Agreed that the Line Magnetic 805ia is really a joy to listen to. It is built like a tank and weighs like one too. Hauling this to the auditions of various speakers including the Magico A3 and the Daedalus Argos was not much fun but when the music starts, this amp really is special. Other amps that I have heard include the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP (at home audition for a week), Hegel 360, Naim XS2 and Supernait 2, McIntosh (various) and the one that I was most impressed was the Line Magnetic. This amp, in my system, was more enjoyable to my ears than any of those others.
The 805ia responds very well to tube rolling too. I have changed out all the stock tubes in favor of NOS or new issued tubes and the sound is even smoother and even more transparent than before. It just flows.
Now, I added a tube preamp to the mix (just last night). The Don Sach's Model 2 is what I am using and from what I understand, the pre-in on the 805ia does not completely bypass the preamp in the LM. I don't understand all the technical bits but it is still very early for me to make a conclusion one way or the other. I can only say that I have not heard a big improvement vs not having a separate preamp yet.
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