Line Magnetic 219ia vs Mc225

Jkull,
I view it this way, many people have/are using the Cornwall with a "wide" array of tube amplifiers. Overwhelming they report very satisfying outcomes, that’s significant and also encouraging. Could the LM 219ia or 508ia be the exceptions that won’t pair with the Cornwallis successfully? It’s possible, but I think unlikely given the "many" tube amplifiers that have been successful across a wide user database.

Of course I nor anyone else can guarantee any outcome, I believe that the odds are strongly in your favor. Although not identical pairings, just how different could the LM 219ia-Cornwall be from the LM amplifier -La Scala you recently heard? Believe me I see the point Al raises and it is a legitimate one. The testimony of legions of Cornwall owners with tube amplifiers spread over decades should provide you some measure of confidence.
Charles

jkull,

I have an option for you. I would suggest that you call Line Magnetic and run this by them, but that would be a lot of trouble given where they are. I just happen to know the importer for LM. We've been friends for years. If you tell him how you are going to use the amp, he'll give you honest advice. A lot of what I know about this type of gear, I learned from him. He has my complete trust.

Also, LM isn't the only line that Tone imports. He has Shindo and a few other similar brands, so he may have some alternate choices that are worth looking into. 

http://www.toneimports.com/index.html
(Go to the contacts section)

Shindo is a wonderful product but occupies a different price point.  Line Magnetic gains my appreciation for the value proposition.  True high quality audio performance at reasonable  (although not cheap) cost. To get similar power from Shindo is much more money. The LM 219ia or 508ia wouldn't be embarrassed by amplifiers 2-3x their cost. 
Charles 

Came across this.. LM219ia with cornwalls. NO you cannot decyfer truly, the sound in this room. For all I know it is recorded on a phone. However with the bit of audible discernance that is realistic with videos like this, it appears, that this sounds quite lovely.

https://youtu.be/wd1KrxUOaaE

 Several reviews/shootouts about 508 vs 219.  508 is better for Rock Music if thats your taste.

" Came across this.. LM219ia with cornwalls. NO you cannot decyfer truly, the sound in this room. For all I know it is recorded on a phone. However with the bit of audible discernance that is realistic with videos like this, it appears, that this sounds quite lovely."

I was reading through this, and some of the other more recent comments, and just want to clarify. No one here is trying to talk you out of anything, or even suggesting that you are going to have a poor sounding system. Some of us are just saying to use caution when selecting gear due to certain issues that you can run into with high efficiency speakers. Nothing more than that. I think you're doing enough things right, that your chance of success is far more likely, than failure. With regards to your amp/speaker selection, I don't see any problems. While I can't guarantee a good match, the LM amp is really designed to be used with the type of speakers you're getting. If I have any concerns at all, it would be with your sources and preamp. But understand, I'm just guessing based on experience. You may have some issues, or everything may work together and sound great. I didn't want my posts to sound too negative and ruin the experience for you. 

In my last post, I brought up the LM importer. I almost never bring up people I know personally in an open discussion like this. But in this case, I think its OK because LM is in a different country where they don't speak English. Its expected that the importer may have to help some customers. If you need help with LM, he's an excellent resource and has an impeccable reputation in the industry. Since most of his business is done B to B, its unlikely that you would be able to get an opinion on his character. That's why I brought it up.

Mb1- not a problem, I understand.  I realize you are trying to help and are advising me in a good way.  Hopefully things work out to satisfaction.  I will be switching up the source material.  I will probably opt for the 219 and use its pre amp for the time being and purchase a separate phono stage.. thank you 

Jkull,
When will you audition the two LM amplifiers?  I've read that the preamplifier section of the 219ia can be considerably improved with better quality 12ax7 tubes.
Charles 

I have a Line Magnetic 518IA 845 integrated and Tyler Acoustics Pro Dynamic PD80's (101 db sensitivity).  From a listening position approximately 8 feet away I've had no noise issues whatsoever, even with the amp plugged directly into a wall outlet.  Honestly, I've had a few solid state amps through the system that have been noisier than the Line Magnetic, although I will say an early version of the Decware Rachel was the quietest tube amp I've encountered.

