Going Lux in the Office...

[Aaron L]

I passed down my first stereo receiver to my son this year for the holidays... a Marantz 2250B that I bought as a kid in the 70's. I somehow managed to hold onto it and even keep it in near pristine condition. EchoWars recapped it for me about 4 years ago and it has served me well. My son is just getting into his own music and branching out from the influences his mother and I have tried to instill in him. He really likes the "vintage stuff" with all the buttons and controls... I bought him a pair of Klipsch RP-160M speakers and a Marantz CD6006 to play some of our CDs and for the USB integration with built-in DAC. It is a cool little system for his room and gets played constantly...
This led to an opportunity... what to replace/upgrade for myself? I started lurking around AK and seeing what sparked my interest without the sentimentality of the old 2250B... I know my way around the inside of the human body, but under the cover of a vintage receiver I wouldn't trust myself to do anything more difficult than spray some Deoxit! So, whatever it was going to be needed to be solid and preferably recapped or in verified working order... and since I grew up on SS, I wasn't ready to make a huge jump to tube gear.
I thought about Sansui separates, the Kenwood Supreme lineup, and lots of others... but nothing really jumped out at me. Somehow Luxman popped on the radar, probably for the look of its vintage offerings. The more I read about Luxman, the more I appreciated a brand I had absolutely Zero knowledge of as a kid growing up in Kansas. I think the combination of build quality, performance, and aesthetics all pulled me into the brand... and a certain confidence that Luxman exudes in the way it does its business.
After much looking and searching, I found some separates I couldn't stay away from even though I promised my wife I would wait to buy anything until closer to my birthday in mid January...

M-2000 amplifier
C-1010 preamp/controll center
T-110U tuner
...and another Marantz CD6006
My JBL L100s were patiently waiting...

So here is my space... it's my home office and measures about 13'L x 13'W x 10'H. I am blown away by the feel of solidity and quality just turning the knobs on the Luxman pieces! Solid, tactile and built with that sense of confidence in itself...

I am considering getting some new speakers but wanted some opinions... I thought about moving my L100s to the floor underneath the center stack and using them as sort of center channels. Then I might have enough room to put a pair of Klipsch Forte flanking the unit or moving the shelves around on the sides to sit them up on top of the base cabinets... I'm worried though that I'm not going to be able to get the Fortes positioned properly to sound their best!
Thanks to the AK community for the inspiration and advice!

 

[xero-D-hero]

I am considering getting some new speakers but wanted some opinions...

Hmmm,I kinda like the horizontal JBL's,espeically in that nice looking MCM stand you have there.
But w/o doubt the L100 are one of their more polarizing speakers,as folks seem to either love 'em -or- hate 'em.
I'd maybe consider sliding up their foodchain just a bit and look into a pair of their studio monitors that are intended for horizontal useage.
You know,maybe a nice mirror imaged pair of 4412/4412a or even some 4411 w/the white woofers.

And if I put anything in that area under the gear,it would probably be a nice looking subwoofer to match the rest of the rigs aesthetics.
Seems tailor made for that,especially seeing that I dont really have much use for center channels myself.
I'm strictly a 2.0/2.1 kinda guy.

Anyhow just some food for thought...

Congrats on the sweet Luxman rig,that's a really nice set of gear !

Bret P.

 

[gongli]

I too have JBL 4411 and love their sound, although 4430 beats them. I second the horizontal placement of them not on the same rack as the CD player as the vibration will be less.I bet your system sounds sweet... Enjoy, and you are a generous father so Santa got you beautiful Luxman!

 

[lightcapture]

Nice looking wall. To bad each piece can't sit on a shelf instead of stacked on each other.

 

[xero-D-hero]

I second the horizontal placement of them not on the same rack as the CD player as the vibration will be less

Nice looking wall. To bad each piece can't sit on a shelf instead of stacked on each other.

Yeah I was kinda thinking about that stuff too,but I was'nt gonna nitpick how he has it all set-up.

In my mind here's what I was thinking:
The amp on that top center shelf all by itself so it could breathe more easily and hopefully run cooler.
That -or- restack the Lux components with the tuner up on that top center shelf -and- move the power amp on top the preamp.
I say that as I NEVER like to see anything stacked on top any component that has the amp inside it be that a power amp,integrated,or receiver.
And I almost always perfer the tuner to be the topmost component as well,as that often makes dealing with the antenna situation a bit easier.

The CDP,well that could go up there on that top shelf with the tuner,but I'd probably move it to the top of one of those side cabinets myself.
If that meant moving the TV somewhere else then so be it ( wall mount / ceiling mount / rolling stand or cart ??? ),I'd cross that bridge when the time came.

Typically anything up on that top shelf would do best to have a remote,or be something that does'nt really need to be messed with much.
But I dunno,I cant judge just how high that shelf is,nor do I know how tall the OP is,so that might end up being a non-issue really.
If it's not a stretch to reach up there,then putting the tuner and/or the CDP up there may not be all that big a deal.

But as was said one typically wants their CDP on the most stable & vibration resistant surface available.

