thanks for the input which will help to make my choice... It really helps feedback from other audio enthusiast which doesn't have any bias , with seller it is common sense that they will push their product to us, don't want to know what system we have, whether it will have synergy, need funding to identify the one u have, it is really strange hobby with abundant of pleasure when u hit bulls eye, gone inside this hobby too much .
You're welcome! I understand what you mean regarding some sellers. But Taylor (Goldprint Audio) is a good person to get feedback from in your case. I believe he is a dealer for both Rega AND Line Magnetic, so should have some really solid experience with both, same as I do.
Just wanted to correct this earlier post. I actually have a Sylvania 6x4 rectifier in my DAC, not Siemens.
I had similar situation, had tube amplifier , due to high maintenance cost of tube amp(in average run 6-7 hours per day) traded tube amplifier to SS amp, couldn't leave a week, fatigue cropped in, somehow managed to leave with it for a year, later brought in tube amplifier, I feel tube has the naturalness that I don't get from SS and that is me. down the road planing for LM el34 tube amplifier for 2nd system.
What tube amp were you running? I was always worried about tubes but I've never had to touch my 518 or my Fender Deluxe Reverb (other than occasionally biasing the 518, which is as easy as rearrainging apps on an iPhone).
Melody kT8(Power-Tube KT88 x 4 Push-Pull, Tube Adopted 101D x 11, Pre-Tube 6SN7 x 4). Tube 101 failure caused me 2 KT88. within 5 years I have changed complete set of tubes 1 times and plus 2 kT88 correction on my previous post, it need to be 'live' instead of 'leave'. I had similar situation, had tube amplifier , due to high maintenance cost of tube amp(in average run 6-7 hours per day) traded tube amplifier to SS amp, couldn't live a week with SS, fatigue cropped in, somehow managed to live with SS for a year(due to financial limitation ), later brought in tube amplifier and I am really satisfied , I feel tube has the naturalness that I don't get from SS and that is me. down the road planing for LM el34 tube amplifier for 2nd system.
Ian, if you can help I have another question regarding LM515 or 502CA comparison with Cayin CDT-15A MK2 , which also use the tube in internally, which is locally available in Thailand and expensive then 502CA by USD200 with transport and I can avail the 1 year warranty.
Cayin of old is good - in fact according the LM dealer here - LM hired the top engineers from Cayin 10 years ago or so. Many of the current Cayin gear apparently is the same gear it was 10 years ago but with new sexy looking cases. Cayin has seemingly had a lot of trouble with their US dealer distributors so I'd be cautious with them unless things have changed and they have an ability to be repaired. LM has a big importer in Tone Imports and so does Melody. I'd probably stick to the proven track records. PS the above is merely what the LM dealer tells me - I can't verify this because I don't speak Chinese. The Cayin dealer just says a lot of company products come from few OEM makers. LM is an OEM maker, Jungson, Shengya and Spark are others. They make a lot of products from others. I was told that LM makes Triode and Co amps and also that famed Unison Research 6i or whatever it is called. I could see the photos of the Triode amps in LM's plants and I saw an LM amp that looks exactly the same as the Unison amp but in plain black (and for $600US). Apparently identical internally. Lastly, I met the man who operates King Sound panels - we sat together listening to Cayin and it sounded rather nice through a Shanling amp. Their player sounded rather nice too. This was the Cayin CD player
Hi Richard, thanks for chiming in, you have wealth of information, needed those information before I pull the trigger on the front End and one consideration is form LM and other being Cayin.
Just wanted to post a link to the new thread I started on my new Garrard 401/Vinylista plinth/Thomas Schick tonearm: New Garrard 401 with Vinylista Plinth and Thomas Schick 12-inch Tonearm »
Hi Ian, This is a bit off topic but I was wondering if you had any experience or advice about using the lm-502 with a usb input, specifically with the jRiver program (with Wasabi) in a Toshiba laptop as the source? If so, does the jRiver program automatically calibrate itself to the lm-502 connection or is there some special extra setup process required? A bit of a computer novice here!
Hi James, I'm sorry but I haven't used the USB input on the Line Magnetic DAC at all. I use the s/pdif for my main digital library (i.e. ripped and purchased files) coming from a Squeezebox Touch, and I use the optical for either my cable box, or occasionally my CD player.
It's been a little while since I've had a 502 here, but if I'm remembering correctly, I believe there is an included cd rom with drivers for windows based machines that would likely work for your setup. (might want to check with the LM distributor in your area however to verify).
That sounds familiar. I run a Mac so I never paid any attention to it, but I can check my packaging when I am home and see if there was a CD included and what it says on it.
The LM DAC does come with a 3.5-inch CD which includes the PC driver (CMOS-2.0?) for using USB. And no driver needed for Mac OS.
Thank you very much gentlemen for your advice - will chase up this 3.5" Cd that somehow was forgotten - Is there a manual for this dac translated into the English language, by any chance? (The one I have here is only in Chinese.)
I tried to load the smaller sized CD into my computer drive, but my drive doesn't seem to work with non-standard CDs. Here is the link to their website to download the driver: 丽磁音响有限公司 » Let us know how it works out. Good luck!
BTW, in case it is helpful to anybody else, I thought I would post an update on my final tube combo for the 518ia and 502ca now that I have compared many possible combinations. This is my long-term reference now. LM518ia: 2 x Psvane WE845 (Current production Western Electric replicas) output tubes 2 x GE 6L6GC (NOS General Electric) driver tubes 2 x Mullard 10M 12AX7 (NOS) preamp tubes 1 x Philips 5R4GYS (NOS) rectifier tube LM502ca: 2 x CBS 7318 (NOS) (12AU7 drop-in replacement) 1 x Sylvania 6X4WA (NOS) rectifier tube
Yes I am having trouble with the DAC. I moved to Windows 10 and now the disc doesn't work - If you are going to have an English website - do it bloody properly. Link to an English page or have the download directly on your website and have it actually download - none of this key in a bunch of letters that when you do that, it still doesn't work. And Tone Imports' website should have this download being the US importer. Good ole Computer audio for you. I was told the 502CA was discontinued in the US. If so it may be tough to get a download for this. Service ends once you walk out the door.
