New Line Magnetic Integrateds (and phono stage)

I'm SO glad Line Magnetic is keeping the hammertone going. It's a unique vintage touch that really stands out.

 

Really looks great on this unit.

 

Even the umbilical cord is nice--

 

Looks like a 1930's refrigerator. I like it! Any word on the possible pricing?

 

Their DAC has those too, and it is really nice when you are screwing and unscrewing a lot to roll tubes.

 

Nice! So, 12AX7/ECC83 and I assume 5751-compatible. Lots of good choices there. And does the 6Z4 allow you to use a 6X4 (using internal jumpers) like the DAC does?

Thanks for all the photos and info Taylor!

 

He posted the price earlier in the thread: $1999

 

$1995

 

I'll need to do a little more studying on this to know for sure.....only had a chance to unbox and take these few photos and then I've been tied up the rest of the day so far. Still need to set up a new VPI table for a customer this afternoon and then I hope to be able to play around with it a bit.

 

So, rather then sleeping tonight, could you stay up all night comparing the Line Magnetic to the Leben RS-30eq? TIA!

 

They're not shy at all, are they now?

 

Uhm... the specs have me a bit baffled.

50 dB gain for MM? I run 1.6 mV Denon DL-110 (HOMC) into 50 dB and get 506 mV output from the phono into the amp.
66 dB for HOMC? I run a Denon DL-103 with 0.3 mV output into 66 dB and get 598.5 mV output from the phono to the amp.

What will happen if I run a 2M Blue with 5.5 mV output into 50 dB gain? - 1,739 mV (almost 1.8 V) of output from the phono.
What will happen if I run my DL-110 with 1.6 mV into 66 dB gain? - 3,192 mV (almost 3.2 V !) output from the phono.

Am I missing something here?

 

I wonder how this guy compares to the Decware ZP3. We be a fun shoot-out.

 

In MM mode, absolutely. The Decware doesn't do MC without a SUT, while the LM has options for both high- and low-output MC in addition to MM. Plus, its own volume control. So, a lot more flexible. I would use either one with a SUT though, so MM performance would be most important for me.

Also, the LM has a separate power supply. I remember reading Steve Deckert's design notes for the ZP3 and he said the biggest challenge he had to overcome was noise isolation of the internal power supply. (Which he claims to have solved)

 

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It has a volume knob, so I'm guessing these are probably the highest settings with the ability to dial them back. I'll concede that this probably isn't the phono stage for people who need the math to be perfect.

 

Good point about MC. Also, I believe the ZP3 is tube rectified.

 

So is the LM (6z4)

 

Oh yeah--missed that.

 

And we're still waiting on if the LM has the life-changing 6z4 > 6x4 switch. Being able to replace that weird Chinese thing with a NOS GEC for $50 is amazing.

 

I don''t think gain is adjustable within a chosen setting. If you have it at 50 dB setting - the gain is 50 dB, period, the volume control of the unit is probably an attenuator, like almost everywhere else.

However, it's not just about the math. Output like that may be too much for the amp. Standard line level signal is 2 V, IIRC. Imagine getting 3.2 V from the phono into the preamp or integrated. If the volume control on your line/integrated is high enough at the moment of switching to the phono input, one's ear drums, or the speakers, or the amp, possibly, may get blown to smithereens.

I recently posted a thread of my own, regarding, roughly, optimizing phono gain for a particular cartridge. There's a whole school of thought represented on this forum that thinks the less phono gain - the better. I tend to disagree, and like enough gain to produce about 500 mV output, or a little more, from the phono to the amp/preamp, using whatever combination of means necessary - head amps, SUT's, or straight phono gain.

Case in point - your system. With your Koetsu Rosewood's 0.4 mV output going into 1:40 SUT, and from there going into your Leben's 23.5 dB gain, your total output from the phono into the line stage is 239.4 mV - less than 50% of what I deem optimal. However, I've never heard your system, and it may just sound magical. But, if your phono chain is put together with low gain philosophy some people here seem to favor - then this unit is the exact opposite of that school of thought, offering too much gain for stated purposes. Unless you find unusual cartridges, something like an MM cart with only 1.5 mV output.

Again, I've not heard this unit, either, so I would not try to knock it. I'm just trying to rationalize these settings, I guess. They seem unconventional, to say the least.

 

Here's an idea - I think you can plug this phono straight into a power amp, skipping the line stage altogether. That way it would work - the output level is certainly sufficient, plus there's a volume knob.

If that's what they had in mind - great, it just needs to be understood by people with line level preamps and/or integrated's, for whom this unit might be less suitable, I think, or plainly too much.

 

Good points!

 

I think one can profile Line Magnetic customers to some extent, and MM cartridges aren't part of the profile. Like IanL said earlier, MM means where you plug in the SUT you have your 103 or SPU connected to. I can't wait to hear it. I promise you, nobody is getting away with selling a $2000 phono stage that makes things sound weird and bloated.

And yeah, nobody would ever possibly suggest my setup doesn't have enough gain. Does that mean I have the volume knob a mm higher then I would if optimal? I dunno. Sounds fantastic.

 

That's what I was thinking.