Not crazy. I love my tube rolled Dennis Had Inspire 300B and Klipsch AL5’s. A combination that keeps me coming back. The Klipsch sounded great with different tube and SS amps, but there is something about the synergy of this pairing that is unique.
Line Magnetic 218a vs Leben CS600 -- am I insane? (aka when good beats great)
I first got into hifi around 2012. After a lot of listening sessions, I bought a Line Magnetic 218ia, a Shindo Aurieges (preamp), a Rega RP-10 and some Davone Rays. For about five years, I was completely in love with my system. Every new piece of vinyl felt like I was hearing a record for the first time.
As I got older, I had kids, and played the stereo less. Somewhere along the line, I also upgraded my Line Magnetic to a Leben CS600. Everyone I knew and trusted assured me that the Leben was a significant step up, and although I didn’t get to test it before buying, I was so sold by their recommendations (as well as the reviews that I found online) that I figured it’d be a no brainer.
But still, over the years, my interest in hifi waned. That was until, for reasons I can’t fully explain, I decided to pull the LM out of storage last week and fire it back up.
And what can I say, the thrill is back. Everything just sounds so much more alive, a little more punchy, a little more wild. Yes, the Leben was more ’musical’ but to me it also sounded a little more restrained. The Line Magnetic, in comparison, just charges everything up again.
So I guess my question is: am I insane? I can’t find a single person anywhere online or off that considers the LM superior to the Leben. Am I alone here? Are my ears broken? I feel crazy thinking about selling the Leben when it’s so highly regarded, but man, to me, there’s just no comparison. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
(Also.. as a way to make this thread more useful/practical, please chime in with your own stories of when you preferred a piece of gear to something provably ’better’. I’m curious how often this happens!)