Luxman CU-80
The Luxman CU-80 is rare and poorly documented. It is an 8-channel control amplifier (a preamplifier, in other words) that Luxman developed for multichannel setups. It was designed to pair with the MU-80 power amplifier. Luxman's own material describes it as a "high-grade control amplifier handling the multi-channel input (2 independent systems)" in an 8-inch-class chassis. The volume control is the interesting part. The LECUA attenuator originally developed for the C-70f was re-engineered specifically for the CU-80, using a weighted-matrix method (LECUA-WM) to handle eight channels.
Surviving information on this model is thin. No production years or formal review measurements have surfaced. The record comes mostly from Japanese auction listings and dealer pages. From those, the CU-80 measures 467 mm wide, 132 mm high and 470 mm deep, and weighs 14 kg. It has six pairs of RCA line inputs and eight outputs. The original Japanese retail price was ¥714,000.
Collector interest is real but niche. A Yahoo Auctions sale in early 2026 closed at ¥225,625, and an earlier 2021 sale went for ¥77,000. That is a wide spread, and it probably reflects condition and whether the original box and the companion MU-80 were included. One eBay listing calls it "extremely rare," and the Japanese listings describe the sound in glowing but vague terms. One dealer's description says the CU-80 was built with Luxman "pouring its enthusiasm and heart in sound."
Beyond that, the record is mostly gaps. There is no service manual and no detailed circuit information beyond the LECUA-WM mention. There is also no documented relationship to the DU-80, which appears alongside it in some listings but is never explicitly tied to it.
Known specs:
- Type: 8-channel control amplifier (preamplifier)
- Inputs: 6 pairs RCA (L/R)
- Outputs: 8
- Dimensions: 467 × 132 × 470 mm (W×H×D)
- Weight: 14 kg
- Original Japanese price: ¥714,000
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