AikiAudio
Active Member
Hello all!
In first place I would like to say that I am new to this forum. AudioKarma is one of the most informative forums I found describing the Line Magnetic audio amps. A brand which I keep researching in order to find more information still today. Psyopwak wrote a great review about the LM Audio 216IA and Art K about the LM Audio 219IA - http://artkyleslistening.blogspot.com - Other members also contributed on the LM 216 thread. The LM 216IA review is what got me started. For some time I thought about posting a response there but since my amp is the LM 211IA model and my gear is quite different, I thought about starting a new post. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that we will see a lot more information about the amps from LM audio as the years go by.
I also don't like the way “low cost hi-fi gear” is referred as "great for the money" because good audio gear is never inexpensive. I do love my 20 kilos LM 211IA little amp. When I first auditioned it in Montreal something clicked. I was very lucky to find a great Audio Shop that sold LM amps. They were very helpful and patient with me. We compared it at the time with an Italian hybrid integrated amp called Unison Research. We auditioned the Unico, Secondo and the LM 211IA. The Secondo was a step up from the Unico and they both did sound very good indeed. In fact the Unico and the Second are great amps. I would love to own them as well and switch from time to time the flavor of my system. In the end I thought that the tube sound of the LM amp was sweeter, warmer and less hmmm... electronic. Of course that is a very ordinary description.
The more I read about the differences between tube amps, SS amps and hybrids the more I am convinced that it is just a matter of personal taste. It depends on what you are looking for. Paired with good speakers and a nice source it is really up to the listener. Ultimately, you will be the judge.
The LM audio amp is a little beauty. Well built, heavy and to me it has a lovely retro-design. You can switch between triode and ultra-linear mode without having to turn the amp off. Triode gives you 15 watts per channel and sounds to me more natural. Ultra-linear sounds a bit more bass heavy and gives you 32 watts per channel. It comes with a nice remote control, adjustable bias with built in meter. The bias is very easy to adjust. A 4 and 8 ohm output taps is supplied in the back. The exposed vacuum tubes glow orange, warm and very noticeable at night. I got my amp without the stock tubes, we rolled the front ones (2 x 12ax7 + 2 x 12au7) for JJ's and the stock EL34 for the Genalex KT77 in the back. It is said that these tubes will get more from the amp because of their superior build quality.
You can do your own research on tubes you would like to try in order to adjust flavor. Good Chinese, Russian and French tube brands are said to be amazing and can get even more out of your tube gear. Brands like Psvane and Shuguang treasure series are supposed to take the sound to an even higher level. Be prepared to spend and from $250 to $750 in order to get the best tubes you can place your hands on.
I auditioned the LM with ASW Genius 310 speakers - http://canadahifi.com/asw-genius-310-loudspeakers/ - Fantastic speakers! They were expensive but worth every penny. Beautiful, well built, detailed sound. It is quite hard to describe the ASWs but to my ears they seemed to be just the perfect match for the LM 211 amp. We also tried the LM amp paired with the ASW Cantius 404 (which I already owned) but the Genius sounded more detailed with superior electronics. Once again it comes to personal taste. Do not take my word for it. You should try different speakers with the LM amp. Many people talk about the exceptional match between the Devore speakers and the LM amps. You should try every speaker you can until you find the one you like. Devores, ASWs and other brands will do the job very well. Finding good speakers depends on taste, store availability and budget.
My source was my good not so old Rega RP3 with TTPSU and the awesome Dynavector 40x5. Since the LM Audio amp does not have a built in phono preamp like the models we tested from Unison Research, we used a Phenomena 2 from Music Sorroundings. I had an absolute amazing afternoon listening to this audio set. I thought that everything sounded just right. The LM amp paired with the ASWs were able to extract everything or near everything the RP3 could offer. I know that some people do not like Regas and of course it must be superior tables out there. To my ears the RP3 is an awesome table. The Dynavector MC cart as everyone knows is a great cart, sweet sounding cartridge. The RP3 x Dyna is a killer combination in my opinion. I hope to upgrade one day to the Dyna 20x2. I am sure it will be an even better listening experience. The dedicated phono preamp Phenomena 2 was a perfect match for this system. Can’t forget to mention my beautiful Pagode audio rack from a German brand called Finite Elemente, which I purchased used in New York City from an amazing dealer that also sells LM Audio gear. That is where I got my first Rega TT.
