The Luxman L-590AX Mark II integrated amplifier is made in Japan and builds on the company’s decades of amplifier design experience to combine rich acoustic expression, fine detail, wide bandwidth and rich dynamic range. The stereo output is rated at 30 W per channel (8 ohms) and 60 W per channel (4 ohms).
The 615VA EI-type UltimateEfficiencyPowerTransformer technology forms the heart of the amplifier’s power supply, providing instant response to any load fluctuations. A high-capacity capacitor bank (4 x 10,000uF) contributes instantaneous gain to maintain complete control, while a low-impedance discrete preamp, carefully selected custom components and short, fully optimized signal paths ensure maximum audio purity.
Luxman L-590AX Mark II is the new flagship in the proprietary series of integrated amplifiers, operating in pure A-class. The device continues the evolutionary line of the L-590AX and embodies the best developments of the company over the past fifty years.
The Luxman L-590AX Mark II amplifier uses 4th generation ODNF technology, which uses feedback to suppress all kinds of distortion in problem areas of the circuit. The power supply contains a large, powerful transformer with W-shaped core plates and an increased diameter of the primary winding wire. Compared to the previous model, the total number of buffer capacitors has increased from four to eight. One channel now has 4 capacitors with a capacity of 10,000 µF each. The amplifier develops a power of 2 x 30 W at 8 ohms and 2 x 60 W at 4 ohms. The signal paths are shortened as much as possible, and bipolar transistors are installed at the output. The integrated device has a discrete preamplifier with low output impedance and has a high damping factor: 320 versus 240 for the L-590AX.
The Luxman L-590AX Mark II body is mounted on anti-resonance cast iron legs. The central part of the front panel is decorated with two arrow VU output signal indicators with yellow backlight. Below them are seven LED diodes, indicating the activation of various operating modes. Below there are 6 rotary knobs for selecting the operating mode of the phono stage (for MM or MC cartridges), activating the recording output, turning off/selecting one or two pairs of speakers (A, B, A+B), adjusting tones and balance. On the right side of the facade there is a knob for the LECUA1000 step-by-step volume attenuator, and on the left there is an input selector with an indication of their selection. Under the selector there is a power key with an LED and a mini-key for activating recording monitoring. On the front there is a 6.3 mm headphone jack, a Line Straight button to bypass the tone control/balance control, and a Separate button that separates the preliminary and final sections.
The Luxman L-590AX Mark II model has 4 unbalanced (RCA) and 2 balanced (XLR) inputs, MM/MC phono preamp connectors, a “record-monitor” loop and a Main In input for accessing the end section. XLR connectors have switches that invert the phase of the signal. There are 4 pairs of screw terminals for speakers. There are two sockets on the rear panel that power peripheral components. An aluminum remote control is used for control.
Luxman L-590AX Mark II specifications:
Output power 2 x 30 W (8 Ohms); 2 x 60 W (4 ohms)
Input sensitivity/input impedance 180 mV/47 kΩ (linear RCA), 180 mV/55 kΩ (linear XLR), 550 mV/47 kΩ (end section input), 2.5 mV/47 kOhm (MM-phono stage), 0.3 mV/100 Ohm (MC-phono stage)
Output voltage 1 V (PRE OUT), 180 mV (recording output)
Frequency range 20 Hz – 100 kHz (+ 0.- 3 dB, line input), 20 Hz – 20 kHz (± 0.5 dB, phono stage)
Harmonic distortion less than 0.005% (1 kHz, 8 ohms), less than 0.02% (20 Hz – 20 kHz, 8 ohms)
Signal-to-noise ratio 107 dB (line input), 91 dB (MM phono stage), 75 dB (MC phono stage)
Damping factor 320
Bass tone control: ± 8 dB, 100 Hz; HF: ± 8 dB, 10 kHz
Inputs 2 balanced XLR (with phase inversion buttons), 4 line RCA, MM/MC phono preamplifier (RCA) connectors, Monitor (RCA) connectors for recording control, Main In (RCA) input for direct access to the end section
6.3 mm outputs for headphones, for recording (RCA), PRE OUT (RCA)
Other connections 2 sockets for peripheral devices, ground terminal
88-step volume attenuator LECUA1000 yes
MM/MC phono stage with subsonic filter yes
Loudness compensation yes
Internal wiring using OFC copper cable yes
Speaker output 4 pairs of screw terminals
Power supply W-shaped transformer