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Luxman / L-100 / 1970s

Luxman L-100 - Integrated Amplifier

1. Designed by Audio Legend Tim de Paravicini The amplifier’s internal architecture was designed by the renowned British audio engineer Tim de Paravicini. During his tenure at Luxman in the 1970s, he pushed the boundaries of solid-state performance. His design for the L-100 aimed to make it the absolute best integrated amplifier the company could produce at the time. Many of the circuit layout decisions he introduced on this unit laid the groundwork for Luxman's top-tier separate preamplifiers and power amplifiers (such as the C-1000 and M-2000) that followed. 2. Flagship Power & Audiophile Performance During an era when most integrated amplifiers offered modest output, the L-100 delivered a massive 110 watts per channel into 8 Ohms. It gained an immediate reputation for a uniquely musical, warm, and highly detailed sound that avoided the sterile "fatiguing" signature of early transistor gear. Audiophiles frequently compare its rich sonic presentation to high-end setups from rivals like Accuphase and McIntosh. 3. A Masterpiece Phono Stage Because vinyl was the primary source material in 1975, Luxman spent an extraordinary amount of engineering budget on the L-100's built-in phono section. The circuit design was so transparent and pristine that Luxman later extracted the exact same phono stage and used it entirely on its standalone $2,000+ C-1000 preamplifier. It features an exceptionally low-noise floor and high signal-to-noise ratio (>65 dB), catering to purist Moving Magnet (MM) playback. 4. Exquisite Build Quality and Timeless Looks The industrial design of the L-100 is highly sought-after by vintage collectors. It featured a heavy, brushed-aluminum silver front panel contrasted against an opulent Rio Rosewood wood veneer enclosure. Weighing in at a substantial 19 kg (nearly 42 lbs), its construction was uncompromising. The tactile feel of its solid input dials, switches, and continuous linear tone controls set a new standard for luxury audio equipment. 5. Legacy Impact: The 100th Anniversary Revival The 1975 L-100 remains so iconic to the brand's identity that when the company designed its 100th Anniversary Centennial amplifier, they revived the L-100 moniker to represent the pinnacle of their modern lineup.

Luxman L-100 - Integrated Amplifier — photograph 1

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Restoration notes

Yet another legendary Luxman! This 1976 Luxman L-100 is NOT just serviced, but totally and completely restored to function. Every capacitor, problematic transistor, diode, resistor, etc. has been replaced with properly selected modern equivalents. This amp section of this monster was designed by the late-great Timothy de Paravicini for Luxman as part of their 50th Anniversary lineup. Yes, Luxman was already 50 years old in 1975/1976! This borrows an amp section from the M-2000 power amp. The L-100 is more than special...it has a SOUL. Something deep lives in these circuits and wants to project music as it should be perceived. This amp makes 110 watts but is closer to 120 during testing, before clipping. This amp commands a presence in any room...and make sure you have the room because this amp is heavy. The amp has 3 relays, one for the touch-mute and one for speaker protection/power supply. These relays are ULTRA-rare Panasonic "flat-pack" low profile relays and there are no modern equivalents to replace them. So, how did I replace them? I have bought up every single NOS (New old stock) NF-12 and NF-24 relay I can find. This is a very complicated amp to work on so not many get restored like this. The amp was equipped with the notorious VD-1221/1222 double-diode...6 of them. AKA "death diodes" and they look like black spider-eggs. These are known to be very flakey as they age so each one has been replaced with modern units (2 x 1N4148 in series). Otherwise, they can introduce distortion and static bursts. In some circuits they can fail and destroy other components as the circuit collapses. Not here...all replaced! Sound quality is better than when it was new due to the modern low-noise components that have been replaced. All controls have been disassembled (where applicable) and cleaned. All lamps replaced. The soundstage is slightly warm, but very little coloration. The tone circuit is highly configurable and there is even 5 presets for the phono "tilt" to adjust for certain tone with a separate knob. The amp also has a touch-sensitive mute function. Just touch the center of the volume control and it'll add approx. 20db of muting. Touch the volume knob outer ring and it will turn it off. Pretty cool tech for the 70s. The phono section is just bonkers. Not many amps will sound as good as this does with vinyl. The phono circuit also has 2 adjustments on the front bottom of the faceplate. You can dial in sensitivity/gain as well as impedance. It has the following controls: -Low cut/High cut filters -Tone defeat or enable (Bass and Treble) -Boost, Low boost (Loudness) -Attenuate -Touch control mute -Tape dub/monitor -Aux 1 and 2 -Phono 1 and 2 -Tuner (for an external tuner unit) Here's what was fixed/replaced: Fully disassembled and cleaned. Inputs cleaned. All capacitors on all boards replaced, including filter capacitors. (I only use Nichicon, Panasonic, Kemet and/or WIMA capacitors) New diodes in protection, power supply and amplifier circuits. Differential transistors replaced. 8x final output transistors pulled and cleaned along with new thermal grease and pads applied. All controls disassembled and cleaned/conditioned. New power indicator lamps. Circuit boards inspected for any cracking, burning, etc. Amplifier balanced to +-60ma per channel. Runs on 100 volts AC and comes with a 120 to 100 volt step-down converter. Bench tested for 72 hours under an 8-ohm load.

Condition

SOLD