Line Magnetic 219ia vs Mc225

Hello jkull,
It’s gratifying to read how pleased you are with the sound of your system with the addition of the LM 219ia SET amplifier. I’m not at all surprised and was pretty confident that it would turn out well for you. Your listening impressions are very early and quite enthusiastic, the good news is that the sound quality will further improve noticeably as the new amplifier burns in.

What you described is what high quality SETs are capable of providing with an appropriately matched speaker. Natural and realistic music reproduction that breathes life and emotion that is in some capacity unique to SET amplification. I can appreciate the stark contrast you distinguish between the SET and the SS emotiva, very different indeed. There is a genuine purity of the sound that enables an undeniable organic flesh and blood awareness to the listening experience. It makes some other amplifiers sound flat, uninspiring and frankly lifeless by comparison. As you've noticed already,  tone and harmonics are just more believable and resolved. 

You’ve received much feedback and opinions on this thread leading up to your decision to purchase the 219ia. I’m glad you took the opportunity to try this type of amplifier. In my opinion your admiration and sheer listening enjoyment are only going to increase over the course of time.
Charles

Charles1/Joeinid.

Thank you. I am very pleased, and relieved that I am this happy with the sound. I listened more last evening. The new ’Black Breath’ album was included.. For any listeners who enjoy heavy music, trust me, give this album a listen. It is dark, heavy, recorded beautifully, and is their best release yet. Sounded excellent at LOW volumes. Jeez I forgot, the best reward of all, and I need not exaggerate, the amp still sounds dynamic and involving at very low listening volumes. If you read above, that was one of the main goals I switched everything up, in order to achieve. Did some more gentle listening to a few contemporary jazz pieces as well. Sounds great. The horns REALLY sound amazing.

I am excited that there is even more potential to be unveiled, not that I honestly feel any ’needs improvement’ areas. Burn in of tubes, and an upgrade in my phono should inevitably do this however. I may even roll the 12AX7’s sooner than later. NOS mullards or something perhaps.. I wouldn’t waste my time doing it, unless if I bought tubes that would REALLY be worth my time.

Just a side note, I decided to try running my SVS in sealed mode last night as well. Never have since ownership. Plugged the three ports, and set the tuning mode to sealed. I was listening at very low volumes, with my wife in bed down the hall, but I could hear the tightening of the bass at this volume, so I look forward to trying it at louder volume today, to see what I think. I have the cornwalls handling the majority of the bass, and I think theyre doing a wonderful job of this, so the sub is basically in the mix for just the very low registers of bass, and extra oomph with the kick pedal, or extra body added to the upright bass etc etc. Ill probably mess around with this a bit furthermore.

Side note.. It is funny. After doing a hands on swap in my own home, with my own equipment, swapping just ONE component, and hearing SUCH a huge difference in sound quality on every level, I have to laugh at some of the philosophies I have read recently. In particular, some of the nonsense spewed by Harbeth’s Alan Shaw regarding how no amps should be showing sonic differences from another. Im not quoting him no, so don’t hold be accountable, but to summarize his statements, what I’ve just said suits them perfectly.
He does not state this in an ’in a perfect world all amps should sound the same and reproduce the natural signal fed to them and that is all’, but rather in the terms of that, today, if you are to compare two amps, being it as vastly difference as my comparison was or less, they will sound no different. He receives plenty of bashing for his BS statements like these, and I can now attest myself to how very different in sound an amplifier is capable of. It is as if I changed half of my components, and not just one. 

I have to add. When you see the amp in person, and especially when you feel the weight it possesses, your are at that moment certain that this amp cannot sound thin or weak. It is a true boulder, very hard to get out of the box even. The remote is probably the heaviest, most robust remote Ive ever felt for its size as well. 

 First off, I have no experience with LM amps yet.  Secondly, it seems as if no one here has shown real experience with a properly updated MC225 which surprises me, so I would like to throw in my two cents.

I have used a Terry DeWick updated Mcintosh MC225 with upgraded Klipsch Chorus II or Tannoy dual concentric for several years, and the sound is sublime.  The amp was completely rebuilt from the power supply thru the signal chain and I added some Cardas RCA input connectors.  I experienced a full bodied, multidimensional, and lifelike presentation of the music that stays very true to the recorded material with this amp in the mix. I love it! The amp is dead quiet unless you stress it with extreme volume levels or with inefficient speakers.  It is well know among vintage Mc tube equipment enthusiasts that McIntosh and your Klipsch Cornwalls make beautiful music together.  Mc225 has more resolution from the bottom to than found with my Terry DeWick updated McIntosh MC 30s(which are incredible amps no doubt).  This is probably because of the solid state rectified power supply in the MC225. 

Overall, there is a very well balanced sound from this little amp and a lifelike presentation of the music.  I love the sound of the Westinghouse 7591 output tubes, one Telefunken smooth plate ECC83 in V1, Military Mullard CV4003, and RCA 12bh7.  I have a hard time believing you wouldn't be impressed with an updated version of this amp with a good set of these vintage tubes.  Hard to go wrong with properly restored vintage McIntosh for pure musical enjoyment IMHO, as always YMMV.  Check out Jeff Day's blog for more good info on vintage McIntosh.     

I believe that there are numerous paths towards  developing a truly satisfying audio system. I don’t doubt that a well restored vintage McIntosh tube amplifier is a good example. SET amplifiers  by default have really simple circuits and fewer parts. This minimalist design if implemented to a high standard is going to result in a high degree of musical purity. jkull is hearing what he does in large part  for this specific reason.

In an ideal world it’d be rewarding to directly compare the LM 219ia and McIntosh MC 225.
Charles