Line Magnetic 508ia and the Elusive 805 Tube



Greetings, my fellow 'Goners.

I'm the very happy owner of a Line Magnetic 508ia integrated amp, a real powerhouse with a wonderful sound. I have replaced all of the stock tubes except the 805 tubes, as the stock tubes have suited me just fine. However, after a year or so of stellar play, one of them is showing signs of not being able to hold bias, so it may be time to experiment with some other tubes. Fine, but when I began looking around, I discovered that 805 tubes are not exactly plentiful across the land, nor is there much conversation about them. I found some on eBay--the Fullmusic look interesting, but pricey. My usual sources for tubes have none at all in stock.

So my questions are whether anyone out there with an LM 508 has tried rolling the 805 tube, what were your results, and--most importantly--where did you track them down?

I was very pleased with the results of rolling the 300B, 6SN7, and 6SL7 tubes, but the 805 options are relatively limited. Any insights, links, etc., would be most appreciated.


128x128waltersalas

Showing 4 responses by geek101

Are there any measurements published for this amp when it is driven to peak i.e close to 48 Watts?. 

Anyone here have noticed problems when driven with speakers that are 92 dB efficient?.
@shkong78, wow gorgeous speakers up for sale. 

I am waiting for my delivery of Legacy Aeris, they are active amplified for the bass section.

I am still not sure how LM 508ia will perform with them. I am also considering testing out a beefy class D amp like ATI AT542NC to power the fronts and the center at the same time. Will keep the amp that will do well at the end.
@shkong78 wow never hard of Lansche 4.1. They look really exciting. Glad to know you are enjoying LM 508ia at good levels. Wish I could :).

Your speaker must have an active subwoofer section?.  No?.
@shkong78 Legacy Aeris is what I got myself.

Heard a lot of speakers in RMAF 2018 recently and this is what I thought is best sound and value to me. Got the Wavelet too a must in my opinion.