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"Cleaning Out My Closet", Eminem. Here no real difference was discernable. "Postmodern Blues", Patricia Barber. Despite her undoubted quality, Patricia Barber—another audiophile darling—usually bores me to tears yet here grabbed everyone's attention. Without doubt, this track provided the most dramatic contrast between the amps. Comments were ’definitely a lot more in the room with greater presence’ and ’more realistic’ for the 91s. I sensed that both Richard and Bob were quite shocked at how obvious the differences were this time especially coming from the Eminem track.
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"Heartbreak Hotel", Lynyrd Skynyrd. Most hardcore Skynyrd fans tended to be a bit sniffy about this acoustic track but maybe they just needed to hear it on something like the Border Patrol or Lux 91s to appreciate that sometimes, less is more. Both amps were fairly close though the 91s providing ’more realism’ to the guitar and a more convincing individual voice that stood out from the accompaniment.
For the sake of curiosity, the Western Electric 300Bs were swapped into the 91s and Bonnie Raitt’s "Baby Mine" cued up again. Nods of appreciation followed all around as the 91s seemed to retain their microscopic resolution while adding a taste of the apparently lusher seductive Border Patrol WE300B midrange qualities for a fuller figure. The power of suggestion is deceptively persuasive however. After playing the same track with the stock TJ 300Bs again, The Panel were less than convinced about what the Western Electrics had actually brought to the table as the midrange seemed unaffected. Further exploration of the 91s with the WEs would have been very interesting but we were in danger of slipping off tangent into tube rolling as I also had on hand a pair of TJ meshies. Unfortunately with the clock striking near midnight, both Richard and Bob had an hour's drive ahead of them so the Border Patrol and its WEs exited stage left. Concluding this particular listening session, you should have some notion how the Lux91s compared to the Border Patrol WE 300B.
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Personally speaking, these Hong Kong amplifiers are the best I've had in my system and a truly worthy successor to the Border Patrol which I'd always anticipated would be extremely difficult to usurp at anything less than five figures - although it's fair to remember that on a couple of recordings The Panel actually preferred the Border Patrol though not I. As ever, subjectivity makes this hobby so very interesting. Whilst in the company of other enthusiasts, it's far safer to make idle chit chat about religion, the Iraq war, the economy and other far less controversial subjects than what constitutes good sound.
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To my ears, the primary strength of the Lux 91s is their resolution, making them amazingly revealing of recordings and venues. Those in agreement with the Audio Note comparison by contrast camp of assessing audio components will feel vindicated when hearing how much more variance there is in recordings which previously sounded quite similar, or at least which displayed less variance.
Applause tends to be a good indicator of this and with good recordings, the 91s allow the listener to mentally picture and position particularly enthusiastic individuals among the audience. Similarly high hats can often be blurred and indistinct but increasing resolution better separates them from out of the mush. What could have been sandpaper on a high hat now becomes a brush just as what could have been a large arena full of applause now becomes an intimate hall. So the 91s are highly analytical for sure but not to a fault and not at the expense of musicality. Their ability to differentiate between recordings and venues is down to resolving subtle shifts in tonality, ambient noise and microphone positioning. In simple terms it probably means that the 91s are painting with a wider broader palette than I've heard before. Instruments sound less alike, more individual in nature and the human voice becomes the instrument with perhaps more variations amongst individuals than any other.
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Using visual analogies, it's as though the brightness, color and contrast settings had all been notched up in equal measure to create the appearance of a natural landscape devoid of the garish over-the-top 'Dynamic' setting retailers of plasma and LCD displays use to impress prospective buyers. Switch to the 'Cinema' setting and the picture is nearer to what the director intended, more 'filmic' and easier on the eye but also more saccharine; the equivalent to traditional perceptions of 300B amplification in fact. It’s fine for enhancing romance and drama but for viewing wildlife documentaries or even gritty reality docu-dramas, the sugar coating detracts and blunts the impact somewhat. For me, the Lux 91s strike the ideal balance between 'Dynamic' and 'Cinema'. Exactly which way the sound will lean is determined by the individual recording on one hand and the rest of the system on the other.
There is also the possibility to fine tune with tube rolling. At some point I will try to write an update detailing my experiences with the 91s. As well as the TJ Full Music solid plate and mesh plate 300Bs already in my possession, there is also a pair of Create Audio 300B and Shuguang Treasure Series 'Black Bottle' 300Bs on order. In addition, after a tip-off I've deprived an eBay seller of a pair of RCA 5R4GY rectifiers while searching for a pair of the rare mesh-plate Western Electric 310As.
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The more I read and learn about 300B amplification, the more it becomes clear that the power, rectifier and driver valves are a virtual audio system unto themselves. Each valve performs differently from amp to amp while being dependent on its neighboring glass. After finally having obtained some semblance of expertise with system matching, for me it's now a case of back to the kindergarten to learn which pegs go into which holes.
Even as is, the Lux 91s set a new benchmark in my system yet surprisingly are its least expensive component and less than half the price of the amplifier they replace. It's been a few months since Brian dangled that wriggly worm above my head. I'd resisted a nibble for too long already. It’s time to finally admit I've fallen for the Lux 91s hook, line and sinker. Reel me in, Brian. |
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Reusability of packing: Packaging of review components unrepresentative of what a customer will receive so not applicable.
Condition of component received: Flawless.
Quality of owner's manual: No manual provided. Review components were the first pair to be shipped outside the factory.
Completeness of delivery: Delivered by courier from Hong Kong to the UK.
Website comments: Primarily a web-based company so the site is well developed including Brian Cherry's own blog. There's also an active user forum accessible via the Audio Asylum homepage ('DIY HiFi Forum' under 'Sponsor Forums')
Human interactions: Professional and friendly.
Warranty: One year.
Pricing: $2,399 not including 300Bs. Given the quality of components, the design and more importantly the sound on offer, for me this is the biggest bargain in single-ended valve amplification available today. |
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