Luxman P1 vs Headamp GSX

[kelvinz]

Yes, B22 comparison most definitely please thankyouverymuch.

I'm seriously tempted to get one considering how much cheaper it is for me in Japan. Then I wouldn't have the temptation to go balanced.

I am also very curious about this comparison

[Hopstretch]

So what happened with the P-1? Todd says they're all gone and Luxman has decided there won't be any more, tough titty.

[atothex]

So what happened with the P-1? Todd says they're all gone and Luxman has decided there won't be any more, tough titty.

No more ever? Dang.

And I thought the reception was overwhelmingly positive.

[penger]

They were. But I remember Todd saying they need to be able to order 50 more to convince Luxman to make another batch.

[Aimless1]

Todd reports no more P-1s will be made specifically for the US market at this time. He has been pretty open about the situation and has reported that Luxman considers the US introduction slow. We all may have felt it was well received and off to a good start, but I'm told the Luxman distributor did not see it this way. They don't consider this an up and coming market for the P-1. I've also been told that he would have to order a minimum of 50 units in order for them to churn out additional production of a US specific model.

The P-1 continues to be available in Japan. Although it can be obtained rather easily, it will not have the US specific power supply, which Jude has claimed is critical for optimal performance. It appears that the 10 US units that have been sold will be the only ones to exist.

[Beefy]

...... Although it can be obtained rather easily, it will not have the US specific power supply, which Jude has claimed is critical for optimal performance.

What is his justification for that? So long as the rectifiers are seeing nice and clean AC power from an appropriate transformer, it should make sweet bugger all difference.

I smell marketing. As in "Whooops! I just stepped in a big pile of bull marketing". Possibly to try and protect the local distributor, which is sooooort of understandable.

[Aimless1]

You can draw your own conclusions. Here is his post from HF New News at TTVJ: Luxman Added To The Lineup! - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpelg

I don't doubt that the amp sounds great, and the fit-&-finish are beautiful. However, I have to wonder if the power supply change completely justifies the >$1k price increase (nearly doubling the price) over the standard 100v version. Did Luxman USA have to gut the Japanese version when it got here & drop in a whole new PS?

I asked these very same questions in a conversation with Phillip O'Hanlon some time ago, and he gave me several reasons for the price difference. Some things to consider that were mentioned:

The transformers are made by hand for the North American market in small quantities by Luxman. Given that Luxman emphasizes the importance of the power supplies in their designs, this might be an important consideration (as opposed to using a non-native voltage unit with a conversion transformer). (This is one O'Hanlon didn't have to explain to me--it's one of the things that kept me from seriously considering the P-1 in the past.)

The importer/distributor pays shipping, duty, and customs clearance to import Luxman into the US & Canada--which is part of the price of getting it done correctly (in terms of native voltage).

The importer/distributor does have to pay for the costs of advertising and marketing, which consumers might not consider or care about, but is a real cost to bringing the line here, and a necessity to letting the marketplace know that Luxman is back.

The importer/distributor offers a three-year warranty, as opposed to a one-year warranty from Japan.

U.S. units have to meet different standards (like radiation standards) than the Japanese units, so there are differences beyond the transformers that needed to be made, related to shielding and the like. I don't know the fine points of this one, but something of this was mentioned.

The owner manuals, brochures, and catalogs all have to be translated to English--this is one of those ones that the consumer might not give much consideration, but it's a real cost.

The importer/distributor has the items triple-boxed by Luxman at the importer/distributor's expense. I can attest to this (with my P-1), and mine was, not surprisingly (if you saw how it was packed) in perfect condition.

If a Japanese gray-market imported unit needs service, it would need to be shipped back to Japan. The P-1 is quite heavy (maybe safely called very heavy, as far as headphone amps go). And to ship it back triple-boxed and insured to Japan even once would probably be at a substantial cost.

In short, you can save money by ordering a Japan-voltage model. I'd considered it in the past actually. But I consider doing so a compromise, in terms of doing it right, particularly in terms of the power supply--especially now that the North American voltage model is available. I'll take that three-year warranty as gravy, as well as knowing I'll never need to ship this behemoth back to Japan.

__________________

[Beefy]

...... I'm not convinced.

[Dusty Chalk]

That was probably said to try to stir up the requisite number of indigenous purchases. In other words, trying to compensate for the price differential. Doesn't mean it's not true, but neither does it mean it is.

[spritzer]

Definitely BS as Stax says the same things yet all their transformers are identical. Has anybody checked to see if there are multiple primaries on the Japanese version though as it would be easy to change it?

[Azazel]

+1

At this side of the sea we are used to play with US/Japan gear, most of them have dual/multiple primaries and we can adapt from its native voltage to ours.

Besides this, there are power conditioners able to change voltages with some added benefits (a guess).

[Aimless1]

That was probably said to try to stir up the requisite number of indigenous purchases. In other words, trying to compensate for the price differential. Doesn't mean it's not true, but neither does it mean it is.

