SOHO in the Heisei era and remote work in the Reiwa era have different names, and people no longer spend long hours at their desks. Desktop audio is for such people who want to consider the richness of music. This time, I would like to borrow Luxman’s vacuum tube integrated amplifier and show you how good the compatibility between desktop audio and vacuum tube amplifiers is!

[Previous options]Desktop audio is definitely recommended

I wanted a speaker that was easy to use, so I bought Altec’s bookshelf speaker “DIG”, which was created over 50 years ago, on Yahoo! Auctions.

If I had to pick it up, it would only fit on a desk, so even if I thought about using it as a desktop audio speaker, I would run into problems such as vibrations being transmitted to the desk and not being able to adjust the height.

We have published the previous articles and are looking forward to hearing your opinions such as “What’s this!” and “Would you like a bigger speaker?” I think so. That’s what I thought at first too.

However, you will get used to it over time, and although the box is large and has a single 20cm full-range driver, the sound is solid and the sound image is clearly localized between the speakers. We simulated this many times in advance, so it was exactly as planned.

As for my plans, I feel like I’ve become closer to music. This is because the distance between the speaker and the listening hand is close, so there is less need to turn up the volume, and as a result, you can enjoy music without worrying about time.

In the future, since the screen is vertical, short videos on YouTube etc. seem to be good for the time being! Regular videos can last several minutes, so I avoided watching them while I was at work, but short videos are shorter, so I feel less guilty.

As a result, the speed of work output is decreasing. I thought I would receive a reminder from the current editor asking if I could write the manuscript.

I love both one-piece components and separate components.

Once you have your favorite speakers, you want an amplifier to make the most of them. It’s a lot of fun to expand your imagination and think, “I want to get the ultimate quality and build a large-scale separate system,” or “It would be fun to have a compact and cute integrated system on hand.”

The one I’m currently using is LINN’s MAJIK DSM. This is an integrated amplifier with a built-in network play function. We also have USB and HDMI inputs for convenient connection of PCs, BD players, and game consoles, so you might as well have a black treasure box that can do anything.

Even if some people frown, saying, “This machine is convenient, but the sound is…”, you should praise it. That may have been the case in the past. Advances in this technology are amazing, and now there are an increasing number of products that are highly satisfying.

I think that one-piece components like MAJIK DSM will become mainstream in audio.

MAJIK DSM has no complaints about its functions or problems, and although it looks like LINN, it’s just a black box…

I’m sure many people have a vacuum tube amplifier as one of the features that makes such an audio device unique. Audio and musical instrument amplifiers are probably the only electrical devices that use vacuum tubes that you can see in your daily life.

So last year, I borrowed Luxman’s A4 size model “SQ-N150” (275,000 yen), which celebrated its 100th anniversary, and enjoyed it for about a week.

SQ-N150 is Luxman’s longest-running integrated in its current lineup.

Even over the last 100 years, the eras from Taisho to Showa to Heisei and Reiwa were turbulent times with unprecedented changes in human history.

Although there have been some twists and turns in the midst of this great change, Luxman has survived solely through audio.

The company’s SQ-N150 is an integrated amplifier that appeared in the “Neo Classico” series in late October 2018.

The output stage has a strong pull configuration using two PSVANE EL84 (6BQ5) per channel, with a nominal value of 10W + 10W (6Ω). Maybe you’re using the wrong digit compared to the transistor amplifier?

This method of configuring the output stage with a selective pull of EL84 was also used in the company’s first integrated amplifier “SQ-5A” released in 1961.

Although the parts and circuits are completely different, don’t you think that the genes of Luxman, which boasts a long history, are still alive in this A4 size amplifier?

An analog output meter is also provided on the front panel. It’s fun just to see the level meter. A good impression is that it also has a headphone output terminal. There are nights when I want to listen to it with headphones.

In addition to three line-level inputs, there is one MM/MC switchable phono input, and it also supports analog record playback.

The input selector is shaped like a train throttle lever (master controller), which is very unique. The selector has a good reputation, and the volume has a reasonable weight, so your fingers will enjoy it every time you operate it. Tactility is a very important part of audio. I think Luxman is very knowledgeable about this as well.

The fact that it has adjustment mechanisms such as bass/treble and left/right balance makes it unbreakable. There are times when you want to raise the low range a little when increasing the volume. By the way, it has a center click, and the tactile feel that requires a certain amount of torque is also a good impression. Many integrated amplifiers and preamps only have a selector and volume adjustment, but this type of control is extremely valuable.

