LM219ia -Steve Huff follow up review

For the valve/SET guys. May have been posted already, who knows. Steve huff followed up his old LM219ia review after purchasing the amp yet again. Still 4 years later he calls it “the best amp he has ever owned or tried out”. I am as happy with this amp as I was the day I got it. Cannot recommend it enough. For the LM junkies

UPDATE for 2018. The Line Magnetic 219ia class A magical beast returns. – Steve Huff Photo

 

I have never heard Line Magnetic, to my chagrin.

 

When you have a chance... it is worth doing so by all means

 

I Wanted to hear one but the only local dealer refused to let me listen.

I bet they sound great but I wouldn’t take one even for free.

 

It's a wonderful amp - I owned it for over 3 and half years and reviewed it here Line Magnetic 219IA Integrated Amplifier Review

 

Thanks Richard. You’re review was another contributing factor to my consideration in this amp in the first place.

 

A dealer was being a jerk so you hold the manufacturer responsible? Can't say your logic makes any sense whatsoever.

 

A few months back, someone was offering a like-new LM211ia on the local Craigslist. Asking price was $1,000. Although not in the category of the LM219ia, I still regret hesitating on that amp. I saw it posted one day, and the next day it was gone. Sometimes you have to act fast...

 

If you buy a brand like LM you have to rely on the dealer - the manufacturer doesn't speak English so you as the consumer will be forced to rely on the dealer - in essence from the consumer perspective the dealer may very well be considered the manufacturer.

When I bought the LM 219Ia from the dealer in Hong Kong I knew that King of KingKo amplifiers would repair the 219Ia if it had issues. He has repaired them all and upgraded several of them. And in HK it comes with a three year warranty. 2 years added by the dealer. The Hong Kong Chinese hate products made by the rest of China - It's kind of two separate countries. But that's another story.

 

Interesting. Thanks. LM's products are built like tanks, that's for sure.

 

The new/updated 219ia (now called the 845 Premium) is a 2 chassis piece --

LM-845 Premium - Vacuum tube integrated amplifier - Single Ended 845 - 2x30W

 

Not sure they're the same amp. Aside from a seemingly involved redesign, this newer version offers 30 watts whereas the previous version had 24.

Wow! That is 62kg! That's 136 pounds. And I thought my 508IA was beefy at 92 pounds!

 

Theyre nearly the same. Same valves used in the same configuration. Controls identicle etc. Overall, id assume it is the same circuit, same transformers, etc. Maybe a little change to the power supply or something.. Its a heavy amp, you'd got that right. Maybe that weight 'in box'. The most common number I've seen for the 219 is 121lb. I've never put it on a scale so lol. But due the way the weight sits on the amp, the 121 is a complicated lift, as the weight is to the back, so you better have your hands placed correctly to cradle the weight before lifting lol.

 

Yeah. It's all about the transformers for tube amps which is why they're the heavy part. The build quality is certainly nice, though. And since this isn't something that will be moved often, I guess it doesn't really matter in the end.

 

The 508IA can be a one-man setup but I think it'd be wise to have a 2nd person to help lift 136 pounds!

 

The new one may distribute the weight over two parts so while overall it is heavier it may be much much more doable to move around. Fortunately, my speakers could get away with about 3.5 watts per channel so I no longer need a battleship.

The 219IA's weak spot is the preamp and you can fortunately bypass that when you have more money to add a preamplifier.

If you DO have the money though you can essentially buy the 503PA monoblock power amps giving them each their own power supply and then having a superior dedicated preamp (ahem Audio Note or Shindo). Plus the preamp stage is still "in the circuit" with the 219. ALPS is a pretty weak potentiometer so you would really have to weigh the price of the 503 versus this new 219IA.


LM-503PA Monoblock power amplifier - Single Ended 845, Drivers 310A - 1x24W

Stick a Shindo Aurieges preamp ~$6000 on them (as it seems dealers that carry LM carry Shindo) or if that is too much spend less and get an AN M2 Line preamp ~$3,000.

