Help with first integ. amp - Primaluna v. Rogue v. Line Magnetic v. McIntosh v. Naim

those 845 tubes in the 518ia run crazy hot. little did i know, at 2.5 years old, she's more likely to mess with it now than ever before. seems obvious, but i'm stupid.

 

Little children are fascinated by little glowing lights.

The forum member that I bought my 518iA from sold his for the exact same reason, very young children.

I have a dozen tube amps. there are some that I would allow around small children and some that I would not. These are the will not's.

Decware Mini Torii; totally exposed tubes. Other Decware amps have similarly exposed tubes.



Rogue M-150 monoblock's; tube cage not protective enough against small hands.



Line Magnetic 518iA; tube cage is under table. No Way! These tubes get way too hot!, tube cage or not. IMO also, way too dangerous!



These are some that I am OK with around small children. Left to right; Cronos Magnum w/optional tube cage, PrimaLuna Prologue Five w/standard tube cage.
Audio Note, L4, Kit Amplifier, entire enclosure holds the tubes inside a ventilated case. Not pictured, the Line Magnetic 211iA, with standard tube cage.

 

Yes, I think an OTO SE Phono is in my long term future.

 

Just to put a bow on this. I am no longer shopping for a new preamp. The new tubes sound fantastic and the ringing sound is gone. The Brimar tubes don't glow as brightly as the RCA clear tops I had in the RP1 previously, which makes me think the Brimars are a better match for the Rogue. The Brimars are an upgrade from the clear tops in the midrange and bass extension. They do roll off the top end compared to the RCA's, but I am not missing any of the top end. If you like a lot of top end, the RCA's would be a good choice. I'm surprised in the amount of difference in sound coming from my system. I only have two tubes in the whole system (phono preamp and amp are both solid state), and the difference in sound was immediately apparent. The revealing nature of my B&W's made this a fun change. I'm hearing a bit more 3 dimensionality to the sound as well with the Brimars.

The Rogue RP1 is an excellent affordable preamp.

Sorry again if this post is out of place, but it does seem like the OP made his decision and is done with the thread.

I would welcome some more impressions of the Line Magnetic.

 

I did end up keeping the LM 805ia. Been listening to it every night after a long day of work and it has been a joy. An oasis in some ways - listening to the sound that this beastly tube amp can produce. I have started to play around with some tubes and have replaced the stock 6SL7 with Mullard ECC35's and the 6SN7's with Kenrad VT-231's so far. Loving the way these tubes have opened up this already very musical amp. The soundstage is larger, more natural but with increased dynamics and low end. I have a set of NOS Tung-sol 6SN7's coming in as well that I am looking forward to trying.

 

That little 3.9-Watt Decware Mini Torii that I pictured above, I had now for a few years. I liked it all right, but did not get overly excited about it. It is a class "A" but instead of being a SET, it is a 6V6GT based SEP (Single Ended Pentode).

After finding that one of the JJ power tubes was bad and was replaced with a $45, new manufacture Tung Sol, I am positively astounded at the sound that I am hearing.

If a new manufacture Tung Sol and sound this good to me, than I imagine that a NOS will really sound like something very special for your 805iA.

I am continuing to listen to the Mini Torii and the LM 518iA continues to sit on the shelf.

 

Why do I feel guilty for enabling you, I wonder?...

 

I currently have a Primaluna Premium Dialogue HP. It sounds great, but I've had to replace two tubes, plus one shouldn't leave a tube amp on for extended periods when it's not in use, which isn't always convenient. So, in order to not worry about tube life and the ability to leave it on for as long as I want, I just ordered a McIntosh MA9000. Assuming that its sound is at least as good as the Primaluna's, I will be selling mine. Stay tuned for details!

 

How long did you have your Primaluna for? I was considering a Mc at the beginning and was subsequently taken with tubes. Congrats on your new MA9000. Curious to hear your thoughts compared to the Dialogue HP when you get your chance to review.

 

Thanks. I bought it in January 2016.

 

I just purchased a Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP.

Was able to hear this with my 805 D3's and had to go for it. Should be here in a week or so.

