Luxman is currently refreshing a significant part of it's portfolio of reference class products and today, I'm delighted to introduce you to the NT-07 Network Player.
For those that are new to Yorkshire AV - welcome! We're a family run business based in North Yorkshire that specialises in mid-high end home cinema and HiFi.
We've been selling Luxman now for just over a year and have an extensive range (perhaps the largest?) range of new products in the country.
We've spent a lot of time and money getting to grips with this fabulous brand and as some will know, we're taking Luxman on tour this year with our reference system. You can catch us at the Deluxe Audio Show on the 23rd and 24th March!
Buy the Luxman NT-07 here now!
Above - our flagship Luxman system (digtial source). We also have the PD-191A with LMC-5 and E-250 Phono Stage on another rack. Speakers: DALI Epikore 11.
What is the NT-07?
A very good question and a great place to start. The NT-07 is a high end music streaming transport. It's purpose is to bring a digital media stream from various sources (such as Qobuz, TIDAL, local media servers etc) and output them in the cleanest way possible digitally to a DAC.
As the name suggests, "transport" in HiFi systems simply means a digital transport of data from A-B. There are many network transports out there - the Luxman however has quite a few features that make it stand out from the crowd however.
Connectivity options?
You have a wide range of inputs and outputs, making this a simple product to connect to your DAC.
Outputs
USB 2.0 (A), Optical and Coaxial outputs.
There is also a HDMI output (PCM 2 channel, 4K passthrough and ARC)
Inputs
An RJ45 provides you with gigabit network connectivity and a HDMI input (with 4K passthrough and ARC) - which if you connect the HDMI output to a TV/monitor/projector will provide the 4K pass through video from the media source. i.e. connect your UHD 4K BluRay player to the units HDMI input for PCM stereo playback in your system. Similarly, connect your TV via the ARC port and decode your TV audio through the system with volume control!
There is also a USB port for connecting to an external storage device.
Above: connectivity on the NT-07.
Sampling rates
USB(DAC): PCM 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz (16bit, 24bit, 32bit) DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.5MHz (1bit)
OPT, COAX, HDMI OUT (ARC): PCM 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88 .2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz(16bit, 24bit)
File Formats
WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, MQA, MP3, AAC, DSD (DSF, DFF
Streaming Protocols
UPnP (OpenHome), TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, Roon Ready (getting approved
Above: the NT-07 has a push-in power switch and a Luxman coloured screen with artist, track, and album information as well as track number (if in a playlist etc)
What software does the NT-07 run?
I think at this point, it's worth setting some context.
Software in HiFi has been the Achilles heal of many great products over the year. With software constantly needing to be updated and integrations with streaming services maintained plus support for rapidly changing interfaces (IOS, Android, PC/OSX etc) - many have tried and left their users in the lurch. In the past 18 months, we've witnessed more HiFi brands integrating established software solutions for ultra reliability, leveraging the software teams ability to patch and update far better than a HiFi brand ever could. It's because of this that I'm delighted to see Lumin as the base streaming platform for the NT-07.
Now - you won't find this mentioned on any of the Luxman websites or descriptions, I can only assume this is a licensing or agreement that's in place but those of us with a Lumin or Lumin experience will immediately spot the huge similarities! (the NT-07 also discovers in the Lumin app as well as it's own version of the app). This is very similar to the new audiolab 9000N network streamer which is also based on Lumin.
The benefits other than those mentioned above also translates into what Luxman are great at: making audio sound natural and realistic whilst making the equipment totally transparent.
Once again, the NT-07 here excels. It benefits from a highly stable power supply circuitry with a high noise suppression ratio, consisting of a large power transformer and two 10,000 ㎌ x2 large-capacity filter capacitors selected for excellent audio quality. Given the heritage of Luxman, we would accept no less than this but the integration into the digital front end is exemplary.
Above: our digital reference system with NT-07, D-10X CD/SACD and DAC into our C-10X Control Amp and M-10X Power Amp.
What does it cost?
This was the big surprise for me. Everything in the new family is north of £15,000 per box. When I was informed this was priced fairly at £6500, I was personally delighted. A superb player, great features, a high quality of build and sonically sublime. A must have for any Luxman owner or for someone wanting to get into the world of high fidelity network streaming who would like the flexibility of their own DAC.
You can buy the NT-07 now online here.
Article written by Lee Proctor - owner of Yorkshire AV.
