Line Magnetic 508ia and the Elusive 805 Tube

@stereo5 

The dealer that sold me mine says that the stock tubes are so pricey that he usually recommends other options, including Psvanes. I may try a pair of those, or Fullmusic. Hoping for feedback from those with experience or links to sources for this tube other than eBay, though if someone has had a good experience buying from certain vendors on eBay, that is also welcome.

@facten 

Thanks for the tip. I will give them a ring tomorrow.

@miesdavis 

Thanks for your feedback.

I considered the Fullmusic CNE tubes, but the lowest price I could find was $700-800 per pair on eBay. What do you think of them? I will research the Cossor tubes, as I have never heard of them. Would love your feedback on those as well.

As it turns out, the stock 805 tubes are only $90 each straight from the vendor for Line Magnetic stock tubes. That is half the price quoted by the dealer. For anyone out there who owns a 508ia, there is an excellent thread on the Steve Hoffman website with lots of information on tube rolling in this amp. Very informative and helpful. One guy tried several different 805 tubes and eventually went back to the stock. He has Elrog 300Bs, which I believe go for a cool $1500 per pair. I am sure they're excellent, but my EMLs will have to do for now.

@facten 

Sure thing. Contact Glen at Arizona Hi-Fi at this link.

http://tubeaudio.com

@slaw3 

After doing a lot of reading on the excellent and very informative discussion on the Steve Hoffman website regarding tube rolling in the LM 508, I tried the EML XLS 300B tubes, which are excellent and definitely a step up from the stock tube. I replaced the 6SN7 tubes with some 1940s vintage Sylvanias from Brent Jesse, which were also terrific. 

I have tried a two or three 6SL7 tubes, settling for now on a Mullard ECC35--it is a bit on the pricey side, but sounds great. I think the finesse of this tube is a nice complement to the robust dynamics of the EML 300Bs.

So far, I have stuck with the stock 805 tubes. I may roll in some others at some point, though what I would really like to try would be some Elrog 300Bs. These are REALLY pricey, so it may be a while before I can experiment with these.

I am not sure I can say which change would result in the biggest difference, but I would certainly suggest trying some different 300Bs. Before you do anything, spend some time reading the Steve Hoffman thread. There are several 508 owners there who have done a lot more tube rolling than I have in their amps. You might benefit from their experiences, as I did.

The 508 is a good amp even with the stock tubes, but you can definitely take it higher by finding a combination of tubes that suits your particular tastes.

Happy listening!

@plga Thanks for responding, Pedro. I appreciate your thoughtful input on my thread.

I hope you enjoy your 508 for a long time to come!