None of the gear was extremely expensive, if I can say that… of course audio gear is expensive, very expensive in fact. This set is an amazing audio equipment when put together. Sometimes I doubt that a lot more money thrown into the system will produce a much better sound. But, I know it will, nothing like a 5k TT, 2k cart, 2k pre amp, 11k speakers and a 5k amp.. Damn, that is a nice car right there. One can always go higher with better TTs, better cartridges, better cables, better everything. But unfortunately my budget could not stretch forever. You have to stop at some point. It is nice to enjoy what you have. When you upgrade your gear you will enjoy it even more.
Just to give you guys an idea from where I was coming from. I had a Rega Mira 3 integrated amp and ASW Cantius 404 speakers. Don't get me wrong, the RP3, Mira 3 and Cantius 404 were a killer audio set. But, since I was going to move away from Canada to South America I decided to go for the best audio equipment I could afford. Down there it is simply impossible to buy anything related to audio. The import taxes will just kill you.
Before leaving Canada I also purchased a Transparent power cable for the LM amp, interconnects and speaker cables. Nothing fancy but I just though it would be a nice touch and a good treat for my new system. Even though it is very hard to describe if the sound from the new cables are in fact better or not I though the system just deserved it. It is also a visual pleasure to see nice cables in your own system. I am sure it makes a difference, even if it is just in my head the sound "feels" more detailed.
I have great vinyl collection and I loooove music specially Jazz and Rock. The LM Audio does well with everything I play. From Hendrix (my favorite) to Miles Davis. I am currently making an effort to listen and try to understand the Biches Brew. What a great system to listen to your favourite music. My wife loves my music room but she is also ready to kill me. I hear my albums over and over and over again. Bettles, Clapton, Pat Matheny, Jaco Pastorius, Jony Mitchell, John Coltrane (oh my God! Love Supreme) Santana, The Doors, Rage Against the Machine, Pink Floyd, U2, Tom Jobim, Frank Sinatra and Tonny Bennett (I saw him in Montreal in tears) are just some of the vinyls I spin. My neighbors must hate me… or love me... probably hate me!
I am really enjoying my audio setup with the LM amp 211 at its center. The LM 211 is an incredible amp and in my opinion you just can't go wrong with it. Of course you have to make sure you find a nice pair of speakers. That is very important in order to get the best out of it. I hope to upgrade my amp one day for a higher end LM amp like the 210 - OH MY GOD! I am sure there is more out there waiting!
Well... that is my LM 211IA audio experience. Are you experienced? Well… I am! Let me prove it to you...
In first place I would like to say that I am new to this forum. AudioKarma is one of the most informative forums I found describing the Line Magnetic audio amps. A brand which I keep researching in order to find more information still today. Psyopwak wrote a great review about the LM Audio 216IA and Art K about the LM Audio 219IA - http://artkyleslistening.blogspot.com - Other members also contributed on the LM 216 thread. The LM 216IA review is what got me started. For some time I thought about posting a response there but since my amp is the LM 211IA model and my gear is quite different, I thought about starting a new post. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that we will see a lot more information about the amps from LM audio as the years go by.
I also don't like the way “low cost hi-fi gear” is referred as "great for the money" because good audio gear is never inexpensive. I do love my 20 kilos LM 211IA little amp. When I first auditioned it in Montreal something clicked. I was very lucky to find a great Audio Shop that sold LM amps. They were very helpful and patient with me. We compared it at the time with an Italian hybrid integrated amp called Unison Research. We auditioned the Unico, Secondo and the LM 211IA. The Secondo was a step up from the Unico and they both did sound very good indeed. In fact the Unico and the Second are great amps. I would love to own them as well and switch from time to time the flavor of my system. In the end I thought that the tube sound of the LM amp was sweeter, warmer and less hmmm... electronic. Of course that is a very ordinary description.
The more I read about the differences between tube amps, SS amps and hybrids the more I am convinced that it is just a matter of personal taste. It depends on what you are looking for. Paired with good speakers and a nice source it is really up to the listener. Ultimately, you will be the judge.
The LM audio amp is a little beauty. Well built, heavy and to me it has a lovely retro-design. You can switch between triode and ultra-linear mode without having to turn the amp off. Triode gives you 15 watts per channel and sounds to me more natural. Ultra-linear sounds a bit more bass heavy and gives you 32 watts per channel. It comes with a nice remote control, adjustable bias with built in meter. The bias is very easy to adjust. A 4 and 8 ohm output taps is supplied in the back. The exposed vacuum tubes glow orange, warm and very noticeable at night. I got my amp without the stock tubes, we rolled the front ones (2 x 12ax7 + 2 x 12au7) for JJ's and the stock EL34 for the Genalex KT77 in the back. It is said that these tubes will get more from the amp because of their superior build quality.
