Obelix :lmao:
Ok, sorry, back on topic.
I tried to somehow define the difference between the Luxman L-80 and the Sansui AU-555A. Too bad I do not have the L-80 anymore, then I could have made the actual comparison. I do have an L-85, but it is in storage. An L-31 too, but also in storage.
I do recognise the remarks Barncats makes; a detailed and very well defined emotional kind of music reproduction. Perhaps the amp is not emotive by itself, but it is capable of translating the emotion already "stored" in the music and better at that too than a lot of other amps.
Perhaps I could describe the difference between the Luxman and the Sansui as follows; they are both able of this detailed and well defined emotional reproduction, only the Luxman does it more like a gentleman and the Sansui more like a folky.
Musically something like this;
gentleman versus
folky (skip to 3:55 if you don't like the intro).
I have heard a good number of amps over the last two years, I noticed that some amps perform better on a particular kind of music while there are other amps that perform less on that music but better on another kind of music. Perhaps the best advice - if you can afford it - buy both amps and enjoy them for a while.
Then either keep both of them or sell one. They will keep their value anyway, so it perhaps would not even cost you. (And again, the Pioneer might be just as good a choice, but I never heard it).