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Luxman C120 and M120

punprankster

punprankster

Super Member
Went to a trading post close to me and saw a Luxman C120 and M120 for sale for $450. I am not familiar at all with Luxman so I looked it up and they sound like very decent pieces.

Now I love my Kenwood KA-9100 but I do find it a tad bright hooked up to my Yamaha NS-690. I was wondering how the Luxman would compare to the Kenny. I am still on the lookout for a Supreme but now that I've got somemoney saved up for it I can't find any on sale. How does the Luxman compare to the Supreme? Any info on them would be appreciated.
 
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Should sound better than the Kenwood. We sold both and the Lux combo moved more than the Kenwoods. We liked em better too.

I would expect the build quality of the Supreme to be superior to the Luxman as I believe this was the first series of Lux gear that was helped by the bean counters, vinyl wrap, lighter overall construction, but they still sounded very good. I'd get em and see what you think while still looking. Can you talk em down some and get the for less than you could sell them for when the Supreme shows up, but it would have to sound better wouldn't it?

If you get them you get to use newer power output display technology, LEDs vs. those power meters.
 
The C120 and M120 use the Duo Beta circuit which, while not my favorite line of Luxman equipment, sounds very nice. They should be reliable. I think these components were among the first to be part of the Alpine takeover but I might be wrong. They are not quite the same level of components that helped established the Luxman reputation but still are very nice. The Luxman sound is, to me, very clear, strong, and smooth—something akin to a very, very well sorted tube amp. You might like the sound signature.
 
So Blue, do you think that the Supreme would be better than the Luxman?
Dan, how would you compare the sound of Luxman to a Kenwood Supreme? What would sound warmer between the two?
 
The M120 will need a Recap and Solder reflow. This is a must. Had a KA-8100,9100 and while good,
it's no Luxman. Never heard a Kenwood Supreme so maybe someone can chime in.
 
Ive never heard your Kennny but for $450 i would grab the Lux anyway and ask questions later. The m120 is a nice sounding amp equal to the m02.
 
The Outputs and Transistors are on the Main Board. Lot's of Heat coming off from these and Cold Solder joints. Take a look at the board
and you will see the Heat Marks...common for Lux during the time. Same for L-100U, M-2000 and L-450, 480.

Good to see she if being taking care of.
 
Pulled the trigger and grabbed the 120s before somebody else discovers them. Can't do an A/B testing with the Kenny but liking the Luxman so far. Warmer than the Kenwood definitely.

Some of the usual suspect problems present. Scratchiness and disappearing signal to a channel remedied by playing around with the knobs and flicking switches. I guess they are due deoxit baths and faceplate rubdowns to bring out their beauties.

Aside from recaps and soldering, any other advice on what to do with this baby? Are the lettering sturdy enough to survive a Blue Magic wipedown?

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luxmaster said:
Luv the setup. Now you need to find another m120 and then you can bridge them.
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Saw a couple of C120 locally, for almost one and a half to twice the price that I got this for. Don't see an M120 anywhere. Unless somebody wants to sell it for me at a Christmasy price.

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Nice catch. That particular pair is a nice set IMO.

I do not know about the lettering, but the usual pot & switch cleaning is a good idea. Capacitors might very well benefit from replacement, but not necessarily. If you are handy, take a look inside. They might be perfectly fine for a while at least.

One thing I have noticed about Luxmans: The more you listen to them, the more you appreciate them. Just saying.
 
A couple cautions about Luxmans of this era, my experience is the L-580. I drove it hard for years but used the LED to tell me stop turning it up. Driving DCM Time Windows, worked great. Sounded great.

But you mentioned flicking the switches and I did this. I ended up having to replace one of the switches because the flipper is connected to a slider in a switch body. That slider broke. I stopped flicking the switches.

The second think is something already mentioned they amps run very hot at certain spots inside. I had some blackened circuit boards around a few of the smaller TO-220 style transistors. I have moved them to be mounted on a metal frame of the amp to act as a heat sink. I mention this because I am looking at the most common what to stack audio gear, put the big heavy amp on the bottom and pile everything else on top if it. Because of the heat issues in Luxman of this era, I would not be put the amp under anything and let it sit on top. When you do get around to cleaning the switches and controls you can look inside and see if there are any darkened areas on the boards and think about proactive resolutions if needed.

Nice bit of kit, hope it starts sounding better when you get it cleaned up.
 
Well, she cleaned up quite nice.

Cleaned the plates and the knobs. Deoxited the pots. Polished the cases. She's singing beautifully with no scratchiness at this time, tighter and more refined than the 9100. I think the Kenwood's got her beat on the looks department though.

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The inside looks a bit decent although I don't really know much about them

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Thanks for all the tips. I'll try to do them all when I have time.
 
I found the same pair (with tuner) in my area for $60 and after a visit to the repair shop am loving this combo driving my Mirage M3si's. Great sound, tons of power, very nice phono preamp as well. This combo was a really nice surprise!
 
superdog said:
Strictly from a visual standpoint I think the Kenwood looks better.Don't care for the flip switches on the Luxman.
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Agreed. I love the styling of the Kenwoods, especially the Supremes. It's still one of my goals to get a set.
People just keep on posting them when I don't have money and I can't find any when I do.
 
cmcguire said:
I found the same pair (with tuner) in my area for $60 and after a visit to the repair shop am loving this combo driving my Mirage M3si's. Great sound, tons of power, very nice phono preamp as well. This combo was a really nice surprise!
Click to expand...

$60?!?!?! Now you're making me feel about what I paid for mine.:(
 
punprankster said:
$60?!?!?! Now you're making me feel about what I paid for mine.:(
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Please don't feel bad, believe me- not my intention at all. This was by far one of the better scores I've had in a long while. This amp is worth more than what YOU paid. it really is excellent and in my opinion waaay better sounding than it looks.
 
Hokay. I just nabbed a Luxman G-120 equalizer and I want to know what I am doing before I fry something. Unfortunately it did not come with a manual ao just help me out on this one.

This is the back:

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In this set up the equalizer works through the monitor 1. Hooking the preamp to the "Moni" side doesn't do anything. Am I doing this right?
 
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