Hi all,
I wanted to update everyone on how my amplifer search went, in hopes that I can help someone else who is in a similar situation to mine. To cut to the chase - I now have a Line Magnetic 518ia, have done some tube rolling, and I'm absolutely in love with the outcome. Here's a bit more color in to what helped land on this decision.
Living in San Jose, California, I had the luxury of trying out the Wells Audio equipment. Jeff Wells is by far one of the best people I have ever met in the audio industry, and he will go to extreme lengths to ensure his customers are able to experience his sound at whatever price point they can manage. The amplifier I was auditioning from him was basically an integrated Innamorata, and it sounded sublime. Jeff is able to create a sound that simply made both myself and my wife get goosebumps. Unfortunately, the amp came in at a significantly higher (and rightfully so!) price point, it wouldn't fit very well in my non-changeable entertainment stand (WAF), and the casing of the Magestic wasn't as clean as the Akasha / Innamorata (also WAF). So with these factors, I couldn't be completely sold on it.
Having done an A/B test on the differences between the Wells Audio and my Cambridge 840A V2, and feeling like the Line Magnetic 518ia was in the running based on the recent product of the year finalist award, I did a side by side comparison of my amp and the 518 on another setup with similarly spec'd speakers, and I was simply floored. The 518 sounded so immersive and effortless that I bought it on the spot. Then trouble struck.
When I got the 518ia home, it just didn't have the same magic that it did in the previous listening environment. I was missing bass, depth, and overall synergy with the rest of my system. It didn't sound any better than my 840A V2... The seller was incredible at working with me, and when we looked over of the potential issues of my source, speaker placement, and even the stock tubes - it turns out the major problem was that the Hugo TT outputs at such high levels it can cause clipping. The 518ia really likes to use its preamp stage, so I had to really reduce the output volume of the TT. I drove the seller (and Jeff!) a bit batty because I wasn't getting the sound I anticipated out of the system, but ultimately decided that even though it wasn't quite providing the delta that I had previously experienced (which was also lower in quality to the Wells), for the price compared to the Wells, and upcoming financial obligations, sticking with the 518ia made the most sense. I then set my sights on improving the sound quality with tubes.
At this point to improve the bass response I've outfitted the Line Magnetic 518ia with a pair of 1957 RCA black plate 12AX7's (also tried some ridge/smooth tele's, but they missed the mark), and a pair of Tungsol 6550's from Terry Kilgore. Overall I'm quite pleased with the system for low and moderate listening levels, and am excited to try additional tubes to improve imaging, depth, and bass (you know, all the good stuff!). I hope this helps someone else, and feel free to reach out with any questions!
Russ