When I put it on my desk because it’s A4 size, it’s surprisingly tall and has a lot of feel to it. At first, I kept it handy because it made it easy to adjust the volume, but when I placed it on top of a cabinet near my desk, I realized how neat it looked.

I once heard a designer say, “I designed it with the idea that it could be placed in a place other than an audio rack,” and after actually placing it there, I was convinced.

A remote control is also provided just in case you find it a bit troublesome to adjust the volume because you are far away when you put it down.

I tried combining it with “ZEN DAC3” which is popular among headphone enthusiasts.

The SQ-N150 does not have a USB input, so you will need to prepare something separately when connecting it to a PC. When it was first released, the “D-N150” was widely used as a companion CD player, and it had a USB input, but before I knew it, it was no longer on sale.

Also, in the past Nintendo had a number of compact stand-alone D/A converters with USB input and headphone output, but now they are all discontinued…

Therefore, I used my personal iFi audio DAC “ZEN DAC3” to connect it to the PC. ZEN DAC3 is a model that supports sampling rates of PCM 768kHz/32bit and DSD 22.5MHz, and also has an MQA defeed function.

While the input is simple with only USB-C, the output is one each of unbalanced and balanced (4.4mm), and it is also versatile in that it supports fixed output and variable output that can be adjusted with the volume knob on the front panel.

The ZEN DAC3 can also operate on USB bus power, but it also has an external power input terminal, and you can improve the sound quality by using a power adapter (sold separately).

I thought I’d buy one, but it’s hard to find, so I went to Marutsu, a mail order site for electrical parts, and bought Pathos’ DK-050-R (2,715 yen), a transformer-type AC adapter.

Smile at the rich and nutritious taste, just like drinking delicious Iwashimizu.

After connecting the SQ-N150, when I turned on the power, the vacuum tubes seemed to shine brighter than I expected. Even if I turn up the volume and listen to the speakers, I don’t hear any noise.

Unlike the stereotypical image that the sound of a vacuum tube amplifier is a little low and warm, this modern sound is slightly cooler and has a wide range. The sound feels refreshing and longing, like drinking delicious rock water, and it has a decent amount of mass to give it a down-to-earth expression.

I personally think that Luck Stone is not just about tone, but about serious musical expression.

AV Watch playlist published on Qobuz

Hikaru Utada’s “One Last Kiss” is a vocal song from the playlist “AV Watch Staff Carefully Selected – 25 Songs Used in Product Listening” published by AV Watch on Qobuz. Utada’s whisper-like voice is beautifully expressed.

The first ad of the popular YouTube channel “THE FIRST TAKE” in 2026 was an unexpected ad.

This system directly reproduces the passionate singing voice like a lit vacuum tube and the sweet honey that seems to be the opposite. Due to the closeness of the speaker, the young man’s arguments in Ado are even more poignant.

While listening to this young man’s argument, I reflected a little and said, “There was a time when I thought that way too.But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve given up on things and become more mature.” Early in the new year, I thought it would be okay to sharpen it like a knife again.

By the time I was listening, the sun had already set. When the test room is darkened and the vacuum tube lights illuminate the room, the dull room suddenly becomes moody. This advanced vacuum tube amplifier can be enjoyed not only by the ears but also by the eyes.

“Buenos Aires hora cero” (Buenos Aires Midnight), included in the album “Hommage a Piazzolla” by Gidon Klee (vn), who sparked a Piazzolla boom in the classical music world, is one of the most widely known Piazzolla numbers.

The double bass, violin, harpsichord, piano, and bandoneon create a dignified and tense atmosphere that envelops the room, making you imagine various scenes occurring in the darkness. The slightly cool tone seems to fit perfectly with this song.

Gidon Kremer’s “Homage a Piazzolla”

The title song for Blue Note’s representative piano trio Horace Parlan’s masterpiece “US THREE” is a groovy and earthy song.

George Tucker’s bass moves quietly and dynamically because the SQ-N150’s power supply is solid. The rhythm of Al Harewood’s drums is also pleasant, and it’s a drink that goes well with it.

Horace Parlan “US THREE”

The fun of tube amps is that the output tubes can be replaced. The EL84 is available at a relatively low price, so I think it’s fun to replace it and find the sound you like.

Well, vacuum tubes have a surprisingly long lifespan, and I’ve heard some people say they were fine even after 5 years of using them for 12 hours a day.

It was as if a vacuum tube had been lit in my heart, and as we spent time together, my life became a little more enriched. I seriously considered choosing a vacuum tube amplifier for a desktop audio environment that would allow me to get closer to music.