Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

You can count on two hands the hi-fi brands that can mark a century, and Luxman's 100th anniversary takes place in 2025. Founded as the Lux Corporation in June 1925 by T. Hayakawa and his brother, it began as the radio department of Kinsuido Picture Frame Store in Osaka. The brothers had the foresight to import radios in time for Japan's first broadcast later that year in what was a frenetic period – NHK (Japan's answer to the BBC) was only established in November 1924. Wishing to avoid a dependency on importing hardware from the USA and Europe, Lux swiftly moved into manufacturing, selling under the Luxman name and gaining a reputation for superior transformers and switches – both hallmarks of every Luxman product to this day.

Luxman became one of Japan's first high-end brands during the 1960s with the explosive growth of separates-based hi-fi. Among its firsts were a vacuum hold-down turntable, the PD-300 [HFN Jul '81], while also employing the legendary Tim de Paravicini for its amplifier designs. After a fallow period under Alpine, IAG acquired Luxman in 2009, joining the equally venerable Quad and Wharfedale. Maintaining its high-end status, Luxman is kept separate from the other IAG brands and remains based in Kanagawa, Japan.