Luxman LX-360 (1985)
The Luxman LX-360 is a tube-type integrated amplifier released in October 1985 at ¥365,000. It's heavy at 25kg and 493mm wide. It shows Luxman still committed to vacuum tube design when much of the industry had gone solid-state.
The output stage is four 6550A tubes in push-pull, rated at 32W + 32W into 8Ω (1kHz, both channels driven). The driver and preamp stages use five 6CG7s and three 12AX7As. Distortion is specified at 0.2% or less at 1W, and 3% or less at full output. A built-in MM phono stage is included, with sensitivity of 2mV/50kΩ.
The internal construction is unusually elaborate. Luxman called it "one box with separate amplifiers". Four independent power transformers feed the right channel power stage, left channel power stage, and preamp/heater circuits separately, for a total of 15 individual power supplies. The company's S.T.A.R. (Signal Transit for Accurate Response) circuit topology was used. Each signal path and power supply line connects directly from a reference point to form independent loops, so current can't interfere between stages. Every amplifier stage got its own regulator circuit, and the heater supply was stabilized to keep thermal modulation out of the signal.
The feature set is generous for a tube amp of this era. Tone controls use Luxman's NF-type system with switchable bending points - low frequencies at 150/300/600 Hz, highs at 1.5/3/6 kHz. There's a subsonic filter (12.5 Hz), a low-cut filter (30 Hz), tone defeat, mono/stereo mode switching, a two-deck dubbing switch, a headphone jack rated at 100mW into 8Ω, and a speaker on/off switch. Power consumption is rated at 250W at maximum output.
Documentation on the LX-360 is thin beyond its spec sheet. The vintageknob.org mentions it in passing as being in the "same league" as the Marantz PM-94 - which received a Stereo Sound Component of the Year distinction in '86 - and the Yamaha A-2000a. Owner impressions from Russian forums are brief but positive. One listener who heard it said he liked it but didn't know where it ranked. Another called it simply "good" and said it worked with practically any speakers, but noted it does not sound like modern Luxman models.
A few caveats for prospective buyers. Most units circulating appear to be 100V Japanese-market examples, and whether they can be switched to 220V has been raised without a recorded answer. One used unit offered for sale in Russia was noted to have channel imbalance (left channel quieter). Whether that's a common failure point or a one-off isn't documented. Marketplace listings have described the sound as "warm" and "dynamic," and one reseller's claim of 210W into 4Ω should be treated as a marketing error - the manufacturer's rating is 32W into 8Ω.
Known specifications:
- Output: 32W + 32W (8Ω, 1kHz, both channels)
- Tubes: 6550A ×4, 6CG7 ×5, 12AX7A ×3
- Frequency response (line): 10Hz–30kHz within ±1dB
- S/N ratio (line): 95dB or higher
- Dimensions: 493 × 170 × 477 mm
- Weight: 25.0 kg
- Original price: ¥365,000
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