Member's recommendations for tube amplification

@jmac7  Thanks for bringing up the Line Magnetic integrated. I'm familiar with it. It was a wonderful pairing for my demos of the Devore O/96s.

@charles1dad   Charles, how could I forget, with all the early discussion in the DI thread around it. LM508ia must feel quite neglected now that the thread has moved on to those other two amps!  : ) 

Let me ask again, is it 'better' for me to pursue an amplifier separate for my application or should I also add tube integrateds to the mix. I don't have space issues or other factors that would necessitate a single box and I do have a preamp (which, however, could be used in a secondary system if I did go with an integrated).

Will it make a difference - how so? Are the differences not significant enough to be a factor? Thanks.

David I'd judge the choices based purely on sound quality.  The Line Magnetic 508ia for example is an integrated amplifier that by all accounts outperforms many stand alone power amplifiers.  Also I believe that the preamp section can be bypassed if so desired. It seems the 508ia has a good pre section that responds to tube upgrading.  Waltersalas can certainly address this aspect. 

A high quality integrated can be built with better parts and transformers than some power amplifiers,  it all depends. 
Charles 

Thanks for the shout out, Charles. Yes, I think the Line Magnetic 508ia is an incredible amplifier, so much so that it forced me to reconsider my previous bias (no pun intended) for separates. I do indeed believe that the pre section is pretty great, though I may at some point do some experimentation with a good preamp to see if further improvements can be had by adding a quality pre in the chain. That has always been my experience in the past, but as I said, the LM 508 has resulted in a paradigm shift of what an integrated can do.

I do think it is necessary to upgrade the stock tubes to get the absolute most out of the 508, especially the 300B and 6SN7 tubes, though it also sounds good with the stock tubes. Adding some EML 300Bs and a nice pair of Sylvanias or the 6SN7 tube of your choice will yield very noticeable improvements.

To my ears, it is a stunning partner for the Double Impacts. I've had systems that were more than twice, even three times, as expensive, but I have never had better sound than I have now.

@david_ten I would suggest going the straight amp route rather than getting an integrated. No slight to Line Magnetic or any other integrateds mentioned, I just think invariably you may think about upgrading some part of your system again. When you do having a separate amp and preamp gives you more options, also I am guessing you may find yourself wanting a tubed preamp at some point.

"...I just think invariably you may think about upgrading some part of your system again."

Jond has just described the audiophile condition in a nutshell, regardless of what kind of amp you use. :)