Line Magnetic Amps: Again?
 

I thought I'd see if I could "wake up" this thread. I'm new to tubes and new to Line Magnetic. I know only one other owner of the LM 34ia, which is basically their entry level integrated amp. My experience with it has been outstanding. I demoed the Rogue Cronus Magnum II and the Primaluna Evo 300, and with my Tekton speakers, the LM was the clear winner. Perhaps I'll consider stepping up to one of the juicier models in the future, like the 805 or 845.

Before 'stepping up' to an 845 or 805 tube you might want to do some research on the tubes. Limited choices and fairly expensive. A good KT88 based integrated amp makes 75wpc in UL or 40wpc in triode.

The amp I have now, model 34ia, already has the capability to accept KT88 tubes, as well as EL34/KT77's. It comes with the EL34's, but has an EL34/KT88 toggle switch. In addition, it has individual manual bias adjustment for each tube. I was thinking my next step up could be the Genelex Gold Lion Kt77's. I have heard these have some of the extra punch of the 88's, but retain a lot of the mid-range presence of the EL34's, kind of a compromise. What has been your experience with KT88's, vs. other tubes, and in what equipment have you used them?

Of that genre of new tubes my favorite is the Tung-Sol 7581a followed closely by the GL KT77. They are, like the EL34, an excellent tube for the mid-range if you are into voices, classic jazz, chamber music and the like. The GL KT88 is the best tube in my current amp, which is rated at 20wpc in triode (where I also run the EL34 genre tubes at a lower bias setting - likely makes around 15wpc with them). I find the KT88 to offer a bit more "authority" in lower-mid and down and only just a bit less tone with voices. I also found it to be the best tube in a couple of McIntosh amps I used (MC75 monoblocks & MC275IV). The GL small signal tubes are also very nice sounding (12AX7, 12AU7, etc.) though there are many others at reasonable prices, including NOS.

Before I forget, there are some nice tubes listed at very fair prices in the classifieds here. I've purchased several and they are just as Joe describes.

Good tips. Thanks for the feedback. I'll check out the classifieds at some point. Right now, I am auditioning upgrades to the pre-amp tubes. I have a couple of Brimar NOS black-plate 12AU7's (1953) from Brent Jessee. Still waiting for them to break in. Initially they are warmer and very musical over the OEM tubes, but a little dark or even murky at times, in terms of detail loss. I am told that should disappear after 60 hours or so. They actually do sound better today than they did yesterday, so we'll see.

I got a LM845 Premium this week and it is an exceptional amp even with the stock tubes. For comparison I do also own a ref6/ref75se combo, luxman c900u/m900u combo, and some ANK gear. The premium is about at the same level with a suitable speaker and it is not close to broken in. It is very detailed, nuanced, musical, yet still the most relaxed sounding amp I have heard.
I have owned the 518 and 508 and they are very good for the money, especially the 518, but not even close to this. If you can find a 518 with quiet transformers ( I understand the later production is quiet) used in the $3500 range that is still the vfm winner, great value. But in terms of “ultimate” amp, this thing at $7500 is an incredible bargain.

I own an 845 Premium. While I am enjoying listening to the amp, it's my first experience of 845 and 300B tubes. Could those more experienced chime in on how long break-in is for these tubes? To my ears, the sound still seems thinner and perhaps more tipped up in the HF's than I would have anticipated. Burning-in the tubes is a bit of a bear because these things with their grid voltages can't be left unattended so it's a few hours here & there. I went for the Acme 845's and 300B Black Treasures right from the start , no idea whether they need extended time. Thanks for the input.

My only complaint with the amp is I wish the tube cage would allow for Elrog 845's. It is just a bit short for those, so I have to leave it off. I do like to leave the cage on, just in case of accidents.

I had an LM 845 Premium. I loved it, but felt it needed more 'snap,' dynamics, so I upgraded to Amperex Bugle Boy 12ax7s, and Full Music 300bs. Swapped the FMs for Emissions Labs 300bs. Concluded that the 30wpc just wasn't enough for the Harbeth 30.2 Anniversaries, so I swapped out the LMP for a pair of BAT VK56 mono blocks and their VK 33 preamp. Sounds pretty good!

The guy who ended up with the LM845P LOVES it. It is a special integrated. Lovely soundstage, lots of air, sounds good.

Wonder how the LM845 Premium would sound paired with Tannoy Turnberry's?