You can do your own research on tubes you would like to try in order to adjust flavor. Good Chinese, Russian and French tube brands are said to be amazing and can get even more out of your tube gear. Brands like Psvane and Shuguang treasure series are supposed to take the sound to an even higher level. Be prepared to spend and from $250 to $750 in order to get the best tubes you can place your hands on.
I auditioned the LM with ASW Genius 310 speakers - http://canadahifi.com/asw-genius-310-loudspeakers/ - Fantastic speakers! They were expensive but worth every penny. Beautiful, well built, detailed sound. It is quite hard to describe the ASWs but to my ears they seemed to be just the perfect match for the LM 211 amp. We also tried the LM amp paired with the ASW Cantius 404 (which I already owned) but the Genius sounded more detailed with superior electronics. Once again it comes to personal taste. Do not take my word for it. You should try different speakers with the LM amp. Many people talk about the exceptional match between the Devore speakers and the LM amps. You should try every speaker you can until you find the one you like. Devores, ASWs and other brands will do the job very well. Finding good speakers depends on taste, store availability and budget.
My source was my good not so old Rega RP3 with TTPSU and the awesome Dynavector 40x5. Since the LM Audio amp does not have a built in phono preamp like the models we tested from Unison Research, we used a Phenomena 2 from Music Sorroundings. I had an absolute amazing afternoon listening to this audio set. I thought that everything sounded just right. The LM amp paired with the ASWs were able to extract everything or near everything the RP3 could offer. I know that some people do not like Regas and of course it must be superior tables out there. To my ears the RP3 is an awesome table. The Dynavector MC cart as everyone knows is a great cart, sweet sounding cartridge. The RP3 x Dyna is a killer combination in my opinion. I hope to upgrade one day to the Dyna 20x2. I am sure it will be an even better listening experience. The dedicated phono preamp Phenomena 2 was a perfect match for this system. Can’t forget to mention my beautiful Pagode audio rack from a German brand called Finite Elemente, which I purchased used in New York City from an amazing dealer that also sells LM Audio gear. That is where I got my first Rega TT.
None of the gear was extremely expensive, if I can say that… of course audio gear is expensive, very expensive in fact. This set is an amazing audio equipment when put together. Sometimes I doubt that a lot more money thrown into the system will produce a much better sound. But, I know it will, nothing like a 5k TT, 2k cart, 2k pre amp, 11k speakers and a 5k amp.. Damn, that is a nice car right there. One can always go higher with better TTs, better cartridges, better cables, better everything. But unfortunately my budget could not stretch forever. You have to stop at some point. It is nice to enjoy what you have. When you upgrade your gear you will enjoy it even more.
Just to give you guys an idea from where I was coming from. I had a Rega Mira 3 integrated amp and ASW Cantius 404 speakers. Don't get me wrong, the RP3, Mira 3 and Cantius 404 were a killer audio set. But, since I was going to move away from Canada to South America I decided to go for the best audio equipment I could afford. Down there it is simply impossible to buy anything related to audio. The import taxes will just kill you.
Before leaving Canada I also purchased a Transparent power cable for the LM amp, interconnects and speaker cables. Nothing fancy but I just though it would be a nice touch and a good treat for my new system. Even though it is very hard to describe if the sound from the new cables are in fact better or not I though the system just deserved it. It is also a visual pleasure to see nice cables in your own system. I am sure it makes a difference, even if it is just in my head the sound "feels" more detailed.
I have great vinyl collection and I loooove music specially Jazz and Rock. The LM Audio does well with everything I play. From Hendrix (my favorite) to Miles Davis. I am currently making an effort to listen and try to understand the Biches Brew. What a great system to listen to your favourite music. My wife loves my music room but she is also ready to kill me. I hear my albums over and over and over again. Bettles, Clapton, Pat Matheny, Jaco Pastorius, Jony Mitchell, John Coltrane (oh my God! Love Supreme) Santana, The Doors, Rage Against the Machine, Pink Floyd, U2, Tom Jobim, Frank Sinatra and Tonny Bennett (I saw him in Montreal in tears) are just some of the vinyls I spin. My neighbors must hate me… or love me... probably hate me!
I am really enjoying my audio setup with the LM amp 211 at its center. The LM 211 is an incredible amp and in my opinion you just can't go wrong with it. Of course you have to make sure you find a nice pair of speakers. That is very important in order to get the best out of it. I hope to upgrade my amp one day for a higher end LM amp like the 210 - OH MY GOD! I am sure there is more out there waiting!
Well... that is my LM 211IA audio experience. Are you experienced? Well… I am! Let me prove it to you...
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