Charles- it’s a daytrip to NY for me to sample them, so it’s hard to arrange. I may fit it in, but as it looks now, I am likely opting for the flagship 219ia. As we know a good bit of the soul in tube amps is in the transformers, and there is a reason the 219 weighs 115lb... Its got quality ginormous ones. This being a fundamental part in why this 24w/channel amp is said to be able to drive even rather low sensitivity speakers very well. This fact also leaves me with more speaker options in the future IF I felt a need to change. I am told the 219 has a denser mid range while the 805 tubes in the 508 offer a tad more transparency at time. Mids are where it counts most if I am left to chose. This was part of my issue with my outgoing setup. Lack of presence in the mids and an abundance of booming bass.. Also a reason I am going SET. Too much bass with heavy music is awful. It’s like going for a run, and getting stuck in mud. It’s drags everything down. My listening room is 8' ceilings and very dense Brazilian cherry hardwoods. The room holds bass very well. I don't think I could go wrong with either model in the end.  With me?

I have the 508ia and love it, much more refined now with rolled tubes. A few have heard them both side by side and preferred the 508 based upon dynamics and transparency, see link below:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/new-line-magnetic-508ia-integrated-amp.542333/

" Charles- it’s a daytrip to NY for me to sample them, so it’s hard to arrange. I may fit it in, but as it looks now, I am likely opting for the flagship 219ia."

I didn't realize you were that close. If you're making a day trip, In Living Stereo is probably the best high end store in NY, but its the smallest.  You'll definitely have time to go to another store. I would recommend you visit Audio Connection in Verona NJ. Its a short drive from where you'll be in Manhattan. AC is probably the last best audio store in the country. John R is the most competent system builder I've ever met. Its just a store you would want to see. He has a huge inventory on display, and its all set up right. You have to ask, but as far as I know, he still has an upgrade program where anything you buy can be traded back in within one year and get full credit towards another purchase. Even if you don't buy anything, its a good to have them as a future reference. Definately worth your time.

"with me ?"
Oh yeah! Your priority of excellent sounding midrange is the same as mine.  Of course many sonic parameters are important but organic character  and realism of the midrange takes precedence for me otherwise it's a waste of time. Many posters on audio forums seem to  obsess about bass, I'll take great midrange with "merely " good bass than the other way around. I really believe that you're going to be very happy with the LM 219ia .
Charles 

Jkull 11-19-2016
Mids are where it counts most if I am left to chose. This was part of my issue with my outgoing setup. Lack of presence in the mids and an abundance of booming bass.

An encouraging point related to that, for both the 508ia and the 219ia, is that you'll have a good deal of flexibility in tuning the mid vs. bass balance as a result of the three output taps each amp provides, and also as a result of the adjustable negative feedback each amp provides. Both of those choices will affect the output impedance of the amp. And as shown in the paper on the Cornwall I referenced earlier, the Cornwall's impedance in the bass and mid-bass regions is greatly different than its impedance in much of the mid-range, especially the upper mid-range. So the tonal balance of the amp/speaker combination will vary significantly depending on your choice of output tap and feedback setting.

Hey, Wig, congratulations on the new amp! I don't doubt that your already wonderful system has become even better :-)

Best regards,
-- Al
 

I would try the MC225 first.  Buy it, listen for a few months, then decide if it appeals to you.  If not, you can resell for what you paid (or more).  Then try the Line Magnetic.

I would also consider amps from Triode Electronics.  TRV-845SE, and TRV-300SE.   The former is an 845 based stereo amp, about 20wpc.  The later is a P/P 300b mono block amp, also rated for about 20wpc.

I have heard the MC225, and various Triode amps.   My opinion is that the MC225 is very good.  The Triode amps are better in the frequency extremes, and provide a better (more realistic) soundstage.  The MC225 has a better midrange- more "tube like".   I have no experience with Line Magnetic amps.

Iopscrl-
i did consider doing just that. The mc225 retains value so well, and with its reputation, hard to argue it.  The one issue is that it could take a while to off on maybe if that was decided. There are about 6 for sale on eBay alone right now.. My general concensus is that the 219ia and other LM amps take the cake over the 225.  However I can't say from personal experience at all....  Steve huffs review of the 219 is pretty eye opening in its potential however and I think would be more universal in application to a wider range of speakers.  I think going from SS to tubes I may appreciate tubes even more when going to a more direct circuit in the sense of single ended triodes.  Your idea totally makes sense however, can't deny that one bit!

