2. amps-preamps
  3. 194637-205947

Cayin, Line Magnetic, and Willsenton with 805 Feedback

I am considering one of the following integrated amplifiers and I'm looking for feedback from others familiar with these amplifiers or have experience with the brands. We listen to a wide variety of music but classic rock and jazz are at the top of our listening list and our speakers are vintage JBL L100s. I'm familiar with the PrimaLuna 300i so any comparisons to it will be appreciated. I am interested in how well it sounds, it's build quality, reliability, and anything else you think is noteworthy. The manufacturers are Cayin, Line Magnetic, and Willsenton so do you have feedback on them?

The amplifiers are:

  • Cayin CS-805A
  • Line Magnetic LM-805ia
  • Willsenton R800i with 805 tubes

Thanks in advance for your help.

bannon
joeycastillo
16 posts
 

+1 on Line Magnetics brand of Amps

ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,375 posts
 

I owned a Line Magnetic 518ia a few years ago. While it was a great sounding amp, when I bypassed the preamp section with a TVC, the performance was greatly improved. So as is usually the case with most preamps and integrated amps, the ALPs pot is a bottleneck.

lmnop
64 posts
 

I have an older Cayin A-50T Integrated. Never had any issues with it. Similar listening tastes and it sounds really good with a pair of vintage JBL L200’s. 

2psyop's avatar
2psyop
1,837 posts
 

My gut feeling and limited experience tells me that whatever amp brand one settles on, it’s imperative you have at best a reliable warranty or at least find a repair facility in advance of purchase who can gets parts, schematics and can fix it.

macg19
1,012 posts
 

My experience with LM was positive. But I owned the LM-88IA. Build quality is very good. When I was ready to move on, it sold quickly and made room for a Raven Osprey which was awesome but obviously more $$$

ive now moved on to SS based on speaker choice but I really enjoyed the Osprey.

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