October 2012
In This Issue... Hi-Fi Bling!
Editorial By Noel Keywood

 

  Doesn't the Luxman L-505u amplifier featured on our front cover have a certain charm? Just look at those illuminated blue power meters – see page 12. They are pure hi-fi bling! And there's a little story behind what you see. Luxman Corporation of Japan bounced between various owners – check out Luxman on Wikipedia – until recently, when it was acquired by International Audio Group of China. I saw Lux products being assembled by IAG in Shenzhen, China, overseen by UK engineers who have introduced higher internal build standards and rigorous quality control. Luxman today is still a Japanese designed product, but now built in China to exacting standards. Having bought and enjoyed Lux products in the past, I hope their loveliness continues!

Question: what's the connection between Lux of Japan and Leak of England, other than they both start with the letter ‘L’? Surprisingly, many. The Leak Troughline tuner featured in this issue – see p27 – hails from the days of valves, and that is where Luxman started, producing valve amplifiers. Both brands are now owned by International Audio Group. And Tim de Paravicini of EAR Yoshino designed Lux valve amps in the 1960s then our own Leak Troughline valve stereo decoder in the early 1990s.

Sansui is another respected Japanese brand that fell on hard times but is back doing what it was famous for: producing good quality budget hi-fi. For its low price of around £350 the WLD+ 201L music streamer offers a mountain of ability - see p55.

I can't quite believe how Sony can build and sell something as complex as their new STR-DN1030 AV receiver for £470. It packs in vast amounts of modern ability to support home cinema, and nearly every conceivable form of audio streaming too. See p46 where Martin Pipe ably delves into its complexities.

Talking of which, I apologize for deciding to move over both NAD M51 DAC and Chord Index reviews to next month. Both are complex products and probing their abilities with our advanced Rohde & Schwarz UPV analyzer isn't something to be rushed. Both offer fascinating glimpses into high fidelity of tomorrow and we will provide unmatched reviews of them next month.

--- Noel Keywood, editor.

 

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