punprankster
Super Member
You're getting up there with your collection of Luxmans. Keep 'em coming.
Nightwisher's Systems In "Luxman's Room" And Beyond: Some New And Lots of Vintage
- Thread starter Nightwisher
- Start date
Some new toys:
Realistic TV-100: A cute little receiver. I like the TV tuning dial.
Sansui SP-200: I haven't had a chance to test these yet, but one speaker looks good. The other has a frozen woofer. Not in NM condition like the SP-2000s, but pretty good condition.
Sansui SC-3100: A nice looking cassette deck. Need to crack it open and see if it needs belts.
And a single Bose Model 100 speaker (not pictured)
Realistic TV-100: A cute little receiver. I like the TV tuning dial.
Sansui SP-200: I haven't had a chance to test these yet, but one speaker looks good. The other has a frozen woofer. Not in NM condition like the SP-2000s, but pretty good condition.
Sansui SC-3100: A nice looking cassette deck. Need to crack it open and see if it needs belts.
And a single Bose Model 100 speaker (not pictured)
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And these deserved their own post:
Dynaco A-50s
They were at too good a price to pass up, especially since they are fairly rare. They sound fantastic. They're not going to replace my Polks but I like them a lot. I like them better than the KLH Model 20s, which are pretty fantastic speakers themselves.
My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy...(Maybe a little)
Dynaco A-50s
They were at too good a price to pass up, especially since they are fairly rare. They sound fantastic. They're not going to replace my Polks but I like them a lot. I like them better than the KLH Model 20s, which are pretty fantastic speakers themselves.
My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy...(Maybe a little)
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7whales7
Addicted Member
Those Dynaco's are pretty cool! Good score, I would have jumped on them!
Thanks! They sound really great.
7whales7
Addicted Member
Those Dynaco's are going to be stuck in my head now, hard enough to find regular ones in good shape, those are rare.
That's exactly why I picked them up.
Testing out another pair of speakers:
Mirage FRX-1
They sound nice for a early 2000s budget speaker. They throw off a nice soundstage, but tonally they don't have the airy highs that I love in the Mirage SM-.4s, Polk SDA-2s, or Sapphire SBS. I mainly picked them up to compare to the SM-.4s since they were a good price. I'll probably get them going as the rears of my computer system once I get some time, for a full Mirage system.
The guy I got them from I met three days in a row this week lol. I met him on Monday to give him the Philips PHL 2931s, on Tuesday he gave me a good stack of records in return for those, and I picked these up on Wednesday right after he listed them. Cool guy.
Mirage FRX-1
They sound nice for a early 2000s budget speaker. They throw off a nice soundstage, but tonally they don't have the airy highs that I love in the Mirage SM-.4s, Polk SDA-2s, or Sapphire SBS. I mainly picked them up to compare to the SM-.4s since they were a good price. I'll probably get them going as the rears of my computer system once I get some time, for a full Mirage system.
The guy I got them from I met three days in a row this week lol. I met him on Monday to give him the Philips PHL 2931s, on Tuesday he gave me a good stack of records in return for those, and I picked these up on Wednesday right after he listed them. Cool guy.
Here's a rare piece of Luxman gear:
A Luxman keychain. Called "Original Key-Holder" on the package. Made In Japan.
This popped up while I was browsing EBay, and I immediately snagged it. It came all the way from Serbia. I was surprised it was actually what was pictured, and is nicely built (like the rest of my Luxman gear). I've searched the vast ocean of Google and haven't seen anything else like it yet.
My OCD wants me to center it, but no good spot for it at the center.
And more pictures of my setup with better lighting.
A Luxman keychain. Called "Original Key-Holder" on the package. Made In Japan.
This popped up while I was browsing EBay, and I immediately snagged it. It came all the way from Serbia. I was surprised it was actually what was pictured, and is nicely built (like the rest of my Luxman gear). I've searched the vast ocean of Google and haven't seen anything else like it yet.
My OCD wants me to center it, but no good spot for it at the center.
And more pictures of my setup with better lighting.
