Line Magnetic quality


Here we go again…

 

Hej!

I have had my eyes on Line Magnetic Audio for some time, but a friend of mine says that I should stay away from hi-fi and hi-end made in china because they have bad luck when it comes to quality and that they sound bad.

I tell him that I have heard otherwise and that people really like the sound of the LM amplifiers.


So Line Magnetic owners, what do you say? Is he right or is he wrong?

 

By the way; has anyone been listening to LM34AI?

simna

@shkong78

Thanks for the tip, but the 508 is not in production and the 805 costs three times more than LM34IA and that is a lot over my budget.


You can't go wrong with Line Magnetic. 
For the past 7 years I lived near their factory and made some friendships with people related to Line Magnetic, Cayin and other Chinese brands (designers, technicians and dealers). And I must say that they take their products very seriously. Quality - both materials and sonics - is outstanding and long gone are the days when Chinese production was synonymous of crap. Of course there are still many shitty Chinese products, but not at this level. 
And these two factories alone (LM and Cayin) are assembling fine pretty pieces of gear for many ultra-expensive brands. 

Along my journey I auditioned almost every product from LM and Cayin (and also Opera Consonance, MingDa, Yaqin and others) and have owned a few Chinese equipments, the most interesting and famous being the huge LM219ia. And although the qualities and attributes of sound are very subjective, one thing for sure is objective: the built quality.
So if you enjoy the sound and style of Line Magnetic gear, just go for it with confidence. 
I think this new model - LM34ia - is replacing the 211. That was a fine entry level amplifier. But my favorites are the big brothers, 518, 508 and 219. I experienced these amplifiers with speakers from Zu Audio, Omega, Dali, Tannoy and ATC, all combos sounding great - preferring the high efficiency speakers though. 
Just pick a model that fits your budget and taste and you will be satisfied. 
@shkong78 which input tubes did you get for LM 508ia that improved the sound?.
@ geek101



Try Ssl7 first.

It has the most effect .

I am happy with Brimar

True NOS Gain Tested Brimar England CV1985 / 6SL7GT Vacuum Tube Brown Base | eBay


I also have ECC35 recommend by other folks. But it is in my storage. I may try it in 2 weeks to compare it with excellent Brimar.

I am also happy with Amperex Sn7

https://www.ebay.com/itm/PAIR-OF-6SN7GTB-AMPEREX-TUBES-NEW-6SN7-NOS-NIB-Vacuum-Tubes-Bugle-Boy/26392...

although I have Sylvania Bad Boys which I may try in a month or so.


Thomas
geek101

Although you didn't ask about the 518IA , for what it is worth in my 518IA I swapped out all of the tubes except the 845s and went with NOS Tung Sol 5751s (prefer the slightly lower gain vs using NOS 12ax7s in this amp) ,  RCA 5AR4 rectifier, and  GE 6L6GCs