Luxman D-100 (1984)

The Luxman D-100 was Luxman's first CD player, introduced in 1984. Luxman had shown a prototype Japanese consumer CD player as early as 1981, but the production D-100 arrived three years later. It used a Panasonic linear-motor transport rather than the Philips mechanism some early players employed. The American importer Madrigal Laboratories handled US distribution. Whether the unit was ever rebranded as "Madrigal" or simply sold as a Luxman through that channel isn't fully clear from the record.

The D-100 used dual 16-bit D/A converters, one per channel, laid out on separate PCBs with star grounding. They were fed by an NPC SM5802 digital filter running 4× oversampling. That SM5802 was the same filter chip found in early Sony players. The transport was a Panasonic unit with a linear motor and sled rail, driven by two DC servo motors, and the laser pickup was also Panasonic. The manual confirms dual 16-bit PCM conversion and puts power consumption at 36 watts on 120/240 V AC.

Measured performance from period sources was strong for the day: frequency response of 4 Hz to 20 kHz (±0.2 dB), signal-to-noise ratio above 100 dB, and total harmonic distortion under 0.005%. The German price was 1,600 DM. The D-100's successor was the D-101, which kept the Panasonic transport.

Known specifications

• Dual 16-bit D/A converters with separate L/R channel PCBs and star grounding
• NPC SM5802 digital filter, 4× oversampling
• Panasonic linear-motor transport with sled rail
• Frequency response: 4 Hz–20 kHz (±0.2 dB)
• Signal-to-noise ratio: >100 dB
• THD: <0.005%
• Power consumption: 36 W
• Dimensions: 440 × 116 × 358 mm; weight: 9 kg
• Original price (Germany): 1,600 DM

Beyond these facts, the record is thin. Period reviews from major US audio magazines are sparse in the archive, with only classified advertisements referencing Luxman products appearing in publications like Audio (June 1977, p.145). No US retail price is documented, and no service history or common-failure information has surfaced.

eBay Listings

LUXMAN D-100 🌈RaRe🌈 Vintage Stereo Compact Disc Player

$1,184

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