Luxman C-10

Luxman C-10II

October   1 9 9 6 october 1996
November
1 9 9 9 november 1999
2 0 0 1 2001

Part of the re-launch of Luxman : post-Alpine and built by AZDEN. Or : the last period of actual worldwide visibility and proper sales - even if with much smaller lineups and shrinking distribution.

Circuits-wise, the C-10 is a bigger C-7 with mostly an incredible attenuator named "Super Ultimate Attenuator".

OD ßeta, or Optimized Dual ßeta, does away with the DC Servo loop to not treat low frequencies independently from the rest of the range. This however works with CSSC...

CSSC, or Complementary Single Stagger Circuit, comes from radio-frequency engineering (back to basics :) with a second-stage current transfer circuit to increase the cutoff frequency, thus allowing the first stage to reach wide range for the amp through phase reversal alone - without phase compensation.
The result is not only high bandwidth but very high slew rate as well.

Next is a High Inertia Power Supply which, through custom high-capacity, well-regulated transformer and layout, allows exceptional open-loop characteristics, drastically minimizing delay between input and power-supply output.

The rest of the circuit design sort of replicates that of the B-10 monoblock so as to make the C-10 the perfect "driver" : that's the Twin Hybrid Diamond Buffer which uses a pair of matched buffers for high input impedance, low output impedance and, again, high slew-rate.

The internal layout is like that of a C-7 : bar the attenuator and depth notwithstanding they even look exactly alike ! A rationalization rather uncommon at Luxman :)

The Super Ultimate Attenuator is a 4-gang / 58-contact resistance array ; each contact is a 1/4W carbon-film resistor.
You can see it below - just imagine that its depth is of about 25cm ! Nothing to add to that.

The rest is like any 1987-1994 Lux component : five-point FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics) composite base, mechanically decoupled & low-impedance power-supply shielded sub-enclosure, ultra select parts and a backlit front logo which "enhances beauty".

This 1994/95 new direction brought a simplification : the C-10 is a line preamplifier - no phono stage inside. You have to buy an external E-03 for vinyl sonic pleasures.

Later upgraded as C-10II for SACD bandwidth compatibility, the latter version being available (sort of) in "custom" looks : no wood enclosure but diecast dark-grey sideburns and normal aluminium top plate.

The C-10 was built by AZDEN but the C-10II had a LUX T-Tag (or an AZDEN T-tag but with an "L" s/n prefix instead of the normal "W" - same difference).


That "LUX" tag had appeared once before, just before the Alpine sale. And after the C-10II, indeed, Luxman changed hands again and preamps got to be made by Goto D.S... Whoever it could have been made by, there was no C-10III.

Like all components since 1987, the massive extruded fronts were all made at Luxman's with a high-precision CNC machine customed in... true Luxman tradition.


A real C-10 here, a real C-10II here and a real C-10II in "custom" version here.

Luxman C-10, image 1 Luxman C-10, image 2 Luxman C-10, image 3
Luxman C-10 specifications
Title Value
Tuner input : 150mV / 50kOhm
CD input : 150mV / 50kOhm
Line 1...3 inputs : 150mV / 50kOhm
Balanced 1 & 2 inputs : 150mV / 100kOhm
Balanced outputs : 1V / 300 Ohm
7,5V max.
Unbalanced outputs : 1V / 600 Ohm
7,5V max.
THD : < 0,005%
Frequency response : 20Hz...20Khz (+0 / -0,1dB)
S/N ratio : > 110dB
Bass control : ± 8dB (300Hz)
± 6dB (100Hz)
Treble control : ± 8dB (3Khz)
± 6dB (10Khz)
PC : 40W
Dimensions : 46,7 x 18,7 x 43,5cm
Weight : 20,5kg.
List-price : 1,200,000¥
page online since : august 2011
page updated : not yet
page type : LGT / KNB
page weight : 188.58 Kb / 0 b
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