Line Magnetic 501-a gold? any experience?

I listened to the 501 Gold/Harbeth combination the other day at a delightful listening session at a local audio dealer. Source was a LM cd/dac and a variety of turntables. I was auditioning the Harbeths - the 7es3 and the SHL5 - but it was the LM that caught my attention.

The Harbeths were good: The HLF was more transparent and shimmery than the more warm and forceful 7es3. But neither made me want to give up my Reference 3A de Capo i's.

I found myself, however, fascinated by the presence and projection of the LM 501 Gold. I have a hybrid LSA Statement integrated now which I'm not giving up any time soon. However, I would heartily recommend the LM. It's beautifully designed; smooth and silky in its sound, and made musical nuances more noticeable.

A very good tube integrated with gobs of power.

I've only heard the LM 518A, which is the other amp in the gold line, using 845 tubes. It's only 22 watts, but has enough drive to power my Merlin monitors, which aren't particularly sensitive, but present a pretty benign impedance curve. Liked it so much I bought the amp and I love it.

Haven't heard the De Capos, but from what I know of them, they're not completely dissimilar to Merlin in terms of tonality. As far as the 518 goes, I'd be careful not to partner with a speaker that's at all loose in the bass, b/c it can be a little plummy with the wrong speaker. For my little
Monitors, it's by far the deepest and most tuneful bass I've ever gotten from them.

Dkidmnow, I purchased the LM 518 and the amp put out such a loud hum/buzz that I thought it might have been damaged in shipping and sent it back. They were nice enough to send me a second sample, but I had the same problem, the hum/buzz seemed to be coming from the transformer. All other tube amps I've had here have been very quiet. Have you experienced this with your 518? Anyone else?

I have the transformer hum too. My understanding is that we just have to live with it. May be a product of the power grid where we live. I wish it weren't there, but in my case, absolutely nothing comes through the speakers, and from my listening seat I only hear the hum in between tracks.

Thought I'd post an update on my experience with the LM 518. The transformer hum is gone! I've had the amp since mid February, so I'd estimate between 150 and 300 hours of play. So glad I stuck it out. Still loving the amp and just about to get serious about tube rolling. Hope this helps.