Jkull,
Obviously I’ve no objective/scientific evidence to support my opinion, just a "gut feeling " based on my listening experiences and reading your thoughts and desires. I’d definitely go for the LM 219ia as I believe that it is an exceptionally good SET amplifier that will give you what you’re looking for. Again just my gut talking 😊. No knock on the McIntosh intended, but a good SET can go straight to your musical soul. 
Charles

Hello Wig,
Congratulations! I can imagine the pairing of that amplifier with your Acoustic Zen Crescendos, beautiful.
Charles

Charles. - I feel it is the way to go as well. I am told the 219 has a very 'dense' midrange, with a great grip on the bass frequencies. As mentioned above, putting in some new valves really opens the amp up as well.  It is their flagship, suits a pretty face (IMO), and large high quality trannies.  I think it should be there right move 

@ Almarg & Charles1dad

It's a wonderful sounding combination! Sold my Vac 160i 1.5 yrs ago and went with a Vitus RI-100 which I really liked but it just wasn't magical as tubes, hence my change to my first SET... I've learned a lot from your posts and you guys are a Big asset to this forum.

LM sound and build quality is on PAR with components 2-3 times its costs and that's speaking from experience...

I was considering Triode TRV 845 SE but heard from other users that LM was better and about $3K+ cheaper and made in the same factory with similar parts, which sealed the deal for me ;)

Wig

Hi Wig , I’ve heard the Crescendos driven by the Triode Corp of Japan TRX series 845 PSET (higher tier model line of their amplifiers) on three separate occasions and that pairing was excellent each time. Mr. Lee (Acoustic Zen) has good taste and ears (and he was gracious and friendly). I truly believe that the LM SET amplifiers offer very similar sound quality at a quite reasonable cost. You have assembled a terrific system.

The SS Vitus and VAC push pull Pentode amplifiers you had are without doubt very good, but your SET offers more purity, transparency and emotion.
Charles

Happy Thanksgiving. (Remember, the indians were here first...No I’m not indian)

So Ive got my cornwalls. 1980 horizontal pair. Heavy and solid walnut, in excellent shape for their age. Here are my thoughts on those in comparison to the outgoing b&w cm10’s, when swapped into my component chain, with no other changes. All of my listening thus far has been LP, my most favored choice format by far, especially for heavy music, as a large majority of the bands I follow, focus their recordings towards analog, and many record in true TAPE rolling studios for this purpose. I cannot stand loudness war CD mixed productions. People who think aggressive music is all about ’cranking it up’ are confused in my opinion.. Ill take quality at the sound of a whisper over loud, fatiguing, smushed, condensed bullshit. Anyway.

It took a good bit of adjustment going from the cm’s to the cornwalls. The sound is significantly different. Ill be honest, I was expecting the cornwalls to possibly be shrill, or harsh in some aspects with my solid state amps, and marantz pre. Polar opposite. FAR less shrill than the cm10’s. These really make me realize how cynical and sterile the cm10’s sounded. My friend pointed it out immediately when I let him hear them. He is a very particular guy with guitar and bass tones as we are both gear heads in that field...I listened till 3am the past 2 evenings. And i was not ’forcing’ myself, I was naturally just doing so, and the time was flying, as I was enjoying it, and not finding myself fatigued at all. The cm10’s had me hanging it up after about one side of an LP... The sound is a little bit ’muffled’ at first, but then my ears adjust, and it doesn’t seem as much... Lets keep in mind, if i upgrade the old wiring, and crossovers, I’m sure it would open things up and fix some of that, but i think once the SET gets in the path, it will change things.

The cornwalls are even somewhat ’dark’. The sound is very warm now. My concepts of maybe it being ’my room’ before, are much lessened. I can crank these and I do not feel like the bass is booming me and the treble is piercing me. The treble is warm but THERE. It is smooth and enjoyable. Midrange is nice too. Now the bass on the other hand... WONDERFUL. These 15" drivers sound SOOO good with the type of music I listen to. Ill try to explain it the best I can. Ive been playing the electric bass for near 15 years now. I have been playing the upright for about 2. I am very familiar with what bass should sound like, and what different recordings bass tones DO sound like. Maybe this sounds weird, but my records now are very distinguishable in bass tones. The cornwalls provide deep, chunky, fat, full bass. Sludgy and crusty where it when it should be, warm, and rounded when it should be. I can hear the vast different in bass tones on different albums now. These 15’s sound like I am in my basement playing my fender jazz bass through my 2x15 bass cab. It is tonally ACCURATE. The cm10’s produced: bass. Period. It didn’t SOUND like a bass guitar should. Whether the bass on the recording is boosted with overdrive, or it is natural, they did not make me feel like there was a bass cab in the room. They do ’boom’ well. They do ’bass’, FOR ME however, they did not sound like these particular band’s bass guitar sounds like through their specific rig. The bass is SUBSTANTIALLY better. Not only bc these dig deeper, but the tone is more revealing and realistic. It is not boomy or overpowered in any way.
I have my SVS PB13 ultra crossed over at 40Hz, handling only the very very low stuff, but the cornwall are taking the grunt of it and doing it beautifully.

