Spent some more time with the new 508 today....hooked up to DeVore 0/96's. Really a fantastic combo. The 508 has tons of dynamics....really nice low end control. Still lots of hours until it's fully broken in, but I am really liking it a lot so far.
Intriguing amp. Devore owner looking forward to ongoing impressions, if possible, as you spend more time with the 508. I know the 518 well and am curious how the 508 stacks up against the 518.
My customer that stopped by listened for a while to both the 508 and 518. He owns DeVore 0/96 speakers, so we used 96's for the demo time. He loved them both with the 96's (as do I), but thinking that the 508 is in the lead at this point. A bit more dynamic overall with extremely good control of the bottom end, giving more low end "umph" with all music. Perhaps a touch more detailed overall as well. (note that this is using all stock tubes in both units) I'm taking both the 518 and 508 over to his house on Saturday where we will try them out in his room/setup. And he will decide at that point which is the one for him. As much as I love the 518 (and I love it A LOT), the 508 is an extremely impressive integrated.
Taylor, thanks for sharing your impressions of the new amp with us. Line Magnetic seems to have an amp targeted at fans of just about every tube type and combo. I can't believe the power output of this one, for a SET amp! I am still coming to grips with the power on tap in the 518ia. I bet the 508ia would sound wonderful with Harbeths...
Any chance you can post a better pic of the front panel? I'd like to see all the switches and dials. And do the VU meters work when music is playing?
Funny enough, the customer that is considering the 508 to go with his 96's also has a pair of Harbeth's (I believe they are 30.1's). He is wanting to use the new integrated with both speakers.
There is a switch on the front panel that allows you change the meters from power output (moves when music is playing) to bias meters. So you can have them in either mode.
Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for. And is this only going to be available in black? I have a 518 in the orange/white and have come to really love it's appearance.
Interesting. If you have a chance to hear the 508 with his Harbeths on Saturday, please let us know what you think!
I would think the Harbeth at 85db sensitivity would be tough for most 48 wpc amps to drive. But, the LM amps sound like they can do some amazing things.
I don't know. I use the 22 WPC 518 with a pair of Canalis Cambria at 86db sensitivity and it does not have any problems driving the speakers to volume levels far above what is comfortable for me.
I was fortunate enough to see and hear Erocka200's 518 earlier this week and I was extremely impressed with the looks, build quality and sound of this amp. I am convinced that Line Magnetic may be the best bargain in Hi-Fi.
I auditioned to about 20 different integrated amps over a two year period, as I was looking for a one box solution to replace my Audio Research seperates. In my system and for my listening tastes, the LM 518IA won the competition hands down and replaced $20,000 of ARC tube gear. Line Magnetic is a steal for what it sells for, and for the quality of the music it produces.
The limited production, 10 Year Anniversary 126 integrated is actually self biasing! I can't wait to get that unit in as well. It should be another killer piece of gear.
I'm actually thinking of downsizing all my gear and going this route, I love the philosophy, design of Line Magnetic, sometimes less is more...