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Line Magnetic 518ia - How Much Heat Does It Produce?

Hello, and thanks for any help with this. I'm helping a very dear friend, who loves music, and good audio equipment, put together a system. He has suffered some very serious personal setbacks of late, and one of the key things he has turned to, is putting together an audio system as a means to attempt to move forward. He is trying to put together a nice audio system in what he has available, a small room.

He travels a fair bit for work, and has had two recent experiences listening to the exceptional Line Magnetic 518ia, and was blown away by it. I can guarantee you that he has heard some very good audio components, but has been captivated by the 518ia. If you have heard it, or read the reviews, you understand, as I do. That's a truly amazing piece of gear, especially for the price.

Here is my concern, Because of serious budget deficits related to his other problems,  he can only afford one of these wonderful integrated amps, used. Okay, they are available  in his price range. I have him set up with speakers and everything else to maximize the quality of his system. But, this is a Class A amp, even if relatively low wattage. He would be using this in a 10x10 room, with the integrated amp only 2.5 feet away from where he sits. There is no other available placement. Is this going to overheat him, and/or the room? 

Any input would be appreciated. If he cannot make use of this amp he loves so much, it could get very difficult to find anything else, given it's price performance capabilities. 
nightfall

Showing 7 responses by charles1dad

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Fasten,
I looked at your system page, very nice!!
Your room has a 10 foot ceiling. 28x20x10 that’s a lot of open cubic space to handle amplifier heat. No doubt that the LM 518a driving the Daedalus speakers is a pure sonic joy. Do you alternate the LM with your Modwright components?
Charles
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Nightfall,
The First Watt S,I,T. amplifier loaned to me was a "push pull" version (Nelson Pass D.I.Y. using the same static induction transitors) that has more power than the single ended versions you cited. It’s still a pure class A circuit with about 35 to 40 watts. It generate more heat than my 8 watt SET which is only 1/5 the power output so less heat is dissipated.

Facten
Yes I agree too bad he’s unable to use the excellent LM 518a. Keep in mind he has far less cubic space than you have. 28x20 versus 10x10 (substantial difference and factor in ceiling height). That small room will heat up quite rapidly and become very uncomfortable. It’s going to be difficult to find a comparable sounding amplifier that also runs cool, just my opinion.
Charles
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Nightfall,
Even el 34s will generate noticeable heat if they’re operating in class A. Just goes with the territory if the amplifier is rated at say 20 watts and higher. I had a borrowed First Watt S.I.T push pull amplifier (35 watts class A) for several weeks and if ran hotter than my 8 watt  300b SET mono blocks.

Class D amplifiers would be an obvious solution if your fiend can find one with sound he could live with. Not sure if he’ll find one that mimics the LM 518a. Well executed class A is hard to match let alone beat.
Charles
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Nightfall
Unison Research is an Italian company that has a reputation for good sounding tube amplifiers. My suspicion is that it will fall in somewhere between the Prima Luna (class A/B push pull) and the LM 518a (class A SET) . The S6 model is class A and parallel SET with 3 el 34 per channel.

I bet this amplifier sounds really good given the design, circuit and topology. Don’t know if it will equal what your friend heard with the 518a but you never know until you’ve actually listened . As Al noted heat output is still a concern. I sympathize with your fiend, he has good taste/ears but limiting circumstances.
Charles
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Yeah,
I find it rather strange (bizarre?) that some are discounting the close sitting proximity to amplifiers dissipating 320 watts!!! (Essentially a room heater in a tiny space). As Al mentioned regarding speakers, more efficient models could possibly mate with a 300b SET. Far less heat generated compared to the 845.
Charles
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
There are numerous very good sounding tube push pull amplifiers using indirectly heated tubes, KT 150,129,88,el 34 etc. The DHT SET amplifiers such as The LM 518a are as your friend heard just different and sound fantastic. I know how he feels. Prima Luna is nice sounding but not the same.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Nightfall,
I will respectfully disagree with ozzy62 as I don’t consider this a "ridiculous " concern. Given the very small room size and close proximity to the amplifier heat output is a legitimate concern. A 300b SET amplifier (such as mine) wouldn’t be a major issue. However the 845 output tubes are an entirely different matter. These large transmission tubes generate considerable heat that will be quite noticeable in close quarters.

I certainly understand the desire to own this amplifier. 845 tubed class A SET will provide difficult to equal beautiful, palpable and natural sound.
Bottom line, significant amplifier heat output in very tight surroundings.
Charles
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