Luxman LV-117
An integrated amplifier with a built-in DAC, optical and coaxial digital inputs, and a front-panel switch that bypasses the whole control section. The manual calls it "direct digital," and that was the whole pitch.
Overview
The LV-117's owner's manual opens with a big claim. This integrated amplifier was built around "optical and coaxial direct digital inputs with built-in DAC" and a "4 times over-sampling filter," plus voltage-driven amplification with FET, triple differential input stages, and triple darlington outputs and drivers. A digital converter living inside an analog integrated is what makes this model interesting, and the manual is unusually explicit about why Luxman thought so.
Luxman's documentation argues that a direct digital connection between the LV-117 and a digital source removes the logic switching noise that radiates from servo and digital switching circuits inside CD players and DAT decks. It also eliminates the potential noise and distortion effects of analog patch cords. The company describes the direct digital connection as something it pioneered. Whether that holds up is a matter for historians. What's documented is that the LV-117 accepts digital sources over optical or coaxial cable in the standard Philips/Sony format, and that the manual names the Luxman D-113, D-117, and D-109 CD players and the KD-117 DAT deck as suitable partners.
The analog side is not an afterthought. Luxman's literature describes voltage-driven amplification with FET input stages, a triple differential input topology, and triple darlington output and driver stages. The company used that same language across its integrated line of the period. Audio (October 1990, p.332) characterized Luxman's integrated amplifiers generally as using voltage-driven amplification for dynamic performance with negligible transient intermodulation or slew-induced distortion, and as relying on high-energy power supplies with high filter capacitance for steady-state and dynamic power. The LV-117's manual makes the same case for this specific chassis.
The Power Supply and the Line Straight Switch
The manual describes the supply as a massive double-shielded power transformer paired with fast-recovery diodes and 30,000µF of capacitance. Luxman says that reserve is necessary for the most demanding musical transients. That's a large filter bank for an integrated, and it most directly supports the "high current, high power output into low impedance loads" claim the manual makes elsewhere.
The other feature to know about is the Line Straight switch. Engaged, it routes any line-level source directly to the power amplifier section, bypassing all the controls and many of the switching functions - everything except the volume control. Luxman's stated purpose is the shortest possible path to the power amp, for accuracy, imaging, and impact. In practice, an owner would leave it engaged once the tone controls have been set and forgotten.
Cooling matters here. The manual is specific: leave at least three inches of clearance above the amplifier and one inch on the sides and rear, and if it goes into a closed cabinet, provide vents at the back. Luxman warns against enclosing it with other heat-producing components. That's ordinary guidance for a Class-AB amplifier with a substantial supply, but these units are now decades old and heat is what kills capacitors.
What the Manual Says About Living With One
The front panel is heavy aluminum, and Luxman's care instructions are blunt about keeping it that way. Use a soft, lint-free cloth or cotton swab, mild detergent and water, and absolutely no scouring pads, steel wool, scouring powders, or lye-based cleaners, all of which will mar the finish. The company also asks that the original packing materials be kept and reused if the unit ever ships, and that service be left to factory-trained technicians with the special equipment for calibration.
That last point is the practical caution for anyone buying today. The LV-117 is a precision instrument by the standards of its era, and its digital section is the part most likely to need someone who knows what they're doing. The manual says only the most competent and qualified technicians should service it.
Reception and the Historical Record
The archive doesn't have everything here. The LV-117's production years, original price, power output, and measured performance are not established in the available documentation. The owner's manual survives and is detailed on design philosophy and features, but it supplies none of those numbers. Period reviews of this specific model have not surfaced in the archive's holdings. The Audio (October 1990, p.332) reference above describes Luxman's integrated line generally rather than testing the LV-117 itself, and should be read that way.
What can be said with confidence is narrower. This is an integrated amplifier whose designer believed the digital-to-analog conversion belonged inside the amplifier chassis rather than in the CD player, and who built the analog side to a standard the company was willing to describe in detail. The direct digital inputs, the four-times over-sampling filter, the FET input stages, the triple darlington outputs, the 30,000µF supply, and the Line Straight bypass are all documented in Luxman's own manual. Output ratings, price history, and market values are unknown until better sources turn up.
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