Line Magnetic 518IA, WOW.

[Spektre]

datafone - I'm not hearing breakup or problems in my 11 x 10 room, with the volume control at 10 O clock its at a level that starts to feel uncomfortable so I've never gone past that, this also seems to be the place where the LM and KEF's work okay. I'm actually going to try a pair of Q Acoustics 3050 that have sensitivity of 92db and an easier load than the KEF's, I don't want to sink huge amounts of cash in experimenting with floorstanders in a room my size.

 

[datafone]

Understandable, and the Kef's are likely well suited to the room size.

Sounds OK, I was expecting you past that level to get the volumes you are after. All good

I think I was getting a tad confused in the thread as someone was driving the same speakers with a T-amp or something, that I would be more concerned about.

 

[Spektre]

Well I've tried the Q Acoustics 3050 with the LM518 and they certainly go loud, at 9' 0 clock on the volume control they produced decent levels. They are a good budget speaker but not in the same league as the LS50. Bass is deeper but softer in impact, agile but less detailed. Imaging and soundstaging were also not as precise with soundstage height in particular being compressed, the KEF's Uni Q drivers have better integration. The treble is the strong part of the 3050 though being lovely and crisp, definitely more extended and detailed than the KEF's without sounding the slightest bit harsh. Last but not least the tonal balance and timbre of the LS50 sounds more natural, more alive. My conclusion, the Q Acoustics are a great budget floorstander, entertaining and fun but the LS50 is a monitor loudspeaker that performs well with the LM518IA despite its low sensitivity.

 

[Art K.]

Thank you for the update, Gavin.

 

[Spektre]

Line Magnetic and Avid, a dream come true.

Line Magnetic and Avid

• Spektre
• Nov 20, 2017
• 2

 

[Art K.]

Beautiful!

 

[Binh Nguyen]

Hello,
I am new here and would like to share my experience with the Line Magnetic 518ia. I replaced the original capacitors in the amp with Audyn Copper Max capacitors, and had great result, especially in the bass. With the upgrade, it has better bass control, lower background noise, and warmer sound.

I know it's hard to judge over youtube, but I think the difference is very audible here.

Original amp here

Upgraded amp here

Happy listening!

 

[mcanaday]

Binh, I sent you a message (see your inbox on this site.)

 

[Spektre]

Hello,
I am new here and would like to share my experience with the Line Magnetic 518ia. I replaced the original capacitors in the amp with Audyn Copper Max capacitors, and had great result, especially in the bass. With the upgrade, it has better bass control, lower background noise, and warmer sound.

I know it's hard to judge over youtube, but I think the difference is very audible here.

Original amp here

Upgraded amp here

Happy listening!

I can see how more warmth would work with the Proac's who's house sound is generally a little cooler but I have my doubts about my KEFs, also I don't like warmth as either a valve or vinyl attribute. Does seem to sound more natural in your videos though.

 

[canuckaudiog]

I wouldn't worry about blowing your speakers with low wattage. You are far more likely to blow a speaker from too much power than you are from clipping. In fact, clipping rarely harms speakers. It's the combination of high power and clipping that destroys drivers, not clipping on its own. If you want to be really careful, you could add a fuse in-line with your speakers.

 

[Slapshot]

I know this discussion ended long ago, but am hoping I might get a piece of information. A audio friend has been blown away by how good then Line Magnetic 518ia sounds in demos he heard while traveling recently. His room is 10x10, and I'm concerned that it will overheat that room, and him. It's class A, has some tubes that rune extremely hot and like its bight brother the 219 is known for major heat output.
Has that ever been a problem in your 11x10 room?

 

[ekkamai12]

Bumping this thread.
Pretty sure the reissue 7581a in place of any 6L6 will do wonders for the bass. That cap upgrade also sounds good. There's a polish brand on hificollective which offer copper caps at a good price.
Also the Alps pot. Are there better ones?

 

[RH67]

I have owned a LM 518 since they first came out and i consider it one of the best amps that i have owned. It responds well to tube rolling and you can fine tune it to get what you want and i have never found it lacking in the bass department.

I`m not a big fan of the LS50 but fan or not the LS50 and the LM 518 in my opinion do not mate well.

 

[Rayzilla]

Hi all. Reviving this thread because I am considering picking one up. I have a pair of Tannoy XT6F. I still need to catch up on this thread but has anyone heard these two together or your thoughts on what you think of this pairing. I'm kind of new to all this still. I'm mainly a headphone system guy.

Thanks