The First Luxman MC Phono Cartridge in 40 Years: Japanese-Made LMC-5 Is a Detail and Texture Specialist That Plays with a Big Sound

Great work takes time. And in the case of the Japanese-made LMC-5 MC phono cartridge, it took Luxman 40 years. Featuring a cross-mounted iron core, compact magnet system, and a Shibata stylus mounted to an aluminum pipe cantilever, the first MC cartridge from the Japanese company in four decades traces grooves with the precision of an architectural blueprint and the quiet of a meditation retreat. Musical, defined, direct, and slightly sweet, LMC-5 is a detail and texture specialist — and an instrument well worth the wait. Curious about the difference between expert craftsmanship and mass production? It's all evident in the look and sound of LMC-5.

Featuring a 0.4mV output and 10Hz-35kHz frequency response, LMC-5 exhibits rich tonalities and a big sound. Akin to Luxman's revered amplifiers and electronics, it plays with a naturalism, ease, depth, and smoothness that get top the heart of the performance — and bring you closer to what really went down in the studio and onstage. After all, isn't that what it's all about?

“Great as the LMC-5’s midrange is, the way this cartridge handles the top and bottom end of the musical spectrum is beyond reproach.”
—TONEAudio, Approved Award

"It made my records sing. The LMC-5 is a superb product from a historic audio company that continues to push the sonic envelope into the future."
—Ken Micallef, Stereophile

“If your listening is mostly to classical and jazz, the LMC-5 would be a good choice and in today’s costly cartridge market, the price seems more than reasonable given the sonic performance and excellent build quality.”
—Michael Fremer, The Tracking Angle

"I enjoyed listening to it, admiring its sense of smoothness and depth. What more could you want?"
—Noel Keywood, Hi-Fi World

"I enjoyed listening to it, admiring its sense of smoothness and depth. What more could you want?"
—HiFi World 

"For anyone wanting classic moving-coil sound, free of funnies such as bright treble or the sterility that comes from boron, Luxman's LMC-5 is worth hearing. It has been finely honed to be easygoing yet truthful..."
—Reviewary.com

Extending the Luxman Legacy

The history of the Luxman audio brand began in 1925. Over the decades, Luxman has built a stellar reputation as a brand synonymous with spectacular sound. The Luxman team builds upon — and significantly extends — that legacy with LMC-5. In order to accurately extract the subtle musical information pressed on the record, Luxman selected a combination of an aluminum cantilever with high-tracing ability and a Shibata stylus to pick up a large amount of information with less audible noise. To secure the fulcrum of the vibration system, LMC-5 uses a low-distortion structure with a one-point "piano wire" support method. The MC type power generation engine uses a cross-mounted iron core with symetrically wound coils for the left and right channels. Adopting a magnetic structure with a small field area reduces the intrusion of external noise.

Innovative Design

Based on years of research with closed-body designs, engineers found that the coil and cantilever can act like a microphone, picking up the reflected sound; therefore, reducing the enclosure results in less sound coloration. In order to prioritize weight reduction and resonance countermeasures, the housing is crafted down to a minimal design, which still securely supports the power generation engine. The minimized outer chassis has an inverted, egg-shaped curve that suppresses unnecessary reflected sound and vibrations.