2. amps-preamps
  3. 179727-145450

Line Magnetic 805ia vs high end seperates

I really love my Line Magnetic except for a few items, I use it in a HT and use it’s bypass and I really don’t like having it run when watching movies, those are some high dollar tubes to watch burn away. The other is that it runs HOT, not bad in the winter but gets a bit much in the summer as the summers are hot here.

I’ve thought about putting some on-wall speakers for HT use and just run it all thru my Lexicon AVR and having the LM be used for only music but then I also have been upgrading my system and would like to maybe sell the LM and buy a much nicer preamp.

I have a Digital Audio Company Cherry 2 channel class D amp that has been sitting for some time and it’s a gem of an amp. So I thought of maybe selling the LM and buying an older Conrad Johnson tube pre (ACT2, ET5, have always wanted one) or something else in the $3-5k range, and use the cherry amp. I could keep the tube sound with the preamp. My speakers are an easy drive (Tannoy Arden GR), so in the next few years, I would then upgrade to SET monoblocks if I wanted to upgrade beyond the class D amp.

I am just wondering if going in that direction would really give me a better sound. It would help in the HT bypass department in not burning thru 300b and 805 tubes and would run cooler but would it ultimately sound much better?

blkwrxwgn
carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

I use my tube amp for HT.  Love it.  I don't worry about the cost of the tubes.  

I live near the beach and don't have air conditioning.  So in the summer, a high heat amp isn't for me.  I have an Ayon with 4x 6c33C, about 400 watts of heat.  Had to replace it.  So now I have a Decware zma.  170 watts or so. 

BTW, you don't need an HT bypass on your amp if you have a preamp.  I turn my ZMA all the way up and it becomes an amp with multiple inputs and each one is equivalent to "HT bypass".  For HT, the HT reciever is the preamp. for music my DAC functions as the preamp.

There are a lot of upgrade opportunities from the LM.  There is a nice sophia that was just listed on another site (it won't last long). 

Jerry

blkwrxwgn OP
240 posts
 

805 and 300b tubes are a bit expensive for HT use......

I also ask this because I have a set of Joseph Audio speakers too that the LM doesn't push hard enough.

luxmancl38
580 posts
 

I have a Luxman CL38Use tube preamp and a Krell Showcase surround sound preamp. Don't need HT passthrough. W/my Bryston 3B cube amp I connect the unbalanced outputs to the tubed Luxman and the balanced outputs to the Krell processor. I just flip the switch on the amp depending on what preamp I'm using. 

jond's avatar
jond
5,780 posts
 

I think the plan is a sound one though I suspect you will end up replacing your Class D amp with another tube amp before long.

soix
9,456 posts
 

I also ask this because I have a set of Joseph Audio speakers too that the LM doesn't push hard enough.

I feel your pain big time brutha!  Big JA fan and I too couldn’t stand watching those pricey tubes burn away while watching Two and a Half Men reruns (which JA speaks do you have BTW?).  But I also know your LM amp is pretty amazing, especially for the price.  I’d do the tube pre and sadly sell the LM unless you don’t mind switching it in and out for 2-channel listening (something I’d seriously consider doing if I was you, but I’m kinda nutty that way).  There are some tube preamps that don’t power the tubes when in HT mode (Rogue, VAC, Backert maybe?), but they’re few and far between and who knows if those few would be your cuppa. But preamp tubes don’t tend to be as pricey and last a lot longer so maybe that’s not even an issue for you (It’d still grind my gears knowing I’m burning tubes to watch movies/TV, but I have issues that way).  I’ve now even confused myself and probably helped you even less.  Use the Cherry, get the CJ pre you know you want, and enjoy the crap outta the JA speakers as a bonus.  Preamp tubes be damned.  Life’s too short.  Go for it!

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