A LM518ia followed me home today.

RH67

Well-Known Member
Have about five hours listening time with a few heat cycles in between. First impressions, beautiful correct tone of voice and instruments, it really is uncanny, LM really has their stuff together and pretty much nailed it in the tone department. More to come once i get more listening time.
 

Attachments

  • P1010002.jpg
    P1010002.jpg
    60.8 KB · Views: 206
  • P1010003.jpg
    P1010003.jpg
    79.6 KB · Views: 170
  • P1010004.jpg
    P1010004.jpg
    61.7 KB · Views: 145
Gorgeous. I can only dream.. if I had one of those for my Tekton Lores, I think I would be set indefinitely.. or until I could also afford Tekton Pendragons.
 
Very nice! Congrats! What's the rest of the system? And Cables?

First, thanks everyone. My speaker cables are of my own making and i`m using PS Audio interconnects. Speakers are Forte with my own tweaking.

This amp so far is exceeding my expectations, having heard the amp at shows and several salons i knew it was good but in my system it`s going beyond how i had heard it before.

I will update as i listen more.
 
Congrats. It's a very good amplifier in sound and build. I also like the gold. A new pair of speakers followed me home but will arrive later. Can't wait to put my LM gear on them.

The 845 is kinda underrated I think.
 
Congrats. It's a very good amplifier in sound and build. I also like the gold. A new pair of speakers followed me home but will arrive later. Can't wait to put my LM gear on them.

The 845 is kinda underrated I think.

Having the 518 at home i understand why some applaud the 845 tube. The other amp i had under consideration was the Melody AN211 also a great sounding amp but hearing the amps side by side the 518 had a more natural tone while the Melody seemed to have a bit of sparkle added to it. For some this could be desired but for me it did induce some fatigue after extended listening. I have heard AN with the 211 tube and that was not the case so it must be something in the design of the Melody amp.

This is my first amp with the 845 tube and only after two days i`m a big fan of the 845. Speaking of tubes the other tubes in the 518 are surprisingly good and as of now i have no desire to do any tube rolling.
 
First, thanks everyone. My speaker cables are of my own making and i`m using PS Audio interconnects. Speakers are Forte with my own tweaking.

This amp so far is exceeding my expectations, having heard the amp at shows and several salons i knew it was good but in my system it`s going beyond how i had heard it before.

I will update as i listen more.

The Forte's are some nice revealing speakers. So its understandable to see why you decided to go with the LM amp. Thats not to say the Melody is bad, but just not good synergy. Its such a joy to have a great system to look forward to day after day. Also...some pics of the system with your new love would be nice?:thmbsp:
 
Having the 518 at home i understand why some applaud the 845 tube. The other amp i had under consideration was the Melody AN211 also a great sounding amp but hearing the amps side by side the 518 had a more natural tone while the Melody seemed to have a bit of sparkle added to it. For some this could be desired but for me it did induce some fatigue after extended listening. I have heard AN with the 211 tube and that was not the case so it must be something in the design of the Melody amp.

This is my first amp with the 845 tube and only after two days i`m a big fan of the 845. Speaking of tubes the other tubes in the 518 are surprisingly good and as of now i have no desire to do any tube rolling.

I did a write-up on the dagogo forums comparing the Melody AN211 vs the Line Magnetic 219IA. And my conclusion was the same.

The Melody amp in their advertising is out to try an be an Audio Note Ongaku for less money but from what I can see --other than using 211s and having silver wires nothing else about them is really the same. You can't really get away from the parts quality and that costs a lot of money.

I go on about parts often because you can audition the exact same amplifier designs at Audio Note with the only difference being the parts upgrades.

LM has done this a bit as well with the 218 versus the 518. Very similar amps the latter using better parts and you hear it. Granted the 518 is tube rectified as well which is probably the biggest thing between them. The key thing usually comes down to the quality of the transformers first and foremost. Do that right and most of the other stuff is easy to upgrade later.

The dealer in HK for example has a Line Magnetic 219IA and then a 219IA (DX) which I assume means deluxe. Basically he has upgraded the caps to German silver. The latter to me sounded better so I had him upgrade my 219IA to the silver caps.

If you can't do it you can have a dealer do it. Doesn't sound good - change them back. Tube amps seem far more open to modifications and upgrading and don't take them long to solder in a new cap. I'd kinda like to do an AN kit upgrade to the 219IA just to see what happens. Stick in some Black Gate caps, their silver wires and AN tantulum resisters. But I'm too lazy for all that. The 219 and the 518 have pre-in so they can be used as a power amp down the line. I have to say I love that feature.

My next upgrade is going to be a preamp which is why I don't want to spend too much on 12AX7 tubes. The LM preamp apparently has a long wait time - a guy on Audio Asylum was told 6 months for the VV-3 preamp - ouch.
 
Last edited:
I will check out your write up.

What i have discovered about LM is that they listen to what they sell and are not just building something too sell. Someone at the design team at LM knows what they are doing.

During the last 9 months i have owned three LM amps, the 216ia, 501ia and now the 518ia. Personally not sure of the brand i proceeded with caution and bought the 216ia and while the 216 sounded very good and i consider it a best buy in the 2k price range, for ME there were too many missing elements in the music and i could afford to move up the line. Having heard the 518 i knew this amp had all of the missing pieces placed where they should be within the music. While waiting for the 518 (they are hard to come by) i decided to fill the gap by buying the 501. The 501 is excellent and i had even thought of just keeping it and forgetting about the 518. Then the 518 comes in and i decide to go with it and i`m sure glad i did, there is something magical about this amp and it is not all about it being a SET amp as i have owned many SET amps in the past and none have come close to the 518.

The 216 took me to Mars, the 501 to the edge of the solar system and the 518 takes me to the outer edge of the Milky Way.

Anyone looking for a new amp should listen to the LM line and if possible in your own home. I had listened to the 518 at several dealers and at some shows but the real magic did not appear until i had it in my own system. The 518 is not cheap but i feel it`s worth every penny and more.

I now have about 20hrs. of listening time. At a later date i will try to describe some of what it sounds like.
 
So whats she doing now?

She`s a keeper for sure.

Detail, transparency and inner depth have increased from top to bottom but what is most impressive is the detail and inner depth in the bass.

I have tried several different 12AX7 tubes for fun and Raytheon 1962 vintage have opened up the soundstage a bit and brought voices slightly forward while maintaining the SET sound. I will leave these in for awhile to see how they are over time.
 
Sounds great....what you said about the inner detail and bass. Inner detail, combined with the solid bass, seems to create the atmosphere of a concert hall or jazz club. It some times feel like you are right there. If a amp has total control of every instrument with the bass adding that rich texture through out, well in your minds eye as you focus on the music, it seems as if you are right there.
 
Sounds great....what you said about the inner detail and bass. Inner detail, combined with the solid bass, seems to create the atmosphere of a concert hall or jazz club. It some times feel like you are right there. If a amp has total control of every instrument with the bass adding that rich texture through out, well in your minds eye as you focus on the music, it seems as if you are right there.

Yes, and that is what is exactly what i wanted as i attend a lot of live events at concert halls and jazz clubs, i have always felt while achieving good to great sound i have never quite captured that live experience at home.

The LM 518 is not perfect, it does not do one thing great but it does everything very good and put it all together it is great sounding and has brought me closer to being there.
 
Back
Top Bottom