The cm10’s sounded like speaker. The cornwalls sound....live. Much more of a ’wall of sound’, which the cm10’s could not do at all. Guitars are not harsh or shrill, as sometimes on the cm10’s they bit TOO hard.

The cornwalls seem like they could use a little more dynamics, but i think this will totally be enhanced when I put a 24w/channel huge transformer’d SET amp in the chain, and replace two so-so emotiva mono’s and a marantz pre which has tons of video processing stuff all built in etc etc., which isn’t going to help any matters. Cornwalls are known to be very dynamic so...

I believe the cornwalls being so transparent and of such high sensitivity, that I am hearing the ’warmth’ of the marantz pre, heavily coloring the sound. However, it sounds pretty nice, an once I do give it some volume the dynamics improve. These speakers are not designed to be driven with 500 watt SS mono blocks so....

To sum it up. In my current system, as it sits NOW, Cornwalls>Cm10’s... The cm10’s were a little more open and dynamic, but as whole, the cornwalls are far more inviting and listenable. Not to mention, more natural.

Mb1audio:   I DO have a hum. My marantz volume goes 0-98, once I get to around 40 the hum is pretty audible. If it is still there once the 219ia is here, which I’m doubting, then I will address it/troubleshoot at that point. Ive heard two line magnetic amps running through two different types of klipsch heritage speakers in the past month, and neither had the slightest bit of hum or hiss at all. And the one pair were la scalas, which are about 5 db higher than what I have here so.. You get my point.

Things will be changing drastically once the 219ia arrives. I can only imaging that low level listening will be heavily improved, the midrange will become denser, as well as dynamic improvement. I had photos sent to me this morning of the amp being boxed up for shipment. Will follow up. I appreciate the help this far.

Also:  I will need a phono amp. I have not started researching them yet. I have a VPI classic 2 with sound smith zephyr 2 cartridge. It is a moving iron (MM). I would appreciate advice for phono amps!   I dont need out of this world diminishing gains, snake oil special lol. I need a decent phono at a decent price. Thank you

The Leben 30EQ may be a nice choice, as it's often paired with LM Integrated amps. Another thought would be the smallerAllnic unit.  Not sure if the Zephyr has enough output for the Leben mm.... I just heard the SS Aida in to a HEED phono. Very nice! I find the Heed Quasar to be VERY good for the price. 

Fjn-
ill take a look. The zephyr is 'labeled' as a high output moving iron cartridge but I am not extremely well versed in cartridges, so I can't say myself, in regards to how much gain I may need. 

Jkull,
After reading your listening impressions of the Cornwall I realize that your sonic/musical priorities are very similar to mine. If the Cornwall is more natural sounding than the B&W it’s the superior quality speaker. Natural is what you strive for otherwise you just have canned hifi reproduction.

If the Cornwall impresses you driven by Emotiva then you’re in for a genuine treat. I’d be near astonished if the LM 219ia isn’t a significant upgrade, every aspect of your sound should improve.

I’d strongly recommend that you at some point upgrade the internal wiring and crossover. From all I’ve read the Klipsch speakers really respond to this type of modification. Your amplifier deserves a high caliber speaker to reveal all of its potential,  so these upgrades to the Cornwall are justified.

You are well on your way towards serious improvement in your audio system and listening enjoyment. For what you’re seeking to accomplish, the 219ia will be a better fit than the Emotiva amplifier.
Charles

Charles-. Thank you for the hopeful and encouraging words. I am really looking forward to getting this thing. I will upgrade the cornwalls for sure. Mine happen to be Cornwall 1’s will the fully removable back, which makes them very easy to access.

