Quite a long production run - almost Accuphase-like !
First presented in october 1982 in Japan (as the DAD input recalls) as replacements for the C-300 and M-300.
Still very good looks and, of course, typical LUX quality - but we already are very near to ALPINE ownership : if the first batches of C-05 were T-tagged by LUX, later ones, most of the total production run, were all T-tagged by Alpine.
The C-05 is fully dual-mono, with Duo-ß circuits and Plus-X power supplies, superlative componentry, housed in non-magnetic and copper-plated aluminium chassis.
The pre-production C-05 had a peculiar twist :
besides a phono and phono+subsonic input position which was carried onto the production model, the DAD/Aux input could also be switched with a subsonic. What subsonic-inducing warp could be present in a CD is anybody's guess :) That position was subsequently changed for a regular "line".
Also, the third Phono 2 position was initially set at 47kOhm but later changed to 50kOhm.
According to some owners, the C-05 isn't the super topper the M-05 is and there is "something slightly not quite right" with its sound signature... Maybe a problem with some production runs ?
Nevertheless available in some markets until the very late 1980s : Alpine obviously had "large" stocks inherited from the Luxman product planning :).
The day my current ES and pre-Esprit separates fall apart (slim chance for the latter), I think I'll go for a C-5000a with an M-05 - and a C-05 on the side for coherence !
A real C-05 in its EXTRA-EXTRA-EXTRA-RARE wood enclosure : here.