Luxman CD Players

Luxman is one of the legendary brands in HiFi. Hailing from Japan, their name has been around since 1925, when radio broadcasting was in its infancy. Luxman has focused simply on audio since then and is now world renowned for their high-end audio products. Luxman is always striving for naturalness in their presentation, allowing the listener to get closer to the music, ‘through emotional involvement’.

Luxman has been producing CD players ever since their DX-104 back in 1983, at the birth of CD. We are great fans of CD as a format, as we feel it still has much to offer compared to other digital replay formats. Luxman have a reputation for excellence and their CD players are no exception.

We have introduced Luxman into our portfolio after close A/B testing some alternatives brands and our own reference products. The new D-03X model introduced to the market in May 2020 is impressive for both the sound quality and the exceptional build quality. The sound can be summarised as transparent, fast and refined. The soundstage is very large, especially depth, and the speed of dynamics and transients is impressive, with rapid playing of piano or guitar passages delivered faultlessly. It never gets flustered rhythmically. 

We have just received our demonstration sample of the new Luxman D-10X CD player. Even immediately from the carton, it was clear this is one very special CD player. There is little doubt this is one of the best sounding CD players we have heard and is on a par with the Spectral Studio Reference models, which is one of the highest compliments we can offer. The latter already outperform many branded CD players costing several times more, and the Luxman D-10X even though it is priced at £15000, represent particular value for money. A more detailed report and appraisal on it performance is shown below.

In our listening tests we found this unit to be very engaging. Tone is natural, with vocals being particularly well rendered. Highs are detailed and distinct but, importantly for us, are never fatiguing. Another attribute important to our selection is the illusion of the depth of soundstage and the D-03X does not disappoint, being both deep and wide. Well recorded classical works can show their dynamic range, micro details in quiet passages are dealt with so well, and the decay of notes sounding very natural. Bass is full, tight, and with high levels of textural information. Fast played passages on piano or guitar are presented with ease and without blurring of one note into the next. It has an extremely easy sound to live with.

The player includes MQA decoding technology, which enables you to play back MQA-CDs (a new physical format) as well as MQA audio files up to 24-bit, transferred via USB, optical and coaxial inputs. MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is an award-winning British technology that aims to get you closer to the sound of the original master recording. The dual mono, one DAC per channel, designs maximises detail retrieval.

For playing back music from a personal computer, Luxman recommends their Luxman Audio Player application. Available for both Windows and Mac systems, the software enables superlative USB output of FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3 and DSF/DSDIFF files. (The application is downloadable from the official Luxman website).

Luxman D-03X CD player

We have recently received this new model from Luxman and, after the usual 300 hours of running-in process, this new model closely resembles Luxman’s flagship D-10X in sound. The D-07X shares its luxurious build in a slightly smaller in height chassis.

Our listening impressions are that the D-07X majors on a wide and deep soundstage which is a prime consideration for our portfolio of products. Tone and timbre are accurate, allowing for very realistic renditions of instruments with piano being delivered in a particularly natural way. Vocals have lots of micro-detail, which allows for a closer emotional connection to the artist. Dynamics are first rate with transients being delivered with real speed and attack. The overall presentation is rich and satisfying and will work with a wide range of systems. The D-07X is clearly a trickle-down stable mate from to the D-10X, but still is a real step up from the D-03X. Compared to the D-10X, the D-07X has a slightly more forward presentation but still very much a holographic presentation that is typical of the Luxman sound. The D-10X still delivers more resolution of the finest nuances and textural information but the D-07X is close but at a significantly lower price point.

Both the D-10X and the D-07X use the same DAC chips in dual mono configuration.

Luxman D-07X CD player and DSD/MQA DAC

In our listening tests we found this pure CD unit to share the family sound of the D-03X, listed above with an easy-going, less “hifi” presentation. The main difference is that the D-380 has a tube output stage offering a pleasingly smooth delivery. Compared to the D-03X, the D-380 has a slightly more forward midrange and upper bass frequencies, whilst the D-03X offers a better overall linearity and capability at the frequency extremes. We feel that the lightly warmer sound of the D-380 may particularly compliment a lot of the brighter and more forward electronics in the market today (something The Audio Consultants tries to avoid) but still sounds superb on the more neutral components we offer. This voicing leads to a particularly non-fatiguing listening experience, with holographic vocals being a highlight. There is a solid-state option, bypassing the valve stage, which is also good, but there is no doubt that Luxman has designed this model to be used with the valve stage for main listening. And there is the glow of the tube visible through the viewing window in the front panel.

The styling of this unit is distinctive, housed in a wooden case with a finely finished aluminium front panel. The use of the ‘38’ in the naming convention is an homage to older units from Luxman’s past that helped give them the reputation they enjoy, and hence the vintage inspired appearance. There is also a matching tube amplifier (the LX-380) in the same finish. The D-380 CD player offers a vintage aesthetic, with very much a modern-day sound.

Luxman D-380 CD player

Immediately from plugging in the very first time, it was clear this is one incredibly special CD player. The natural sound quality with immensely low noise floor results in a level of transparency rarely heard with any digital replay format. Holography and image presentation is quite remarkable. There is little doubt this is one of the best sounding CD players we have heard and is on a par with the Spectral Studio Reference models which is one of the highest compliments we can offer. The latter will outperform many branded CD players costing several times more which makes the Luxman D-10X priced at £15k, almost a “bargain”.

In our listening tests we found the D-10X to be one of the very best CD sources we have ever heard. Tone is completely natural. The soundstage is not only very wide but also very deep, to allow for a truly holographic sound field. This is also demonstrated by how well the size of the recording venue is rendered to the listener. Highs are handled with real finesse with a huge amount of micro-detail, without any digital glare or sibilance. More complicated music, such as orchestral, is shown in all its glory and elegance. Even in complicated passages the D-10X never misses a beat, allowing huge amounts of information to be delivered clearly and with excellent articulation. Bass has true extension whilst retaining natural tone and texture. SACD replay is also very impressive.

The build quality D-10X is exemplary, industry reference standard constructed from thick plate metal, and weighing in at 22 kg. The drive mechanism is totally silent, not only in loading and unloading but whilst the disc is played. The action of the CD drawer itself (with locking and sealing mechanism) is a mechanical marvel and is just one example of the sheer level of detail Luxman went to in the development of this flagship unit.

We firmly believe in the superiority of CD replay over other digital sources and have been lucky enough, over many years, to use some of the best units from around the globe. This player is right up there with the best of them and illustrated clearly just how much CD still has to offer in terms of sound quality.

The player includes MQA technology, which enables you to play back MQA-CDs (a new physical format) as well as MQA audio files up to 24-bit transferred via USB, optical and coaxial inputs. MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is an award-winning British technology that aims to get you closer to the sound of the original master recording.

For playing back music from a personal computer, Luxman recommends their LUXMAN Audio Player application. Available for both Windows and Mac systems, the software enables superlative USB output of FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3 and DSF/DSDIFF files. (You can download the application from the official LUXMAN website.)

Luxman D-10X CD player