@lalitk
Good points. I prefer vintage gear. I think manufacturers were more honest about their goals in the past.
My budget is $10,000 at most, for something really spectacular. But realistically, more in the 6k ballpark.
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@erik_squires
Erik, thank you for your response. Does subtlety befit tube amplifiers? The best ones (Western Electric) were unabashedly industrial.
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@soundwatts
yes, that is a good looking machine. Can you run it on KT88s? Or do you have to use KT120s?
I don’t like KT120 as much, because they lack the historical pedigree of KT88s.
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@facten
I auditioned the LM216. It is a really good looking machine, but the sound quality was disappointing. There was even mains hum?! Also, I heard ringing.
As as regards the LM518, I remember reading a less than stellar review in the Stereophile magazine. JA found the amplifier to be noisy. While the rest of the review was passable, I have a strong preference for very quiet amplifiers.
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@tketcham
You are right. I am relatively new. But I have to start learning somehow.
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@tablejockey
We can have polite disagreements. No need to call me names. I have asked for advice. Many have given valuable advice. You have chosen to insult me. No need for that, bro.
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@yogiboy
Thank you. Very nice amplifiers.
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@tablejockey
No hard feelings, bro.
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@facten
Many thanks. Just two follow up questions.
* Which amp is better in your view, LM518 or LM219?
* Are LM amplifiers quality products? I am troubled by the fact that JA discovered so much noise in his review.
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@mdeblanc
Now, these are some good looking amplifiers. Much more revealing of their functions. Thank you.
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@bpoletti
I am a very visual type. If I think that my equipment is an eyesore, it spoils the music. I guess you are lucky not to have this issue.
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@falconquest
Agree to disagree. I saw it too and my reaction was different.
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@maplegrovemusic
It looks much better without the cage, that is true. But the fact that it is so shiny/smooth and that all transformers are in the same housing puts me off.
To see where I'm coming from let me give you an example of an amplifier that I find beautiful: Audio Research Dual 50. Now that is a beauty! Form follows function to the max. Or a Marantz 8b. Just gorgeous!
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@bpoletti
Not cool, bro. I am grateful to those colleagues who posted useful advice. You could have done the same. I'm sure you know a lot about audio.
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@aolmrd1241
Sorry bro, didn’t want to weird you out. I just love old school industrial design. There is some undeniable honesty that emanates from such devices.
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@lalitk
Thank you, they do look very refined. Do they make any models with E-I transformers? I am not big on the toroidal ones.
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@mulveling
Thanks, man. You raise some excellent points. |
@facten
Thank you for the reviews. The hum issue, that the reviewer discovered, really bothers me. I also heard hum in a LM-216; JA found LM-518 to be noisy in his review in the Stereophile. Could these be the fruits of low quality manufacturing? What is the quality level of LM transformers? For example, the ultrasonic resonance that the JA discovered in his review of LM-518 was in my view unacceptable for an amplifier in a price class this high.
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@facten
Many thanks, your help has been invaluable.
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@facten
Thanks again. You know a whole lot about the audio community.
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@soundwatts
Thank you. Can I just plug in my KT88's and it will work? Do I have to do anything else to adjust for different tubes? |
Many nice suggestions. Thank you very much. @corelli You are right, I was too vague in my original post. Tried to make it more precise, though. The VAC Phi 200 looks spectacular. So does the Conrad Johnson CAV-45. And the SLI-80 is just almost perfect (don’t really like the tilted output transformers too much). But didn’t the Stereophile measure a Cary Audio amp some time ago and found it to be so bad from the technical perspective that they called it a joke? ( https://www.stereophile.com/content/cary-audio-design-cad-300sei-integrated-amplifier-measurements-p...) |
@soundermn
I am a rather visual type. It it does not look good, I keep thinking about the looks and it completely spoils the experience. |
3D printing -- now that is a brilliant idea for modifications, not just regarding Primaluna.
I agree, they are trying too hard and that's a bit sad/annoying.
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@donjr
Were you bothered by the fact discovered by JA in the Stereophile -- that the Hegel amp he analyzed did not have good thermal management? |
@donjr
So sorry to hear you bought a defectively designed product. |
