Luxman C-900u Preamplifier (2014)
The C-900u is Luxman's flagship line-stage preamplifier from the early 2010s. It was introduced at $19,900 USD alongside its companion M-900u power amplifier. It's a fully balanced design with every channel's circuitry doubled and matched. It's built around Luxman's proprietary LECUA 1000 stepped attenuator - the same electronically controlled volume system used in the company's 80th-anniversary C-1000f. The volume adjusts in 88 steps, and the review from SoundStage! Hi-Fi (November 2014, p.1) found that range more than enough for dialing in the right level.
The build is the first thing anyone notices. The case is thick aluminum throughout - about half an inch on the front panel and a quarter-inch on the sides, top, rear, and bottom. The seams are perfectly aligned, the footers are sturdy cast iron, and the display window is beveled glass. The front panel has bass and treble controls operating at 100Hz and 10kHz (up to 10dB of boost or cut), a Line Straight bypass for the purest signal path, and a balance control. It also has output mode switching between single-ended and balanced, and an Ext Pre input for integrating an A/V processor. Luxman supplies plastic caps for any unused RCA and XLR jacks, which the reviewer said he'd never seen before.
The rear panel has three pairs each of RCA and XLR inputs, two pairs each of RCA and XLR outputs, and a dedicated RCA pass-through pair for an external processor. The signal-to-noise ratio is claimed at 123dB via single-ended outputs and 126dB through balanced. The reviewer concluded that balanced connections are the better way to drive this preamp. There's no phono stage and no DAC built in. Luxman sells those as separate components, so the C-900u stays a pure line-stage design.
One quirk for current owners: the owner's manual is a well-presented hardcover book written entirely in Japanese. The amplifier runs on 115V and weighs 43 pounds. It measures 17.2"W x 5.1"H x 16.8"D.
Documentation on this model is otherwise thin. No production years are recorded in available sources, and all technical details above trace to that single SoundStage! Hi-Fi review. The reviewer called it "a preamp for the ages" and a likely future classic. Listings in mint condition have appeared around $8,000 on the used market.
Known Specifications
- Fully balanced design with ODNF v.4.0 circuitry
- LECUA 1000 volume attenuator, 88 steps
- S/N ratio: 123dB (single-ended), 126dB (balanced)
- Tone controls: 100Hz bass / 10kHz treble, ±10dB
- Inputs: 3x RCA, 3x XLR, 1x RCA Ext Pre pass-through
- Outputs: 2x RCA, 2x XLR
- Dimensions: 17.2"W x 5.1"H x 16.8"D
- Weight: 43 lbs
- Original price: $19,900 USD
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