Analog Gear News

Luxman has just announced a pair of new products that we find very much of interest — and we think you will too. First, Luxman is replacing its acclaimed PD-151A turntable with the upgraded PD-151 MkII turntable. The PD-151 MkII offers a new proprietary tonearm known as the LTA-309, which incorporates knife-edge bearings tech originally developed by SAEC, the noted Japanese brand. The SRP for the PD-151 MkII is $6,490.

The PD-151 MkII carries forward the proprietary power supply and speed-control tech incorporated into the previous model, the aforementioned PD-151A. Meanwhile, the LTA-309 tonearm offers static balance, a machined aluminum arm base, and an adjustable arm height to accommodate different cartridges.

Additional key features of the PD-151 MkII — which plays LPs at 33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm — include Luxman’s sine-wave PWM power supply; a low-speed, high-torque DC motor built on a high-precision cast-alloy chassis; rotational speed maintained by Luxman’s Proportional-Integral-Differential (PID) feedback control loop; 9lb (4.0kg) diamond-cut-finished platter; 16mm stainless-steel shaft with a lower thrust bearing lubricated with polyether ether ketone (PEEK); a brass radial bearing filled with organic molybdenum oil to support the upper shaft; a high-grade AC input to support heavy accessory power cables; a 10mm thick aluminum top panel; and rubber polymer damping.

Included accessories and other elements of this new PD-151 MkII ’table are an anti-resonant rubber hybrid record coupling mat; Isolator feet with special damping material and 5mm of independent height adjustment; and the 4mm clear-acrylic OPPD-DSC151 dust cover with cam/spring supporting hinges.

The L-507Z Class AB integrated amplifier, the first entry in Luxman’s Z series, features Luxman’s original LIFES1.0 distortion-canceling feedback engine. (The LIFES acronym stands for Luxman Integrated Feedback Engine System.) First offered on the company’s M-10X power amplifier earlier this year, LIFES1.0 is said to reduce distortion while controlling feedback inaccuracies. The L-507Z integrated amp has an SRP of $8,995.

The L-507Z — which weighs 56lbs (25.4kg) — sports front-panel VU meters; a 7-segment LED display for easier-to-read volume levels; a Pentaconn 4.4mm headphone jack incorporating five conductors for balanced output, supplementing the standard 6.3mm jack; rear-panel 12v trigger for compatible home automation systems; thick aluminum chassis panels; density gradient cast-iron feet; and a wireless remote that also operates Luxman digital players released after 1996.

Other key L-507Z specs include 110W + 110W RMS, Class AB into 8ohm loads; 210W + 210W RMS, Class AB into 4ohm loads; highly regulated power supply with EI-type transformer and an array of eight 10,000µF filter capacitors; and a LECUA1000 electronically controlled attenuator with 88 discrete steps.

More info about both the PD-151 MkII and the L-507Z and where you can get yours can be found here.