Series: The build quality of the D Series is better. The front plate of these players is made of metal (except D-111, it's the cheapest model). The best player is the D-109. It is part of the 109-line (LV-109, D-109, LE-109), which is even better (in quality) than the 117s (KD-117, D-117, LV-117, LE-117, T-117) the best of the brid-series. The tube CD Players are also quite good (D-103u, D-105u, D-107u).
The DZ Series has some good players with many functions (DZ-112, DZ-122) and some cheaper models (DZ-92 (cheapest), DZ-111, DZ-121, DZ-120). And there's the DZ-03, which is the silver-golden version of the D-103u.
The most players are built of Sony parts. But there are also some players with Toshiba inside (D-103/D-404, D-105/D-405, DX-103, DX-104).

And no, the higher numbers aren't the better players! You have to know the year in which a player was built and in which series.

I can't really explain it, so here's a list with all players sorted by the year of build. The first is the cheapest, the last the best.

< 1986 >
D-90
D-100
D-102

< 1984 > (built with toshiba parts)
D-103 / D-404
D-105 / D-405

< 1987-1989 > (built with Sony parts)
D-111
D-113D (it's a D-112 without D/A Converter; it's a CD transport)
D-112
D-113
D-115 / D-01
D-117
D-109 (the best Luxman player)

< 1989-1990 > (built with Sony parts)
D-103u / DZ-03
D-105u
D-107u (later version of the D-105u without Digital Outputs)

< 1989-1992 > (built with Sony parts, except for the 92)
DZ-92
DZ-120
DZ-111
DZ-121 (almost identical with the 111, but with an optical digital out, instead of a coaxial digital out)
DZ-112
DZ-121 (almost identical to the DZ-112, but opt. digital out)

< the first players, 1983 >
DX-103 (Toshiba XR-Z70 clone)
DX-104 (Toshiba XR-Z90 clone)



300-series: The players of the 300-Series are built of Sony parts and the pick ups from this players are still available. The player with the highest number the best.

If there's something wrong, please tell me, whats wrong, so I can correct it.

If you want to have some other informations, let me know...

Regards

 

[KingJT]

Saw a DX104 at an antiques mall today.
Became enamoured with the uniqueness of it. I love CDPs that are a little out of the ordinary.
Tagged for $185.
GTFO.
Very cool looking however.

 

[Ray Deffett]

Thanks great info luxman new member vary kind of you and helpful cheers Ray .

 

[LHorn]

I have the DZ-111...it sounded ok for me for about 30 years until it started skipping a couple years ago and the belt for the tray rotted.

 

[55Redneck]

I have a DZ92 which I find to sound quite good, it gets used all summer in my garden system.

 

[onanysunday]

I used to have the DZ-111, DZ-112 and D-404. Both DZ's looked like BPC, but were Alpine and punched above their weight class. The 111's and 112's seem to be some of the most common and affordable models on the secondhand market, which is why I picked them up. You can find them with simple belt loading issues for cheap.

The 111 and 404 were more natural and smooth. They were sonically on par with one another (at least to me). However, the 404 had the Duo-B circuit, was silver, and Looked much nicer. The 112 had the S.T.A.R. circuit and was more detailed and precise, but I didn't care for its sound as much as the other two and it sold before my 111 and 404.

 

[IndianRider]

I have a Dz-112 that I bought brand new in the early 90s. Just put a belt in it and it is still flawless. Zero issues, never gave me one ounce of trouble. Looks as good as any other black CD player. Nothing out there makes me want to dump a shitload of cash on a new esoteric CD player.