I kind of vastly prefer separates versions of these things and if it is not toooooooo much more money it leaves you more options - not to mention easier on your back.

 

Most of the weight being in the transformers, i think the bit of 'help' in moving the amp in the new model would just be the slight size reduction that way it's easier to 'scoop it up' so to speak. But most of that weight will still be on the top half. Being a bodybuilder, im not one who should be complaining but yes, it is heavy and the large shape and depth makes the 219 an awkward handle. I can live with it.

Maybe one day I'll put a preamp in front of my 219. The amp needed new 12AX7's as the stock shuguang/psvane ones are not very good. Tremendous improvement with my telefunken smooth plates however. I'm content with utilizing the preamp at the time, but I'd like to hear a few with the 219 sure. Would have to be a worthy deal for me to consider one.

 

Around 7 years ago in Beijing I bought their 216ia kt88 amp. At that time I wasn't a full single ended person. I wish I was then because I would have bought one of their single ended amps instead.

 

I like the one chassis look better.

 

I mean. I feel like i do too. Maybe because it doesn't look like 'stacked' units, where essentially it is still 'one' unit. Would be silly to think they split the unit to make it easier for people to move it, when they make some much larger and heavier units... but I don't see any other reason right?

 

The one chassis models don't look like any other tube amp I have ever seen, so I like them better.

 

Importer said only way to buy was from local dealer. Local dealer said I should look at Rogue (they sold both). I asked about several LM amps, most of which they had on the shelf and asked about bringing 2-3 records in to play on them. I offered to bring my TT and speakers down there too. They said “nah, you won’t like those, Rogue are the way to go”.

Did I type that too fast for you?

 

The dealer should have let you sample whatever you wanted to hear. Sure if a young kid pulls up on a bike, I can see a dealer declining sampling things if it were excessive. That's one thing. But someone shopping for a new amplifier as yourself, should be granted any sampling within normal means when looking at expensive audio gear.

Anyhow, the question still remains, why would you not take one for free? Is it confidence in the dealers opinion or ??

 

Nope but your logic still flawed. If I talk to somebody from Music Direct about a VPI product and the rep is rude, why and how would that ever be VPI's fault? It's not. VPI is responsible for solely for its own employees, just as LM is responsible for their employees' behavior.

The dealer was rude and unhelpful, IMHO. If you're accepting their opinion at face value, that's your choice but I find it strange as tastes are purely subjective and you could be denying yourself the experience of the amp of your dreams. If, instead, you were repulsed by the dealer's behavior and you'd like to actually hear one but are posting silliness such as refusing a free one if the opportunity were ever presented to you out of spite, just boycott that one dealer and go to another or, if you're that serious, work with @GoldprintAudio who's a LM dealer himself about an in-home trial.

There are possibilities out there. Up to you to decide how to deal with the situation.

 

According to the importer I have one single option to buy. LM has 1 single dealer in state. I asked about ordering from someone out of state and never mentioning it but he wouldn’t allow it. I respect that the dealers don’t want to trample each other, but in the end I wasn’t allowed to even hear the amps I wanted to hear, I wonder if they would even sell me one (I had $5k ready to go).

So I’m not sure what openings you’re talking about. It’s pretty simple: the only local LM dealer didn’t want me to even listen, there in shop, a few different LM products because based on what type of music I listen to, LM is the wrong choice. He may very well be right. But I’d still like to hear EL34, EL84 and other tubes amps to experience the sound and make up my own mind. That was not an option.

Maybe my musical tastes are too lower class? Maybe the base level PDC I bought there means I’m too boozhie? I don’t know. Would the Rogue Cronus Magnum be the optimal choice? Probabaly yes on all accounts. But so what. I had cash to spend and they weren’t interested in what I wanted. Maybe CMII’s have a higher margin...

At the end of the day I’m disappointed but I chose to spend my money with a company who wants it and while it’s not a sweet tube number, it’s a pretty great system. I definitely made a great choice. I’m not going to fight an a-hole dealer and/or the importer for the right to buy their product. That’s too much work.

I’d still love to hear the various models I picked out originally but that’s life.