LM Audio 211IA

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...
 

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Wow, incredible first post and a very thorough, enthusiastic review. I've been interested in this same amp but do not have a local dealer, and won't buy without an audition as I heard a lower model LM amp and wasn't blown away. But like any make I'd love to hear what can be done as you move up the line, and the look and build of these looks fantastic. Good luck with your move to South America, too.
 
Gotta replace the 12ax7's to get great performance from the 211A and 216A.

Yes I've got the 216IA and have replaced these tubes with NOS Sylvania and GE's. Makes a difference. The tones are smoother, not as harsh. Also swapped the KT88's with some Genelex reissue.:thmbsp:
 
I am happy to see your comments. In the end I wrote this post for you guys. Thank you psyopwak for the great LM216 review.

"Good luck with your move to South America, too."
All the audio gear made it in one piece. Neighbor's frustration level is going up by the day. But I guess that is why they write on the LPs: "It took a lot of work to produce this album. Play it loud!"

Art K do you think you can tell us a bit more about your experience with the LM Audio 219IA audition? In particular, your impressions on the amp. It looks in-cre-di-ble. Does it sound as amazing as it looks?

Cheers from South America!
 
Hey AikiAudio,

Nice writeup and congrats on the new 211. I have been enjoying my 211 for nearly a year now. Purchased from likely the same dealer with excellent service in Montreal. I have the amp paired with some ASW 504's (wanted that extra range in the bass). Love the combo! I am running some jj's and NOS GE 12ax7's along with some EH el34's. May switch to some sed winged c or gl kt77 sooner or later. I like the option of the triode UL switch. It is nice to be able to change things up depending on the type of music i'm playing.

At any rate, enjoy your new toy and welcome to the club. BTW, i wasnt sure if you ended up with the asw genius 310 or kept your cantius 404's.

Cheers,
 
Hello Crisco,

How are you?
Yes! When I saw your post I knew we purchased the LM 211 amp exactly from the same store in Montreal. :)
I used to have the 404s, but after auditioning the Genius 310 I decided to go ahead and upgrade before traveling. I knew it would be impossible to find anything that good in SA.
I did not get a chance to audition the Cantius 504. I remember that they are quite big and I am sure it is also an amazing combination. By the way, I really like your setup. Did you ever find anything to place behind the speakers? Are you running them bi-amp?
I am already thinking about purchasing new 12au7 and 12ax7 from Psvane or Genalex. The price is roughly the same. I am quite curious to hear how the Psvanes/Genalex sound. I read somewhere that JJs do have more bass.
Check out how the LM 211 looks with the 6CA7 Psvane tubes!
http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2012/...-fidelity-leben-hifi-lm-audio-berkeley-audio/
Those are expensive! They must sound quite well!

Cheers from SA!
 
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Hello Crisco,

How are you?
Yes! When I saw your post I knew we purchased the LM 211 amp exactly from the same store in Montreal. :)
I used to have the 404s, but after auditioning the Genius 310 I decided to go ahead and upgrade before traveling. I knew it would be impossible to find anything that good in SA.
I did not get a chance to audition the Cantius 504. I remember that they are quite big and I am sure it is also an amazing combination. By the way, I really like your setup. Did you ever find anything to place behind the speakers? Are you running them bi-amp?
I am already thinking about purchasing new 12au7 and 12ax7 from Psvane or Genalex. The price is roughly the same. I am quite curious to hear how the Psvanes/Genalex sound. I read somewhere that JJs do have more bass.
Check out how the LM 211 looks with the 6CA7 Psvane tubes!
http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2012/...-fidelity-leben-hifi-lm-audio-berkeley-audio/
Those are expensive! They must sound quite well!

Cheers from SA!

thanks for the feedback. Yes, the 504's are big...pretty much at the limit of what I can get away with in my living room. But the extra bass is worth it IMHO - for example, when I play the soundtrack for the Hobbit, the lower octave really comes alive in the room. I have them bi-wired. I did in fact purchase a sound panel from an online company and mounted it above the fireplace behind the speakers. We also added some semi-thick curtains that can be pulled across the sets of blinds directly behind the speakers. Helps with imaging.

I did listen to the Genius 310's at the shop in MTL. They were very nice - probably would have purchased them but needed to stay within budget as I was buying both the amp and speakers at the same time. I'm sure you'll enjoy these for years to come. The paper cones in the Genius series likely render voices more faithfully than the aluminum ones in the Cantius line.

The Psvane tubes look fantastic - but they are expensive. I'll likely try the cheaper Gold Lion KT77 or the SED Winged C EL34's first. I have no experience in this matter, but I've been told that the biggest impact on the sound is found with the 12ax7's, with minor differences to be had with the power tubes.

It's funny, until recently I have been listening mainly through UL mode. However, I more and more I find myself using triode for simpler stuff (jazz trios, string quartets, folk music etc) Presentation is very 3D, and voices are really natural. For more complex stuff (electronica, symphonies, rock) I switch to UL - gives more bass impact and better dynamics.

