Luxman R Series love

RemoWilliams

Addicted Member
Up until just a few days ago I had absolutely no knowledge of this well received ( no pun intended! ) line that seem to garner almost unanimous praise. After seeing an R 113 for sale on the local Craigslist I did a quick search and found out that they were quite the gems. Fortunately the Seller was willing to hold it for me for a few days because, as he put it when I arrived " he was getting quite a few inquiries" and wondered if he should just keep it - but he was a man of his word and sold it to me.


It had been used of course, a bit dusty and a few scratches and dings on the metal case but it functioned as it should. When I finally had it set up and running I was not really prepared for the sound it produced. Honestly this unpretentious receiver has an ability to convey music that has had me going through my collection of cds listening to details I never heard in quite the same way, which is to say open, detailed, smooth,a very nicely controlled bottom end, overall a rather toe tapping presentation.


Now I have myself considering either the R 115 or R 117, the big brothers that would I am certain take that signature sound further. I never use to think much of Luxman from this period, an obviously biased opinion that has been unfounded although also owning an L 215 integrated amplifier is the main reason I went for the R 113.

At the moment I am using a Denon DCD 820 cd player via digital out to a Musical Fidelity V Dac and into the Luxman, from there it is onto a pair of Gemme Tonic G3 bookshelf speakers on substantial steel stands. Put some books on top to further dampen them, it seems to help. Good quality cabling to round it all off and the result is a nice little system. At some point I will try a pair of floor standing Soundwaves and have a listen, might be thoroughly delighted. I think I did alright for 40.00 Cdn.



As much as I prefer floor standing speakers the Luxman has the Gemmes sounding pretty good for a 2 way with a 6" odd mid/bass driver. Of course what really interests me are those of you who own any of these receivers and your thoughts - images of your setup definitely appreciated!



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I had two R-115's and still have one in my collection. Terrific sounding receivers that can handle low impedance loads well. Makes we wonder what an R-117 sounds like. In my opinion, the R-115 is one of the best deals in vintage receivers going.
 
I've owned them all. I have only a 113 still left for my computer. Best bang for buck with sound with this line of Luxman's. The others I sold because they were in need of repair. Unfortunately they are not worth putting money into because it would have probably exceeded the value of the units.
 
I've owned them all. I have only a 113 still left for my computer. Best bang for buck with sound with this line of Luxman's. The others I sold because they were in need of repair. Unfortunately they are not worth putting money into because it would have probably exceeded the value of the units.
The 80's and Alpine...:no:....Also owned R-115 and R-117. The Master of the R's...R-117. Relays do need to be replaced as the R-117 runs these hard and
solder needs to be reflowed thru out each board.

R-117 Recap: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/luxman-r-117-recap.499582/
 
I did not pay much attention to the higher models but the R-113 was a very good receiver for the money. A retailer I was with at that time (a big one) carried Luxman and I sold many R-113's. I won an annual Lux sales contest once and the prize was an R-117. I didn't keep it or even open the box, just flipped it.

My honest belief was there was nothing else that dealer carried that bested an R-113 at it's power/price point and that included HK, Yamaha and NAD. It trounced the Sony's and Kenwoods that were rated at nearly three times the power.

Only those who made remote control a "must have" passed it by.

R-113's were on hand for about 3 years. Twice that I remember they went on sale for $199. At their end of life, several hundred units were bought ahead of time in preparation for a Boxing Day sale at which time they were $99. You could have left the store that day with a pretty nice little system for $300 or $400.
 
Another recommendation for the R-117. In my top five receiver of the Eighties list for sound, it's either one or two. As mentioned, relays are a weakness. In a pinch, you can swap speaker B relay to A to get her going but a replacement is a better idea. Matching CDP is not the D-117, which is rather cheap and plastic. Get the D-109 which is based on Sony ES BU-1C transport. The D-109 is a cosmetic match with metal faceplate and heavy construction. Sometimes the R-117 remote is hard to come by and expensive. The D-109 remote will give basic control of the R-117. Both of these pieces are still relatively affordable.
 
I have a R-115 and like you, found that it sounds very good. Mine is currently driving a pair of vandersteen model 1 speakers and drives them better than my previous receiver (NAD 7140). I have some issues with mines such as tuner section not working and the controls needs some deoxiting however I still use it in my system. My R-115 was a curb find but I like it so much that I sometimes think about searching for a replacement unit.
 
I just pulled my R-115 from my system. It was replaced by a much more expensive amp.
 
Hope it sounds as good as that Luxman!

Umm... no. It is a YUUUGE improvement. I was immediately noticeable. The Luxman and my Snells were a good couple but not perfect together. Plus the Luxman was starting to have issues that were related to the tuner and possibly the power supply as well as the speaker relays. But then, we are talking about a (probably) un-serviced receiver built some 30 years ago.

I am not sure what I will do with the Luxman. It will probably go out to the garage or my workroom. Either location will be improved greatly by the addition of the Luxman.
 
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