If I had an opinion either way I would have stated it. Just trying to clear up what appeared to be some confusion regarding the P-1. I don't know whether the power supply is important or not.

Before TTVJ took on Luxman I had hoped to hear the US version vs one purchased from Price Japan with a voltage transformer/converter. Unfortunately the owner of the unit from Price Japan decided to sell before the proposed meet so I was unable to listen and make my own decision.

[purk]

So what was the price earlier from Todd? $1500? The strenght of Yen made the deal from pricejapan as less attractive too.

[PFKMan23]

The price from Todd is/was $2400.

[screaming oranges]

Yeah, it was very expensive. Also, I didn't know the overseas counterpart was about a grand less... that is a very big difference, even taking into account the fact that TTVJ has to make some money on the import as well.

[purk]

Yeah, it was very expensive. Also, I didn't know the overseas counterpart was about a grand less... that is a very big difference, even taking into account the fact that TTVJ has to make some money on the import as well.

Audiocube II is selling the P1 for $1500 I believe, but pricejapan is around $1500 shipped. Wish the Yen is a lot weaker!

[Jon L]

I already have a Variac, so would it be a problem to buy the Japanese version and use my variac to feed it 100V?

[spritzer]

I wouldn't use a variac instead of a step down transformer as somebody could mess with it and then you would have a rather pretty paperweight.

[recstar24]

Isn't this all a moot point as the US P1 is sold out and probably will not come back? Or is the discussion around possibly getting the japanese version and using a step down for much less $ ? I am sure it would operate just fine and though the power supply is very important I have never experienced where a step down transformer brought down the performance of a piece of kit. Not saying that the transformer component isn't important, but I thought that the DC rectification, filter caps, power supply rails and grounding, etc., had much more impact on the sound than the power transformer.

[screaming oranges]

If someone in FL buys the overseas version, then we can have a meet and compare the two (yes, I bought one... probably an amp way out of my league, but when Todd said there was only one left, beside the loaner one, I had to spring into action. I am a sucker for collector's items).

Todd shipped mine out Monday last week. So l have yet to hear it.

As far as amps go, my first amp was a Go-Vibe (version 5). I then jumped to the SP Extreme, which I am keeping, and now the Luxman. I think I'm done with amps for a very long while.

[Jon L]

I wouldn't use a variac instead of a step down transformer as somebody could mess with it and then you would have a rather pretty paperweight.

Hehe. My sister's kid turned up my variac to max without my knowledge, so I had the "glowing red" EL84 tubes when I next turned on the amp. Luckily, it only goes up to 130V and my amp and tubes (surprisingly) survived.

I expect nothing like this to ever happen again as I've exiled the kid to North Pole and surrounded my system with barbed wire

[boomana]

If someone in FL buys the overseas version, then we can have a meet and compare the two (yes, I bought one... probably an amp way out of my league, but when Todd said there was only one left, beside the loaner one, I had to spring into action. I am a sucker for collector's items).

Todd shipped mine out Monday last week. So l have yet to hear it.

As far as amps go, my first amp was a Go-Vibe (version 5). I then jumped to the SP Extreme, which I am keeping, and now the Luxman. I think I'm done with amps for a very long while.

Congrats, Alex. After spending time with it at two separate meets, I really think it's one of the best Senn amps out there. Didn't like it so much with R10s, and didn't listen much, or at all during the last meet, with other headphones. Iirc, you don't have any Senns. hmmmm. Might be time.

[screaming oranges]

Well, I have both the HD580 and the HD600 when it comes to Senns. I was thinking of investing in an HD650, selling off the 580's to fund for that.

Or, I could start saving and go for the big one... but I'm not planning on getting that anytime soon. The reason why I still have the 580 along with the 600 was to test out having multiple cans plugged in and the effect on sound quality, if any. Plus, it is nice to share music listening with someone else who is visiting, so I like similar cans for that, not mismatched like, say, a Senn and a Grado plugged in same time.

Vicky, If you happen to get the HD800's anytime soon, I'd be willing to lend you the P1 a while. Heck, I'd be willing to lend it to you a month or two after I have enjoyed it a bit, even if you don't get the HD800, just so you can do some better testing with it and the R10's at home. The more reviews we can get on this thing with different gear the better.

I think I heard someone say the Grado R1's sounded very nice with it paired with Mike's vinyl rig at the meet, so there might be synergy with the Grado line as well...

[Aimless1]

The RS-1s sound very nice with the P-1. Not ready to call it synergy but very nice indeed. I'm more impressed by the K501s out of this amp.

[screaming oranges]

The RS-1s sound very nice with the P-1. Not ready to call it synergy but very nice indeed. I'm more impressed by the K501s out of this amp.

Hence why I said there might be... haven't had a chance to see for myself. As for the other half of your statement, I didn't get to try the K701 at the South FL meet with this amp. Then again, I haven't really tried any AKG's to begin with.