I did not think I would like these as much as I am. Now that I think about it, the midrange is simply better as well. It is more present, while being smooth and unobtrusive. The cm10’s midrange driver can be shrill. The 'low' and substance of midrange frequencies was lacking for me with the cm10's.

The cornwalls are even somewhat ’dark’. The sound is very warm now. My concepts of maybe it being ’my room’ before, are much lessened. I can crank these and I do not feel like the bass is booming me and the treble is piercing me. The treble is warm but THERE. It is smooth and enjoyable. Midrange is nice too. Now the bass on the other hand... WONDERFUL....
I believe the cornwalls being so transparent and of such high sensitivity, that I am hearing the ’warmth’ of the marantz pre, heavily coloring the sound. However, it sounds pretty nice, an once I do give it some volume the dynamics improve.

I feel pretty certain that the darkness you referred to will brighten and open up significantly when you replace the Emotivas with the LM amplifier, in part due to the resulting difference in the amp/speaker impedance interactions that I referred to earlier.

The degree to which that will happen will vary depending on the output tap and the amount of feedback you select. And both of those choices will also affect the bass. So it will probably be worthwhile to try most or all combinations of taps and feedback settings.

Enjoy! Regards,
-- Al

John wrote "All transducers have their faults"
And so do all sources, electronics and cables. Furthermore all listeners have inherent biases. I have come to certain conclusions over the years based on hearing many types of audio systems and thus my own developed bias. Higher efficiency speakers paired with lower power amplifiers more often than not sound superior to inefficient (hard to drive)-speakers paired with high power amplifiers.

So for jkull to go from B&W with 500 watt Emotiva to klipsch Cornwall with a 22 watt SET amplifier makes absolute sense to me. This is my generalizing viewpoint  and I do recognize that there are exceptions as always. 
Charles

Jkull,
When you do decide to modify the Klipsch crossover be certain to select a very high quality capacitor at the tweeter  (high-pass filter) as it is a worthwhile endeavor. You will hear the obvious improvement in sound quality. I did this with my speakers and it was money well spent. Better parts do matter. 
Charles 

Roxy- 
500w SS mono blocks are about the last thing id desire to pair with the cornwalls, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how the LM219 turns out with them. Im looking forward to things opening up and the mids really shining.

charles-
If I'm going to take the time to open these up and modify the caps, i will be sure to make it worth my while with high end ones, no worries there. First thing however, selecting/finding myself a phono amp!

roxy,

That is the path I'm exploring here, and hoping that it proves to be worth it. 

John,

The consistent finding for me in addition to the ease is a more natural sound and aura of performer presence. Particularly when a SET is used. I can’t go back in the other direction, ever.
Charles 

219ia has arrived....

And it sounds..........Absolutely wonderful. The allure of this amp glowing in my listening space alone is mesmerizing. What a cool looking amp. The dynamics that I stated as somewhat lacking in my current setup with the 500watt SS monos, are vastly improved. Drums have totally come alive. Voices have become more natural, and exceptionally SMOOTH. The bass still thick and driving well. The midrange FAR more cutting, present, clear, and clean, while staying smooth. The brightness of the horn tweeters is showing itself now, but it is a nice brightness, because it is smooth and pleasant. Everything just sounds more natural. I have listened for roughly an hour so far, all records. I will get around to more listening later this evening. The slight blanket over the speakers has been lifted. The sound is more inviting, open, and dynamic. Voices are FAR more into focus than they were. This thing makes my emotivas sound poor...

Hum that I was getting before is gone. The signal is dead quiet now, not even the faintest bit of hum. It was obviously the noisy circuits of the emotivas from what I can conclude.

I am still running through my marantz 7701 phono amp. The phono I am most interested in going with is the bottlehead Eros. All tube with a gain of 50db.

Very happy thus far....

Congratulations jkull. It's a great integrated. It has a big 3D sound stage as well. Enjoy!

Hello jkull,
It’s gratifying to read how pleased you are with the sound of your system with the addition of the LM 219ia SET amplifier. I’m not at all surprised and was pretty confident that it would turn out well for you. Your listening impressions are very early and quite enthusiastic, the good news is that the sound quality will further improve noticeably as the new amplifier burns in.

