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Line Magnetic 219ia vs. 518ia

I have been interested in the difference between these 2 integrated amplifiers from Line Magnetic for a while now, and thought that some members might be as well. Given the difference in their size and price, and the very enthusiastic review of the 518ia by Herb Reichert in Stereophile, I was hoping that the difference would be minimal. That was not the case
I went to audition both amps this afternoon at Arizona Hi Fi on a pair of DeVore 0/92 speakers with  Luxman CD player and Nordost Odin interconnects (!). Both were fully broken in. First the less expensive 518ia. Sounded good, not great. A little harsh almost on some loud sax breaks, but then again, I never heard these speakers before. PRAT, which was highly touted in the Stereophile review didn't seem any better or worse to me than what I get from my Audio Note Kit1.  Listened to Jazz, Cream, Jethro Tull and Squeeze.
Next up was the 219ia. Instant difference, no need to lean forward and squint. Very obvious that there were 300bs in the circuit. Smoother, much more layered, detailed and refined. A real wow moment. Listened to all of the same again and was very rewarded.
I love my Audio Note but have been considering a change because besides my horns, I have small inefficient monitors that I would like to use occasionally. Both amps had very good bass reproduction due to the 845 tubes. The reason I felt the need to write about this is that in one of the major reviews of the 219ia, the reviewer compares the two and seems to say that the difference isn't much and that he'd be happy with either. Not me. There is a very big difference.
The dealer also had a new amp not on their website, the 508ia which uses 300bs in front of 805 tubes and some 6sn7s I think. I didn't have time to hear it today and the salesman was tired of lifting!
As an aside, I finally got to audition the Sugden A21 class A integrated on his recommendation, and that its a great little amp. As good as the 219ia? No, not quite as colorful and a little bit drier on the top end, but excellent musical sound in most ways and a great value.
I thought that I would want to keep my Audio Note no matter what else I might buy, but if I buy the 219ia, I can let the Audio Note go. It's a great amp.   
128x128roxy54
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Roxy,
You comments about the Devore Orangutan O/96 are astute. I heard this speaker at RMAF in 2011. I thought overall it was pretty good but the sound did seem to remain in the speaker vicinity somewhat. Granted this was under show conditions and may have been room related. To be fair I’d need to hear it under different circumstances.

I could be spoiled as my speakers seem to disappear with nearly every recording. Roxy a direct comparison of the Audio Note and the Line Magnetic 219ia would be very interesting. High quality 300b versus high quality 845 SET.
Charles,
facten
2,884 posts
 
roxy in the for what it is worth catgeory,

 I haven't heard the 219 but do have the 518ia and therefore can only offer that in my case swapping in NOS - GE 6L6GCs, Mullard 5AR4 rectifier and Tungsol 5751s took  the 518 to a different level (have it driving Daedalus Argos V2s). Not saying that doing this would place the 518 ahead of the 219, just that the amp offers more with better tubes, as I expect the 219 likely would.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Facten,
I don’t doubt that at all. Some amplifiers can dramatically be improved with the substitution of better quality tubes. I suspect that the LM 219ia upgrades the parts quality, transformers and power supply in addition to the 300b as the driver tube. The 219ia compared to the Coincident Turbo 845 SET would be another very interesting listen. It also uses the 300b as the driver tube. 
Charles,
roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,066 posts
 
Facten, 
I agree completely. Having tube rolled every tube in my Audio Note, I understand the profound difference it can make. I was only commenting on the amps in their stock form. 
The 518is is a solid design by all the comments from those who know and I'm certain that its very good perfomance can be elevated to excellent.

Charles,
Yes, the outrageous weight of The 219is is due to the dual mono design. It took 2 of us to move it into place. I know these are many heavier amps, but few ...you wouldn't want to drop that amp on your toe!

jond's avatar
jond
5,899 posts
 
@roxy54 what Audio Note amps are you running? Thinking my next pair of speakers will be from Audio Note.
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