Power tubes as drivers -- Line Magnetic

Thanks for the input Charles. The amp is still breaking in, but I'm confident I'll get to a good place. My dealer was nice enough to let me bring my speakers over to audition them before I bought, and the combination was very engaging. I'm going to let the amp and tubes really settle in and get a handle on the sound before rolling tubes. I do have some mid 1990s Svetlana 6L6s around the house as spares for my guitar amp, so I suppose I can pop those in to see how they sound.

As far as Merlins being easy to drive, they certainly do have that reputation, and I know Atmasphere amps are generally thought of as a very good match for them. However, as I mentioned above, I first paired the Merlins with the Leben CS-300, and the Leben really couldn't drive them in a satisfying manner. This was strange, because the Leben did an amazing job driving a pair of Dynaudio Focus 260s, which at 4 ohms nominal impedance, would theoretically be a harder speaker to drive.

I also think the Line Magnetic is tonally just a better match for my Merlins-- the Leben sounded a bit lean on the Merlins, but fantastic on the Dynaudios. By the same token, the LM/Dynaudio combination yielded some plummy/wooly bass, but through the Merlins produced the best bass I've ever heard from my speakers. It would have been interesting to hear the more powerful Leben CS-600 paired with the Merlins, but that amp was just a bit too expensive.

Truth be told, I was pretty sold on Leben when I went to the store and was just trying to make sure they could drive my speakers. There was really no contest though and I had to change my plans.

Virgin Poster: I am thinking of buying a Line Magnetics 218IA to drive my newly arrived GoldenEar Triton 2's. The GE have their own woofer amp (Class D) and are self-rated at 91 Db efficiency, so they are supposedly "an easy drive."

Does anybody have any experience with this kind of a combo?

I am fantasizing about my high school tube system: single driver speakers (God knows what) in plywood, unfinished cabinets, w/ a small tube Int. Amp. It was my first "stereo" and it sounded fantastic, but I was embarrassed (2 years later) to bring it to my college dorm because it looked "old fashioned" and I wanted a SS system. Got one prior to going off to school and I have been frustrated since.

Is LM the answer to my dreams?

Welcome DRS! I haven't heard the LM 218 or your speakers, so of course I can't form much of an opinion as to their synergy. I am finding that the 518 has a lot more drive than its 22 watts might otherwise suggest. It's always unsatisfying to hear "you need to see for yourself," but here it's really true. Find a dealer and check out the amp. On paper, sounds like a decent match, but you'll never really know until you try. I am a very happy camper though.

Best,

D

I am dying to try the 518 with my very inefficient Sonus Faber Evolution monitors but my local dealer will not allow an in home demo. Anyone in the Southern California area want to let me borrow theirs for a few days?? :). Pretty please?

I had the LM218 and was recommended genelex KT77 tubes from my dealer. I agree that this powers way beyond its rating and is a great value in tube audio.