Luxman M-03

Luxman M-03B

February
1 9 8 7 february 1987
1 9 9 4
Plus
1994+

True bestseller.
Not necessarily because it was that good but because Luxman (Alpine then) produced so many of them that unsold stocks remained available for discount long, very long, after they had officially vanished from the lineups !


The M-03 is a big 2x 200W powerhouse which can be BTL bridged for 700W of 8 Ohm deafening output.

Voltage amplification is applied everywhere except in the output stage.
The first stage is a double J-FET on a single IC in differential mode ; the pre-driver stage boasts high Gm MOS-Fets in cascode with fixed current load.

Four 15,000µF caps, heavy gauge internal wiring, large track PCBs, separate windings for the driver and output stages, a huge EI power transformer and two large aluminium heatsinks (1,5kg each) make the bulk of the weight 23,6kg.

Three pairs of Sanken bipolars make the output stage : 2SC2922 and 2SA1216.

The STAR grounding circuit is there (each block has its own ground and power supply for less mutual interference) while Duo-ßeta allows for optimal levels of negative feedback. Discrete components throughout and stable down to 2 Ohm.

Most remembered are the two digital peak meters which can be set to display levels for 4, 6 or 8 Ohm, all with a precision of one tenth of a Watt. Selectors at the back allow to switch the peak-hold time between fast 1s or slow 3s. Or off.
This display is controlled by a Luxman-tagged custom IC made by... somebody else.


The USA version of the M-03 was the M-03B, B for Black.
Also available was the M-117 : no digital meters, front input pots relegated to the back as added variable inputs and one pair of 'speakers allowed only but the BTL mode maintained.

The M-03 was distributed in Japan under the (surprising) sole Luxman badge and not the "Alpine/Luxman" tag inaugurated in 1984. Alpine probably had rapidly understood it woud have been suicide to indirectly rename all of Luxman's production.
However, of course, the T-Tag was Alpine (#A8091xxxxx).

But the M-03 really was more of an export item as Luxman in Japan already had mainly restricted its ambitions to 500k¥ high-end components. Quite successfully so - then.


A rare japanese M-03 here.

Luxman M-03, image 1 Luxman M-03, image 2 Luxman M-03, image 3
Luxman M-03 specifications
Title Value
Output power : 2x 200W (8 Ohm, 20Hz...20Khz)
Dynamic power : 2x 500W (4 Ohm)
2x 700W (2 Ohm)
Mono (BTL) power : 1x 500W (8 Ohm, 1Khz)
1x 700W (8 Ohm, clipping point)
THD : 0,012% (1Khz)
Frequency response : 10Hz...100Khz (+0 / -1dB)
S/N ratio : 120dB (IHF-A)
Damping factor : 120dB (8 Ohm / 1Khz)
Input : 1V / 45kOhm
Dimensions : 43,8 x 16,5 x 42cm
Weight : 23,6kg.
page online since : july 2008
page updated : august 2010
page type : LGT / KNB
page weight : 187.87 Kb / 0 b
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