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Got some new toys:
Paradigm Model 3se
These were a Goodwill score. One of the grill badges is broken and all I saw was "dig" - my first thought was white van. Nope. Couldn't believe my eyes when I flipped them over on the shelf.
Work perfectly and grills are in good shape besides the one logo. Man they sound sweet. The highs are syrupy smooth, smoother and sweeter than the Polks (Vifa tweeters
). The soundstage is a bit deeper than the Polks too, but not quite as wide. The Paradigms push the soundstage back, where the Polks bring it forward.
I've been A/Bing since Saturday to decide which pair I like better. Currently leaning towards the Paradigms. I'll get them on proper stands if they become the mains.
I've always wanted a proper pair of Paradigms, ever since I heard my grandfather's Titans. That's what got me buying good speakers in the first place. That's why I went with Boston Acoustics at first, because they were the closest to Paradigms I could afford.
Yamaha NS-6390
These were another curiosity pick up (I see them frequently online and in TV/movies). They sound very balanced and clean, unlike other budget speakers in the price range that can sound dull. Lack some of the imaging and soundstaging that better speakers do, but pretty impressive considering their original price. Their biggest faults would be the lack of bass (it's good but less than there should be), small magnets, and light cabinets.
Ampex Model 414
Infinity Video 1 Center
Only found one 414. Haven't tested it yet as it has a 1/8" plug on the end. This is the predecessor to the well-known Auratone.
The center will either match or be donor parts for a pair of Reference E-Ls I picked up a while back that have a blown woofer.
Denon DVD-556
Picked this up at the 50% sale for a couple bucks as a backup player. Plays nice and smooth. Not one of Denon's best (my dad has a nice one and I would love to get one), but it works nicely and is silver.
Paradigm Model 3se
These were a Goodwill score. One of the grill badges is broken and all I saw was "dig" - my first thought was white van. Nope. Couldn't believe my eyes when I flipped them over on the shelf.
Work perfectly and grills are in good shape besides the one logo. Man they sound sweet. The highs are syrupy smooth, smoother and sweeter than the Polks (Vifa tweeters
). The soundstage is a bit deeper than the Polks too, but not quite as wide. The Paradigms push the soundstage back, where the Polks bring it forward.I've been A/Bing since Saturday to decide which pair I like better. Currently leaning towards the Paradigms. I'll get them on proper stands if they become the mains.
I've always wanted a proper pair of Paradigms, ever since I heard my grandfather's Titans. That's what got me buying good speakers in the first place. That's why I went with Boston Acoustics at first, because they were the closest to Paradigms I could afford.
Yamaha NS-6390
These were another curiosity pick up (I see them frequently online and in TV/movies). They sound very balanced and clean, unlike other budget speakers in the price range that can sound dull. Lack some of the imaging and soundstaging that better speakers do, but pretty impressive considering their original price. Their biggest faults would be the lack of bass (it's good but less than there should be), small magnets, and light cabinets.
Ampex Model 414
Infinity Video 1 Center
Only found one 414. Haven't tested it yet as it has a 1/8" plug on the end. This is the predecessor to the well-known Auratone.
The center will either match or be donor parts for a pair of Reference E-Ls I picked up a while back that have a blown woofer.
Denon DVD-556
Picked this up at the 50% sale for a couple bucks as a backup player. Plays nice and smooth. Not one of Denon's best (my dad has a nice one and I would love to get one), but it works nicely and is silver.
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I've done a lot of A/Bing the last few days. Moved speakers around, changed my MiniDSP settings (to add in the SVS sub).
The Paradigms lost by a small margin. They just don't have the expansive soundstage the Polks do and instruments aren't quite as lifelike. Tonally, I slightly prefer the Paradigms and I do like how they place the image back a bit. If I was downsizing / needed to sell the Polks, I'd switch to the Paradigms in an instant.
The Paradigms lost by a small margin. They just don't have the expansive soundstage the Polks do and instruments aren't quite as lifelike. Tonally, I slightly prefer the Paradigms and I do like how they place the image back a bit. If I was downsizing / needed to sell the Polks, I'd switch to the Paradigms in an instant.