 

Got the Dialogue set up today. This thing is a monster. Almost broke my back.

Have not had much of a chance to play anything through it but the one side of the AP Surfin' Safari LP I put on to test the connections sounded pretty good. Nice clean sound. My first all-tube amp and this is replacing a Rogue Sphinx v2. Very psyched!

 

Congrats! Must sound great with your B&W's.

If you think the Primaluna is heavy (~66lbs), try the Line Magnetic (~92lbs) I was deathly afraid of dropping this when I took my amp to audition speakers at different shops.

 

Give it 100-150 hours and you'll be amazed.

 

It is already starting to open up and smooth out. Not to hijack the original thread purpose but we were on the same journey (Freesole invested a lot more time and effort than I was able to though, which is appreciated).

Loving the Primaluna. Very detailed and the sound just fills the room. (And this system is in a very poor acoustic space on our main floor: bare hardwood floors, high ceiling, lots of windows and bare walls--looks very nice but not great for listening).

The Primaluna has some real juice. Drives the B&W's with total authority, even at low volume.

Blows the Sphinx out of the water in every way, detail, realism, and power. Very excited to continue the break in and see what it can do.

 

The Sphinx and the PrimaLuna are two entirely different designs and at way different price points.

 

You're right, not really a fair comparison. I am just happy with the upgrade.

 

Have about 30 hours on the Primaluna so far and it is at another level. I am now getting that sweet tube sound I wanted.

Let it Bleed via EL34 is heavenly.

 

Lol wait until you get to 80-100hrs then your world will change,

I have Dialogue hp mono's and at around 95hrs everything just clicked and then that moment of feeling that im finally there and the end game has landed

 

Just pre-ordered the new Psvane 805 Acme tubes. The itch can't stop. Was very curious as to how these power tubes could change the character of an amp that already sounds really sweet.

I'll update when I have these new tubes in and experiment a bit with various tracks.

 

I might sound crazy but I am wondering whether adding a preamp and using the 805ia as a power amp would enhance the overall sound of the system. Any suggestions here for anyone that might have done that with an integrated amp?

 

Not to continue to hijack, but since I posted here I thought I would share an update on my Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP.

After two months I am absolutely getting more and more of those "wow" moments. This weekend I played a US TML copy of the Wall at loud volume. On some of the acoustic guitar chords, the harmonics sent a shiver down my spine.

I am now a believer. Will definitely be adding another tube amp to my stable at some point. Very excited for the future.

 

Tube amps are the shiznit.

 

@freesole

I read through this thread and really enjoyed reading your opinion of the Line Magnetic and Primaluna amps. I would message you directly but I'm a a new user so I can't pm anyone. Anyway, I have a PL Dialogue One integrated and love it. I also just ordered a Directstream Jr. dac, which I noticed you also have. I'd love to hear a Line Magnetic at some point. Unfortunately, there aren't any dealers down here in Portland and I'm finding limited info online, and their model numbers are hard to distinguish. Anyway, I'm wondering if you're still happy with your Line Magnetic? Did you try any other models? Do you still have the Ascends? Nice speakers. I'm using Salk Song3's with my Primaluna and I've been thinking of upgrading to the Dialogue Premium HP, but I don't think I need the extra power. Anyway, just wondering where you're at currently with your system. Thanks.

 

Welcome to the board! We are not that far away from one another. It looks like you have some good gear - hopefully you are enjoying your setup. The DSJ is a fantastic DAC/Streamer that only gets better with each firmware upgrade. I recently sold mine only because I happened to try the Lumin T2 which is an end game streamer for me. The Line Magnetic 805ia is as good an amp as I have ever heard in all honesty. I really wanted to like the Luxman enough to sell my LM but ended up holding tight because I felt like I would regret selling my 805ia. I heard and considered this amp against many others including the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP, Luxman 509x, Luxman 590AXII, etc, etc. I still prefer the LM overall when it comes to musicality.

You have some nice speakers. I have heard great things about the Salk's. My Ascend's were great as well but I sold those and got the Spendor D9's which I love.