Luxman's first network streamer combines digital tech with hi-fi knowhow

What Hi-Fi? said:

Luxman's first network streamer combines digital tech with hi-fi knowhow

Isn't that what all streamers do?

Friesiansam said:

Isn't that what all streamers do?

All cars drive.

All HIFI companies will enter the streaming sector eventually and abandon the physical formats, because they know it's the future. Easy access to lots of high quality music, or the hoarding of expensive and bulky impractical discs? Hmmm.

'It offers all the digital smarts you could want from a streamer, along with a sound quality that promises to be "breathtaking".'

Indeed. You can't breathe when you see your balance is £6500 lighter.

I do think the price is far too high. I'm not sure where the £6500 goes, looking at the interior and there seems to be a missing capacitor!

https://www.luxman.com/asset/product/NT-07/gb3.jpg
Perhaps the inside is full of invisible HIFI dark matter and it does something truly great, but I doubt it.

There's a sprinkling of copper screws and some quite unnecessary cable ties. A poor effort really.

I bet Luxman could sell this device for £650 and still make a decent profit, but it needs to be very expensive in order to attract the 'discerning audiophile' with deep pockets. 'Let's add a zero to the retail price and see if we sell any.'

The loyal Luxman demographic will have one pre-ordered already and will be convinced it's a bargain.

The £2 internal USB cable to join the boards makes me laugh. It seems to be a very odd design and the longer I look at this picture, the more I think you could build one yourself for £200 if you could order the bits.

Nothing in this photo shouts expensive parts and quality construction. I'd never buy one, because it's overpriced nonsense and another example of the elitism and snobbery which exists in this market.

The casework is really nice, but deceptive, as the tidy packaging won't influence the sound quality.

Get yourself a Bluesound NODE for £449 as it will do exactly the same and probably sound just as good.

https://www.richersounds.com/bluesound-node-black.html

podknocker said:

All HIFI companies will enter the streaming sector eventually and abandon the physical formats, because they know it's the future. Easy access to lots of high quality music, or the hoarding of expensive and bulky impractical discs? Hmmm.

'It offers all the digital smarts you could want from a streamer, along with a sound quality that promises to be "breathtaking".'

Indeed. You can't breathe when you see your balance is £6500 lighter.

I do think the price is far too high. I'm not sure where the £6500 goes, looking at the interior and there seems to be a missing capacitor!

https://www.luxman.com/asset/product/NT-07/gb3.jpg
Perhaps the inside is full of invisible HIFI dark matter and it does something truly great, but I doubt it.

There's a sprinkling of copper screws and some quite unnecessary cable ties. A poor effort really.

I bet Luxman could sell this device for £650 and still make a decent profit, but it needs to be very expensive in order to attract the 'discerning audiophile' with deep pockets. 'Let's add a zero to the retail price and see if we sell any.'

The loyal Luxman demographic will have one pre-ordered already and will be convinced it's a bargain.

The £2 internal USB cable to join the boards makes me laugh. It seems to be a very odd design and the longer I look at this picture, the more I think you could build one yourself for £200 if you could order the bits.

Nothing in this photo shouts expensive parts and quality construction. I'd never buy one, because it's overpriced nonsense and another example of the elitism and snobbery which exists in this market.

The casework is really nice, but deceptive, as the tidy packaging won't influence the sound quality.

Get yourself a Bluesound NODE for £449 as it will do exactly the same and probably sound just as good.

https://www.richersounds.com/bluesound-node-black.html

I'm a Luxman product owner and I could not agree with you more. This particular product is a very poor showing for the Luxman brand. Besides the licensing fee to use the Lumin processor and software there is nothing note worthy of the product. The case is your normal stamped metal case, the internals are nothing extra-ordinary and the internal design is very poor. Cable ties and glue holding down wires, an internal off-the-shelf USB cable connecting the front panel USB port to the motherboard and no shielding between the transformer to the digital parts is sub-par.

It's been on the market for over a year and there are literally no reviews of the actual product on the Internet. That speaks volumes.

If Luxman had put the same level in engineering, craftsmanship and attention to detail in this product as they do with their Integrated amps for example, it would be on my shelf, even at the going price. As is, it does not deserve to wear the Luxman name and it surely doesn't deserve a shot at my hard earned money.