Going to demo Line Magnetic 216

[Catcher10]

Sweet looking tube amp.....congrats on the new family member!

 

[SeattleHiFi]

Welcome to the Line Magnetic club!

Nice choice

Thank you, I am enjoying!

 

[SeattleHiFi]

Sweet looking tube amp.....congrats on the new family member!

Thanks!

 

[SeattleHiFi]

Really enjoying this fantastic amp! It is so true to recordings. Its funny, a lot of bias exists about tubes (no pun intended), being overly warm, perhaps polite, maybe sloppy in the bass etc...I find none of this to be true with the LM 216. It's sound is always inviting into the world of the recording. Body, weight, resolution, air, what have you - they all just shine through with an organic lively quality that is more transparent and neutral than most amps I've heard period. Music of all kinds and recordings of all qualities are excellent, among the best I've heard even against some pretty expensive stuff. And the bass is deep, defined, and felt.

Anyway, just offering more impressions for those out there considering tubes, and even more specifically the line magnetic stuff.

 

[enginedr]

I just added 2 VTL 100 compact mono block el34 based amps to my system .
I understand what your describing .

 

[SeattleHiFi]

Still love this amp! New 12ax7 tubes on the way soon.

 

[crisco]

Still love this amp! New 12ax7 tubes on the way soon.

what brand/type did you buy?

 

[SeattleHiFi]

what brand/type did you buy?

Gold lion 12ax7. Will also try some NOS mullards from a friend. I'll report back with my impressions.

As an aside, I just plugged my amp into the wall for the first (always been in my monster power hts 1000 strip). Holy moly! What positive difference, dynamics and details just got nice and real. But now I don't have the peace of mind of the surge protection (not sure what exactly it will protct against anyway.)

 

[Art K.]

Gold lion 12ax7. Will also try some NOS mullards from a friend. I'll report back with my impressions.

As an aside, I just plugged my amp into the wall for the first (always been in my monster power hts 1000 strip). Holy moly! What positive difference, dynamics and details just got nice and real. But now I don't have the peace of mind of the surge protection (not sure what exactly it will protct against anyway.)

You live in the NW. What do you need surge protection for!

Sucks the life out of HiFi.

 

[SeattleHiFi]

You live in the NW. What do you need surge protection for!

Sucks the life out of HiFi.

You know, it did kind of do that. It was very good before, and such huge step in liveliness compared to the vintage mcintosh (though I'm still looking at phono pre stages). But straight outta the wall, impact and soundtstage and coherence just took another big step. That was a nice freebie

I had a chance to demo the Heed Questar in my system. I thought it was quite good. The bass was really something special. But compared to my borrowed Graham Slee gram amp it seemed kind of slow and a bit recessed in the upper mids or something. Preferred the slee in that respect. I'm still considering Hagermans cornet and now the Lounge Audio LCR.

Except I really need to replace my SME 3009 tonearm, if for. I other reason than the atrocious and failing spring loaded din connected which is coming apart. So an origin live Tonearm may have to come before a phono stage.
Thankfully I have an understanding friend with two awesome phono stages (he uses the excellent rega elex-r integerated.)

 

[SeattleHiFi]

Update: After Gold Lion KT88 and 12AX7 tube replacements the amp really took on a level of refinement, and bass definition that I have never heard at home. Loving it.

Today I received my NOS RCA 12BH7A tubes, to replace the last of the stock tubes. So far it is really quite something. Wasn't really sure if these two tubes would make much difference. Will report back after extended listening, but first impressions are very positive, a more natural open and refined sound than the Electro Harmonix 12BH7's that came with it!

 

[RGA]

Yes stripping the myths of tube amps and SET amps I have been on about for more than a decade. I am NOT remotely convinced that SS does bass better (or anything better). Right now I am listening to my KEF LS-50s through a 50 watt SS amp and I can actually completely understand why so many people complain that the speakers lack bass - it sounds largely muddy and highly compressed with no bass weight. Shift over to the half the power 219IA and BOOOOOM bass down to a solid 40hz - bigger dynamic landscape more front to back and transparent. The 216 and 211 easily drive the ATC 100s and this ain't an easy task in the remotest.

Congrats on your amp - Line Magnetic is one of the easiest lines to recommend. Even their headphone amp driving Zu was rather astonishing - I have been tempted to buy that little amp. I need an excuse.

 

[SeattleHiFi]

Thanks @RGA the Line Magnetic has really provided immense musical satisfaction! The NOS RCA 12bh7 made quite an improvement. Especially in regards to depth, sound layers are more clear and things are more real. Again, outstanding performance from this amp! I have never heard better bass, including the High Power Mcintosh SS Pre/Amp combo i used to own.

I forgot to mention in my update that my
vinyl front end completely changed as well.
From a vintage thorens to A Michell Tecnodec/Tecnoarm, Ortofon 2m Bronze, and Lounge Audio phono stage. This setup is a very real contender to some big bucks setups that I have helped friends purchase (who have much greater discretionary income than me!)

 

[Art K.]

Unlike Richard I think the quality of the amp, solid state or tube, has everything to do with the outcome. Good design comes in both SS and tube. You can get a mediocrity, crap or excellent performance from a 50 watt per channel SS amp. Less about the watts than the execution of the design.