Hey guys, I have been doing some A/B between Holo Bliss KTE and Luxman P-750u.
The Luxman is a bit of a lesser known amp, incredibly well built, refined and powerful. It’s a rare beast on this side of the world and I’m lucky enough to own one. For those who don’t know it:
https://www.luxman.com/product/detail.php?id=7
Just to be clear, because it might introduce some level of bias, I'm using the Bliss as a pre (counting on the well known transparency of Holo PREs and Pre modules. Also the bliss doesn't have enough burn-in, just 50-70 hours so far.
This is the chain it’s been tested with:
Allo USBridge Signature > Furutech GT2-Pro USB cable > Holo May L2 > Balanced (MCC cables) > Holo Bliss KTE > Balanced (MCC cables) > Luxman P-750u
Headphones: Dan Clark Expanse
Cable: MCC 8-core silver plated 22awg litz with Aeco connectors and Hi-Rose (high-end version)
Tool - Forty, Six and Two
The Luxman has a more ethereal presentation, more airy overall. Bass is more defined and deeper on the Bliss. The Bliss has a warmer, holographic presentation, making it easier to position instruments and sounds in space. It sounds a bit more compressed, the stage is less wide than on the Luxman.
The part I always use as a test comes at around 4:20 when the crescendo starts, flowing into the finale: the Luxman is very open, percussions have their space and the drum rolls send shivers down your spine. Playing back that minute on the Bliss, the stage is more compressed, but there is more detail, you hear percussion details in the build up that you literally can’t hear on the Luxman. But the drum-roll doesn't have that visceral, shiver generating feel it has on the Luxman: everything is more closed-in. On the Bliss there is more detail and more power, but more compressed.
Luxman wins on points.
Alice in Chains - No Excuses (unplugged)
Here I start with the Bliss. The initial percussions send shivers down the spine. You can feel the strings of the acoustic guitar vibrate in your chest in every small detail. Percussions in the background are very easy to position in space, both in depth and width. Overall the stage is very precise, but relatively small.
Moving to the Luxman. Initial percussions have less dynamics, but the width of the stage is infinite. The strings of the acoustic guitar touch you, but they don't make you shiver. Percussions’ positioning in space is less defined. It's all broader, but less holographic. You can't put your finger on every sound.
Lyne's voice sounds better on the Bliss, is more natural and Jerry's is much easier to split from Lyne’s (on the Luxman they bled together more).
Overall I think I can report the same impressions I had on the Tool track: the Luxman has more air, but less definition. But in the intricate instrumental parts (like for Tool) it gives something more for some reason I can't quite define.
Massive attack - Angel
Bliss: in the intro the sub-bass makes your brain shake. My eyes literally vibrate as I write. On the Luxman they are deep and defined, but the comparison is unfair. Again, wider stage on the Luxman, but less defined sound placement. With the Bliss you really can give the exact coordinates of every single note. The impressive thing about the Bill is the bass decay. Immediate, no trail. Scary stuff.
The voice, again, is more natural and rounded on the Bliss, more defined.
On the Luxman, everything happens OUTSIDE your head. On the Bliss, only part of it. It's more intimate.
The note trail is drier on the Bliss, more natural in my opinion. On the Luxman, it stretches a little too much.
Testament - 3 Days in Darkness
Starting with the Luxman here. Immense stage. The voice is perhaps a little lost between the instruments and in the (obvious) general mess. Lombardo's double kick drum is a bit lost. James Murphy's rhythm is a thread mixed with percussion.
On the Bliss the stage is very small vs Luxman. The voice is perfectly defined. Percussions and guitars are on two completely different layers. Everything sounds bombastic, more in your face, yet perfectly defined. The double kick drum has its own space and position.
Another A/B, this time with ZMF Caldera (MMC 8-core silver and copper hybrid with full Furutech connectors).
Deftones - Digital Bath
Drum attack (in the silence) much more incisive on the Bliss. Sounds in general have more reverb on the Luxman, which still has a wider and more ethereal stage (I must say very suitable for this song). Chino's vocals are much closer on the Bliss, also sounding much more natural and present. Coming to the denser passages, with distorted guitars, drums, bass all together and then screamed vocals, the Bliss behaves much better, giving each instrument its space and well-defined position, to the detriment of a more limited stage.
Sampled (subtle) effects in moments of silence are much more audible on the Bliss, mostly because in moments of total silence it is FULLY silent. There is absolutely no rustling in the background, which can be heard in the Luxman, albeit distant and faint.
Opeth - Bleak
Let's start with the Luxman. Very spacious sound once again. There is no question, the instruments are more blended together than with the Bliss. Dynamics are also more compressed: the frequency gap between cymbals and kick drum is greater on the Bliss.
Things improve a lot by moving "sensitivity" on the Luxman from High to Mid, but on separation and positioning we are still a bit far from the Bliss.
At 5:00 there is a very atmospheric acoustic passage with solo and voice: o n the Bliss again the sound is more holographic, at this point there is no doubt. All notes have more space between them, even if the stage is more intimate.
On the Luxman, everything appears more in the background, more distant and on the same level.
In terms of sounds popping in different parts of the soundscape we are far (and quite so) between the two.
It’s the usual struggle: if you listen to the Luxman in isolation, it has a wonderful sound, incredibly elegant and refined, precisely because it is open and ethereal, but when you compare it to the Bliss, from a technical point of view (separation , depth of sound field, silence) there are some differences that are quite easy to notice for a trained ear.
