Line Magnetic 219ia vs Mc225

Charles-
listening more often and longer yes. There is more allure in doing so now, and it is more enjoyable all around. It was very obvious before, I did not tolerate long listening well, which is what was telling me I needed to make a change. Listening is more colorful now. 

Pdreher-
thank you for letting me know. I am doing some reading up on those two brands of 300b's.  as we know it is hard to really go off of others references often with these sorts of things with variables at hand etc.  I do see some good talk about both the black treasures and the KR's so far... may decide to snag one or the other from you 

Have to say. I’m all over with what 300B’s to go for. Just for the record, my amp is currently loaded with TJ Full Music 300B/n’s. So I want to know that I am getting a tube that will give me worthwhile improvement OVER those. My current research has concluded a few points

-I read some very nice things about Sophia Electric Carbon Plates and Meshes. I read how the carbon plates have a darker tone with a rich midrange, I like the sound of that. My system leans towards a bright presentation if any, considering the horns etc. I didn’t pull on them only bc you do read about some reliability issues with these. I also realize they are also TJ tubes. Yes different and certain selectivity from the factory, I get that, but still are at their core, the same make as the tube I have right now... But are still a contender none the less. 

-EML. I don’t want to worry about their close monitoring needs as voltage is quite unique or so I’ve read, so I’ll just rule them out.

-PSVANE 300B WE. Reviews I’ve read are pretty good. I haven’t concluded an idea of what they really sound like as most of the reviews of them just say how alike they are to the original WE’s and not much in respect to their character.

-shuguang black treasures- I see a very large amount of good response. Probably however related to them being very affordable, so MORE are promoted to get these and try these etc etc. I think they look nice glowing in a dark room lol. Apparently very very reliable. I haven’t read anything bad. Not the best 300 but much better than many at it’s price range I’ve concluded...

KR- also read about reliability issues but I’ve also read that czech tubes are some of the best.

Id like to cap my spending at about $600. That puts a new pair of PSVaNE WE reps as about my priciest contender. Willing to go with a nice pair of used tubes as well if I came across a good snag

i would like a BIT warmer of a sound with a smooth midrange as I read about with the SE carbon plates..I think with saying that, all carbon plates 300B's are going to be relatively darker and warmer than their mesh brother tubes, is that generally correct?  Like it's not just a thing with Sophia electrics, but for other brands too, yes?

could use use some input! Lol. Charles where are you. Lol

Nice to see this thread is still active. 
I finally pulled the trigger and brought my 219 home!
I was about to buy a new one from the shop when I found out that a person I know was selling his. 
Living in my home for just a few days, here are my first impressions with this amplifier as part of my system;
My system: a Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck from the early 90’s with a Spacearm, a Denon DL 103 “naked”, a custom made solid state phono preamp (with adjustable loading and gain), a CD player/DAC from KingKo (new brand from Hong Kong), Zu Audio Omen Def speakers and now this Line Magnetic 219ia. Cables are a mix of Morrow audio and DIY made by me.

I start by saying that I have listened to this amplifier many times in many different setups, always sounding superb. After nearly four years of courtship, I finally decided to bring it home. My main concern was “Will it sound the same in my living room connected to my system?” – well, it sure does!

Unpacking and handling this beast is no easy task, so make sure it sits on a permanent place and you’re not thinking about moving it around too much.

After all the connections made, I must confess I was a bit nervous when pushing the power button. It was like firing a rocket to the Moon! But instead of grunt and explosive noise the only thing I heard was… silence. This amplifier is very silent and I could only hear some hum when turning the volume knob all the way to the limit with no music playing. 

I didn’t choose a particular record as my first, I just grabbed one that was nearby – the Led Zepellin IV. And it rumbled! From start to finish, voices and instruments were crystal clear. Low frequencies are strong and tight and the highs are crisp. Pure joy!
Record after record this amplifier presented the music in a very solid way, very palpable. The definition, texture and dynamics together with the incredible soundstage made me believe many times that the bands were performing in front of me.
This first afternoon I played Led Zep, AC DC (Live), Basia Bulat (Tall Tall Shadow), Allison Krauss & Union Station (So long So wrong), Beatles (Abbey Road) and Rodrigo y Gabriela (omonymous). It was like I was listening to all these records for the first time, because this amplifier puts some extra weight in the music. Everything sounds boulder, richer, with more body and detail.
Electric instruments and drums were very good to listen to, but where it really shines is on the vocals and acoustic instruments like classic guitars. Shivers and chills! Speechless!

Another thing I noticed clearly was that this amp doesn’t forgive a bad recording. Good records will sound amazing but a bad record will sound bad. It simply brings up whatever we feed it with.

I’m not an “audiophile” nor an experienced reviewer, just someone with a strong passion for music and some knowledge about music (also as a musician). What I experience now with the 219ia from Line Magnetic is way beyond any other amplifier that I heard before. It’s engaging. It’s organic. It’s addictive!
This one is a keeper! Together with my old Nottigham and the Zu speakers this is a fantastic sound system both sonically and visually. I wish I could stay home all day and not have to go to work…

All tubes are from factory and I don't feel the need of rolling tubes (at least for now). I am experiencing, though, a passive preamplifier turning the LM219ia into a pure power amp. Can't tell if it sounds better, just different. I need more time. 

Are all the owners as happy as I am? :)

Migueca-

Congrats on the 219ia. Great amp indeed. I am going to make one recommendation of grabbing a NOS pair of 12AX7's. Not too costly and yields a large benefit. I bought a pair of NOS matched code mullards, a pair of NOS long black plate RCA's, and a pair of NOS smooth plate telefunkens. It came down to the RCA's or tele's, but I'm sticking with the tele's. They take the cake.  Find yourself a decent pair on eBay and make an offer. You won't regret the cost:reward ratio. Enjoy the amp.

other readers in this thread, please refer to my post right above migueca's regarding 300B's still.  Just don't want it to be overlooked!  Thank you

Jkull,
I haven’t commented extensively on the 300b options because I’m only familiar with it as an output tube and not as a driver. It’s certainly possible that the brand characteristics remain consistent regardless of duty they provide in the amplifier.

If that’s the case then for the type of sound you desire I’d say you’re on the right track with the TJ Full Music carbon plate and the Psvane W.E.. Replica. These two may be a bit fuller/warmer than the Shuguang Black Treasure tubes. I used the Black Treasure for about 2 1/2 years and it’s a very good tube.

I’m not sure of voltage issues with the EML XLS . I can only report that its an outstanding tube in my SET amplifier in both sound quality and reliability. EML also offers a standard 300b that is said to be excellent.
Charles