At any rate, enjoy SA and music through your new gear!

PS I'd be curious to know at bit more about how you are setting up your system. How big is your room? How far apart are the speakers? Have you played around with any of this?
 
Hello Crisco!

"probably would have purchased them but needed to stay within budget"
Hehe! me too, but since I knew I was moving away it was worth it.

"the biggest impact on the sound is found with the 12ax7's"
Just the 12ax7? not the 12au7? I thought they worked "together"..

"It's funny, until recently I have been listening mainly through UL mode"
I used to do the same. :)
My amp was always on UL mode. After blasting some U2 -Pop- album (that time they went really electronic..) I found that the UL mode was too much even for electronic music. I tried the album again in Triode mode and I did enjoyed it. I thought it was more natural - even without so much punch.
I also tried Led Zeppelin and Hendrix in Triode mode. The guitars sounded "more like they should". Again, "if I can say that."
From my reading on triode vs ultra linear I think that it is the same issue as: tube amps x SS amps. It depends on your system,room acoustics and on your taste/mood of the day. The nice thing is that we have both options with our amp.

"How big is your room? How far apart are the speakers? Have you played around with any of this?"
My room is less than ideal. It is 4m x 4m. Everybody says that square rooms are not the best for acoustics. Speakers are 3,30m away from each other. Not sure if that is the best setup but it is what it is. Would love to have them further apart. They say Regas are very sensitive to the position of the speakers. Everyone says to keep them as far as you can from the TT. Maybe next time, when I do won my house. :)

I did play around with the speakers position within the limitations of the my music room. I positioned them angled towards my couch and directly in front of the shelf with the records. I read the records do a good job at "breaking up" the bass just like a sound panel.

It supposed to be a golden rule for positioning speakers - http://stereos.about.com/od/introductiontostereos/ht/sprkplace.htm
Our friends from AudioKarma can validate it - or not. :)

Cheers!
 

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AikiAudio, nice setup! I like the finish on those Genius 310's.

As for the 12au7 vs 12ax7, the only info I have is what the guys at the shop told me - that the input signal first passes through the 12ax7's and if you mess this up, well, then nothing else really matters. They also fiddled around with swapping out the 12au7's and really didn't find too much of a difference between various tubes.

As for UL / Triode - I hear what you're saying. Sometimes, especially with so-so quality recordings, even if they are electronica or rock etc, triode can tend to take the edge off and render the sound more natural - I agree. But for well recorded albums with lot's of bass or dynamics, UL is really rewarding.

I think your speaker positioning makes sense given your room. My room width is roughly 5.2m (17 feet) which gives me a few options. I've tried them anywhere from 2.4m (8 feet) to 3.4m (11 feet) apart. The latter obviously opens up the soundstage and I end up toeing them in like your setup to minimize first reflections. With the narrower setup, it brings me back a few rows which is nice sometimes.

Anyways, thanks for the input and feedback. Keep me posted on any tube rolling results that you come up with. My current project is to build a CAPS Topanga as described on computer audiophile's site. Should be fun!
 
Hi Crisco,

Nice project you have ahead of you. Should be fun! I would have no idea how to put one together.. My music server is an Apple TV and a Cambridge Audio DAC. It works very well and I can hear all the music bought over the internet.

Now I got the Tubeitchy. I am looking for a nice 12AX7 to try it out. Am I going to be able to tell/hear the difference? Is my system going to be able to reveal the difference? I am dying to answer those questions.

Any tube stores in Toronto/Ontario/Montreal area?

Cheers!
 

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Hi Crisco,

Nice project you have ahead of you. Should be fun! I would have no idea how to put one together.. My music server is an Apple TV and a Cambridge Audio DAC. It works very well and I can hear all the music bought over the internet.

Now I got the Tubeitchy. I am looking for a nice 12AX7 to try it out. Am I going to be able to tell/hear the difference? Is my system going to be able to reveal the difference? I am dying to answer those questions.

Any tube stores in Toronto/Ontario/Montreal area?

Cheers!

I wouldsay that you should see noticeable gains by rolling the 12ax7's.

My experience is with going from tungsol reissues to some GE NOS. Front to back imaging was improved significantly. I think i dropped $55 for the pair. Well worth it for such a minimal cash drop. I cant imagine going wrong with any of the choices you have listed in your post.
 
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Oh and your system is certainly resolving enoug to see differences. The tubestore online is worth visiting....if i am allowed to say so.
 
Oh and btw, im sure a number of people would suggest trying some relatively inexpensive NOS tubes before you spend $$ on some of the higher end reissues. Thats an opinion however.
 
I can confirm that LM 211IA is a great amp. I have described my tune rolling experience with it here. It is ubelievable how good it performs in triode mode when its 8 Ohm taps have been used.
tubes-1.jpg
 
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