Anyhow all this really just falls under one's personal preferences,there really is no right/wrong way to do these things.
When it all comes down to these sorta nitty gritty details,it's what appeals to the individual that really matters.
So long as it all functions properly (amp does'nt get hot ~ CDP does'nt skip etc. etc.) then it's all A-OK.

As it is it looks really nice to me.

Bret P.

 

[Aaron L]

Thanks for the suggestions on looking at JBL monitors... the 4430s would be a dream if I could find any local. Not too many trickle down to the middle of Kansas! The L100s fit the aesthetics but I am also wondering how a change could fill in out the sound. There seem to be several Klipsch pairs close by so that’s one reason I was considering taking the L100s to B speaker duty and going with some Hereseys, Fortes, or even KG 5.2s...
Do I have room on the floor in front to angle in a smallish floor standing speaker?

 

[Aaron L]

Yeah I was kinda thinking about that stuff too,but I was'nt gonna nitpick how he has it all set-up.

In my mind here's what I was thinking:
The amp on that top center shelf all by itself so it could breathe more easily and hopefully run cooler.
That -or- restack the Lux components with the tuner up on that top center shelf -and- move the power amp on top the preamp.
I say that as I NEVER like to see anything stacked on top any component that has the amp inside it be that a power amp,integrated,or receiver.
And I almost always perfer the tuner to be the topmost component as well,as that often makes dealing with the antenna situation a bit easier.

The CDP,well that could go up there on that top shelf with the tuner,but I'd probably move it to the top of one of those side cabinets myself.
If that meant moving the TV somewhere else then so be it ( wall mount / ceiling mount / rolling stand or cart ??? ),I'd cross that bridge when the time came.

Typically anything up on that top shelf would do best to have a remote,or be something that does'nt really need to be messed with much.
But I dunno,I cant judge just how high that shelf is,nor do I know how tall the OP is,so that might end up being a non-issue really.
If it's not a stretch to reach up there,then putting the tuner and/or the CDP up there may not be all that big a deal.

But as was said one typically wants their CDP on the most stable & vibration resistant surface available.

Anyhow all this really just falls under one's personal preferences,there really is no right/wrong way to do these things.
When it all comes down to these sorta nitty gritty details,it's what appeals to the individual that really matters.
So long as it all functions properly (amp does'nt get hot ~ CDP does'nt skip etc. etc.) then it's all A-OK.

As it is it looks really nice to me.

Bret P.

Thanks Bret for the suggestions, I was posting above and didn't see your suggestion at first...
I'm definitely not opposed to moving things around. The top shelf in the center is at about 6' high, but they can all be moved/lowered. That could work for the amp no problem, or tuner and CDP if lowered a bit since I'm only 5'5" tall...! I'd thought about moving the speaker out of the shelving anyway since it would pretty much negate the possibility of a turntable with them in their current position due to vibration...
Lots to think about and play around with... but now I have some components that are worth it and would be fun to rearrange. I'll mull it over while working the night shift next few days...
Thanks all!

 

[Rome]

Very nice pieces & setup!

Rome

 

[mikeybc]

Great looking gear , especially the amp and speakers !

I'm curious what your impressions are on the Marantz CD-6006...I'm considering one for my 2 channel room. I dont have a CD player there anymore.

 

[elegua03]

nice

 

[Nightwisher]

Sweet! I love Luxman! That's a great system.

 

[Aaron L]

Great looking gear , especially the amp and speakers !

I'm curious what your impressions are on the Marantz CD-6006...I'm considering one for my 2 channel room. I dont have a CD player there anymore.

I like the CD6006 so much we actually have two of them... I have a ton of CDs from my college days and don't have the time or energy to import everything to my computer. The CD6006 is a winner for me for the simple USB connection on the front. It has been reliable whether playing from iPod, iPad or iPhone. I think the DAC in the Marantz sounds clean and much better than using a Y cable with RCA ends into the AUX channels (though to be honest I don't have a long list of DACs to compare to...). The CD6005 is an older model without a variable output on the headphone jack, but otherwise the same... might be able to find a used one inexpensively. Either way, they seem well built and have been reliable!

 

[Aaron L]

I definitely think I'll be reorganizing and shuffling around the placement of the stack when I can get a couple days off in a row...
Also debating about going to look at some Klipsch Forte's... any opinions on Klipsch + Luxman?

 

[sslade43]

Just keep your eyes out for the JBL monitors. There’s been a couple pop up the past couple years around us. Can’t remember the models though.

 

[Dave_1962]

Me likey_

 

[Aaron L]

Well after thinking things over and listening to your suggestions.... here is round two. Still need to tidy up the cables but am waiting on a longer IC for the tuner.
The JBLs are running as the B output speakers... they fill in some extra bass to the Klipsch's crystal clear mids/highs. Sounds great!
My listening buddy approves...
And take note of how the preamp sits on amp... it isn't as deep so as not to cover the ventilation mesh underneath... and the heatsinks for the amp are at the back of the amp and not obscured by the cover...