What you described is what high quality SETs are capable of providing with an appropriately matched speaker. Natural and realistic music reproduction that breathes life and emotion that is in some capacity unique to SET amplification. I can appreciate the stark contrast you distinguish between the SET and the SS emotiva, very different indeed. There is a genuine purity of the sound that enables an undeniable organic flesh and blood awareness to the listening experience. It makes some other amplifiers sound flat, uninspiring and frankly lifeless by comparison. As you've noticed already,  tone and harmonics are just more believable and resolved. 

You’ve received much feedback and opinions on this thread leading up to your decision to purchase the 219ia. I’m glad you took the opportunity to try this type of amplifier. In my opinion your admiration and sheer listening enjoyment are only going to increase over the course of time.
Charles

Charles1/Joeinid.

Thank you. I am very pleased, and relieved that I am this happy with the sound. I listened more last evening. The new ’Black Breath’ album was included.. For any listeners who enjoy heavy music, trust me, give this album a listen. It is dark, heavy, recorded beautifully, and is their best release yet. Sounded excellent at LOW volumes. Jeez I forgot, the best reward of all, and I need not exaggerate, the amp still sounds dynamic and involving at very low listening volumes. If you read above, that was one of the main goals I switched everything up, in order to achieve. Did some more gentle listening to a few contemporary jazz pieces as well. Sounds great. The horns REALLY sound amazing.

I am excited that there is even more potential to be unveiled, not that I honestly feel any ’needs improvement’ areas. Burn in of tubes, and an upgrade in my phono should inevitably do this however. I may even roll the 12AX7’s sooner than later. NOS mullards or something perhaps.. I wouldn’t waste my time doing it, unless if I bought tubes that would REALLY be worth my time.

Just a side note, I decided to try running my SVS in sealed mode last night as well. Never have since ownership. Plugged the three ports, and set the tuning mode to sealed. I was listening at very low volumes, with my wife in bed down the hall, but I could hear the tightening of the bass at this volume, so I look forward to trying it at louder volume today, to see what I think. I have the cornwalls handling the majority of the bass, and I think theyre doing a wonderful job of this, so the sub is basically in the mix for just the very low registers of bass, and extra oomph with the kick pedal, or extra body added to the upright bass etc etc. Ill probably mess around with this a bit furthermore.

Side note.. It is funny. After doing a hands on swap in my own home, with my own equipment, swapping just ONE component, and hearing SUCH a huge difference in sound quality on every level, I have to laugh at some of the philosophies I have read recently. In particular, some of the nonsense spewed by Harbeth’s Alan Shaw regarding how no amps should be showing sonic differences from another. Im not quoting him no, so don’t hold be accountable, but to summarize his statements, what I’ve just said suits them perfectly.
He does not state this in an ’in a perfect world all amps should sound the same and reproduce the natural signal fed to them and that is all’, but rather in the terms of that, today, if you are to compare two amps, being it as vastly difference as my comparison was or less, they will sound no different. He receives plenty of bashing for his BS statements like these, and I can now attest myself to how very different in sound an amplifier is capable of. It is as if I changed half of my components, and not just one. 

I have to add. When you see the amp in person, and especially when you feel the weight it possesses, your are at that moment certain that this amp cannot sound thin or weak. It is a true boulder, very hard to get out of the box even. The remote is probably the heaviest, most robust remote Ive ever felt for its size as well. 

 First off, I have no experience with LM amps yet.  Secondly, it seems as if no one here has shown real experience with a properly updated MC225 which surprises me, so I would like to throw in my two cents.

I have used a Terry DeWick updated Mcintosh MC225 with upgraded Klipsch Chorus II or Tannoy dual concentric for several years, and the sound is sublime.  The amp was completely rebuilt from the power supply thru the signal chain and I added some Cardas RCA input connectors.  I experienced a full bodied, multidimensional, and lifelike presentation of the music that stays very true to the recorded material with this amp in the mix. I love it! The amp is dead quiet unless you stress it with extreme volume levels or with inefficient speakers.  It is well know among vintage Mc tube equipment enthusiasts that McIntosh and your Klipsch Cornwalls make beautiful music together.  Mc225 has more resolution from the bottom to than found with my Terry DeWick updated McIntosh MC 30s(which are incredible amps no doubt).  This is probably because of the solid state rectified power supply in the MC225. 