If you like those smaller Paradigms, be on the lookout for a larger model. They are popping up all the time around here....including now there are some 5se, 7se etc I just took some floor standing 5se MKiii with the light wood finish out of my home theater.
Looks like you are having fun trying some things.
Looks like you are having fun trying some things.
Yeah I've always loved Paradigms since hearing my grandfather's, but stopped actively looking once I got other speakers. Now I need Paradigms in my life haha.
Gee it's fun keeping up with your progression through all this gear - it's really interesting to hear your impression of the Paradigms ... I found the opposite, I thought my Monitor 3 v2s and 9SEs to be completely blown out of the water by other speakers I had in my rotation at the time (Snell E/III, Energy C2, Monitor Audio Silver S2). Now I'm tempted to pick up another pair of Paradigms just to double check - and the temptation to get more speakers is the LAST thing I need.
Thanks! I had a lot of fun with testing these out.Gee it's fun keeping up with your progression through all this gear - it's really interesting to hear your impression of the Paradigms ... I found the opposite, I thought my Monitor 3 v2s and 9SEs to be completely blown out of the water by other speakers I had in my rotation at the time (Snell E/III, Energy C2, Monitor Audio Silver S2). Now I'm tempted to pick up another pair of Paradigms just to double check - and the temptation to get more speakers is the LAST thing I need.
Yeah the Paradigms sound really nice in my system and room. I don't have those other speakers to compare to, but the Paradigms give the Polks a good competition. Paired with the SVS sub, the competition gets even tighter. Maybe it's the smallish room size. Maybe it's the Luxman gear liking Canadian speakers. Luxman seems to have been kind of popular in Canada - my C-02 and M-02 both have "Ontario Hydro Electrical Approval" stickers on the back, and I actually bought the C-02 from someone in Canada. Apparently the few speakers Luxman actually made were designed by PSB and were medium-sized 2 ways like the Model 3se's.
What I know for sure is they did a lot of the things I love to hear, they just lacked the huge life-like soundstage of the Polks. They weren't far behind though, putting them in second on my favorite speakers I own list.
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Got a new Luxman piece today:
A solid brass sign that was supposedly from a Canadian Luxman dealer.
I thought about buying this for a couple months before finally pulling the trigger. It was expensive, but I had a substantial eBay Bucks certificate to puts towards it (that I earned mainly from promotions buying the amp and other pieces).
It's hefty and beautiful. It's also very rare and may be just about one of a kind - it's certainly the only one I can find on the Internet currently. I have a frame with museum glass for it and the keychain to make a display.
A solid brass sign that was supposedly from a Canadian Luxman dealer.
I thought about buying this for a couple months before finally pulling the trigger. It was expensive, but I had a substantial eBay Bucks certificate to puts towards it (that I earned mainly from promotions buying the amp and other pieces).
It's hefty and beautiful. It's also very rare and may be just about one of a kind - it's certainly the only one I can find on the Internet currently. I have a frame with museum glass for it and the keychain to make a display.
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Also a couple of cool pick ups
A single AR4 and later AR (not sure of model). I was hoping the later AR would match the other single I have, but this one is the next model down.
A Sylvania Tube Serviceman toolbox. Really excited about this one.
A single AR4 and later AR (not sure of model). I was hoping the later AR would match the other single I have, but this one is the next model down.
A Sylvania Tube Serviceman toolbox. Really excited about this one.
Got the Luxman sign and keychain in the display box, along with a sign I bought from Amazon (they say for a kid's room - I'm a big kid 
). Still working on getting the glass cleaned up - it was a thrift store find and hasn't quite cleaned up the way I want yet. I'll find somewhere to hang it at some point, but I like to look at it when I'm listening.
Turns out this was just a trial run. As I suspected, I need a stronger backboard to mount the brass sign permanently.
). Still working on getting the glass cleaned up - it was a thrift store find and hasn't quite cleaned up the way I want yet. I'll find somewhere to hang it at some point, but I like to look at it when I'm listening.Turns out this was just a trial run. As I suspected, I need a stronger backboard to mount the brass sign permanently.
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Sound Dragon
Yawns and sets his couch on fire!
Coming along nicely bud!
