Reviews

The Luminous Audio Technology Axiom II Passive Preamplifier, with Walker Mod and Remote Volume Control Positive Feedback 02-01-2018 | By Tom Gibbs | Issue 95 About five years ago, I'd just gotten an HRT Streamer HD DAC with balanced outputs, and had also just upgraded my system amps to a pair of Emotiva XPA-1Ls. The Emotivas were (and still are!!) capable of fully-differential, balanced Class A operation, and I was itching for a balanced preamplifier to help me enter what I was hoping would be a significantly enhanced era of system performance. Enter the Luminous Audio Axiom II, which was...

09-21-2014 | By T. C. Holy Moly! There’s a subway running under the house!An early, para-musical reaction to the new Arion phono preamp from LuminousAudio ($6000). We’ll get back to the train, but first a disclaimer. The Arion is theresult of a collaboration between Luminous Audio’s president/owner/sous chef TimStinson and GAS Audio’s Mike Bettinger. Tim has been a personal friend for many,many years, Mike for several, and both Tim and Mike are fellow members in theRichmond Audio Society.* The Arion was heard in prototype form at a couple of RASmeetings, which I unfortunately could not attend, but I heard raves...

01-10-2016 | By Malcolm J. Gomes | Issue 83 I have come across many audiophiles who have truly splendid turntables, tone arms, and cartridges, of which cost them an arm and a leg. Nevertheless, they still may not enjoy the best that vinyl has to offer if the bottleneck in their audio arsenal is their phono preamplifier.  Read more....

By cheerfully weird happenstance, I received two world-class phono preamplifiers, pretty much right on top of each other. The first to arrive was the Arion phonostage ($6,395) from Tim Stinson of Luminous Audio. Tim Stinson was beside himself over this phono pre — he and his partner Mike Bettinger of Bettinger Audio Designh ave been working on this thing for well over a year now — and the final product was “beyond all expectations”. Heady stuff. Read the review...  

By Michael Fremer • Posted: Aug 12, 2015  • Published: Aug 11, 2015   Much to the probable consternation of Luminous Audio Technology, I’ve sat on this MM/MC preamplifier review for more than six months. I probably could have literally sat on the Luminous Audio Arion too, so solidly is it constructed, but I didn’t. Why the review delay? I wanted to be sure the $6395 Arion, from a relatively unknown, small company was reliable. Plus I was enjoying it way too much and wanted to be sure I completely understood why. Read more.....