Overall, there is a very well balanced sound from this little amp and a lifelike presentation of the music.  I love the sound of the Westinghouse 7591 output tubes, one Telefunken smooth plate ECC83 in V1, Military Mullard CV4003, and RCA 12bh7.  I have a hard time believing you wouldn't be impressed with an updated version of this amp with a good set of these vintage tubes.  Hard to go wrong with properly restored vintage McIntosh for pure musical enjoyment IMHO, as always YMMV.  Check out Jeff Day's blog for more good info on vintage McIntosh.     

I believe that there are numerous paths towards  developing a truly satisfying audio system. I don’t doubt that a well restored vintage McIntosh tube amplifier is a good example. SET amplifiers  by default have really simple circuits and fewer parts. This minimalist design if implemented to a high standard is going to result in a high degree of musical purity. jkull is hearing what he does in large part  for this specific reason.

In an ideal world it’d be rewarding to directly compare the LM 219ia and McIntosh MC 225.
Charles

jkul
Glad you are enjoying the LM219IA; I have been thoroughly enjoying the LM518IA for the last 11 months; it was my initial foray into a SET. amp (speakers are Daedalus Argos V2s).  I originally swapped in NOS GE 12AX7s, but found that I like the sound better with the lower gain NOS Tungsol 5751s.  Early on I also swapped in a NOS Mullard 5AR4 rectifier  and NOS GE 6L6GCs.

Happy listening.

Charles. Being the SET simple circuitry is a large factor in this magnificent sound, I am thinking why not stick with a true SET design phono like the decware zp3.. otherwise there is the bottlehead Eros with 50db of gain ..

Further question-

I have been advised to try all of the impedance taps, 4, 8, and 16 ohm with my cornwalls. The cornwalls are rated at 8ohms, so that is what I am wired to right now but should I really, and is it really perfectly fine to run the 16 and 4ohm taps as well?  

With valved guitar amps, you always match your amps with your cabs impedance, especially if tubed, or at least avoid running your head at a lower impedance than the cab.  Are thing different in this situation?  

Thanks 

Hi Jkull,

First, congratulations! Glad the amp and speakers have worked out so well.

It won’t hurt anything to try the 4 ohm and 16 ohm taps. And it seems to me to be worth trying, as I suggested earlier. Given especially that the speaker’s impedance deviates widely over the frequency range from its nominal 8 ohm rating, assuming its impedance characteristics are reasonably similar to those of the later version of the Cornwall II. The reference I provided earlier indicated an impedance for the later version ranging from around 5 or 6 ohms in much of the bass and mid-bass regions, to more than 20 ohms throughout most of the upper mid-range/lower treble regions, and to as much as 75 ohms in parts of that region.

Regarding your phono stage candidates, I see no technical issues that would arise using the Decware with the 219ia and your Soundsmith Zephyr MkII cartridge. With the Bottlehead I would be a bit concerned about its very high output impedance of 4000 ohms. That would be reasonable in relation to the input impedance of the 219ia, but would make its sonic performance more cable sensitive than usual, on the output side. And I note that its website description states that on its outputs "interconnect cables of 1 meter or less are recommended." Although you could probably get away with a longer length than that if you were to choose a cable having particularly low capacitance (e.g., less than say 20 pf/foot).

Enjoy! Regards,
-- Al

Al.-
thanks for your response. I will get around to trying the other taps in that case. 

Hi jkull,
The Decware ZP3 is "very" compelling for the following reasons.
1 Decware has earned a strong reputation for high quality sound and well thought out engineering and design.

2 The circuit is very simple triode based with tube rectification.

3 No negative feedback is used ( a major plus  in my opinion).

4 The power supply is stout and over specified (good engineering decision).

5 Jupiter Beeswax capacitors are an available upgrade for 150.00 USD. Jupiter makes excellent capacitors. Your system is good enough to exploit these superior capacitors. Well worth the money.

This quality Phono Stage combined with the high caliber 219ia will yield a pure upper tier signal path,this = very natural and emotionally involving sound that many systems cannot achieve.
Charles

Here's my take jkull. The 219ia is a serious no BS amplifier that has elevated your system.  From this point onward every decision concerning further system changes should be based on the aspect of quality. You've moved beyond the sound/hifi stage and are in the realm of music reproduction and engagement/communicative interaction. This is where you want to be. 
Charles 

Charles-
Yes, the power supply being transformer and tube rather than a SS short cut is what stands out to me with the ZP3 most of all.

Amp is warming up now with the 4ohm taps. Will begin spinning a record in just a few moments....