Thanks Charles. I haven't updated the photo as I pulled the turntable out (not enought smooth jazz available on vinyl, have it in my 2nd system) and inserted a Finale Audio 7189 MK2 (EL 84 based ) 22wpc integrated on that bottom shelf. I rotate between the Line Magnetic, the Modwright pre/power, and the Finale every 2 weeks to change things up. I enjoy them all with the Daedalus
Line Magnetic 518ia - How Much Heat Does It Produce?
Hello, and thanks for any help with this. I'm helping a very dear friend, who loves music, and good audio equipment, put together a system. He has suffered some very serious personal setbacks of late, and one of the key things he has turned to, is putting together an audio system as a means to attempt to move forward. He is trying to put together a nice audio system in what he has available, a small room.
He travels a fair bit for work, and has had two recent experiences listening to the exceptional Line Magnetic 518ia, and was blown away by it. I can guarantee you that he has heard some very good audio components, but has been captivated by the 518ia. If you have heard it, or read the reviews, you understand, as I do. That's a truly amazing piece of gear, especially for the price.
Here is my concern, Because of serious budget deficits related to his other problems, he can only afford one of these wonderful integrated amps, used. Okay, they are available in his price range. I have him set up with speakers and everything else to maximize the quality of his system. But, this is a Class A amp, even if relatively low wattage. He would be using this in a 10x10 room, with the integrated amp only 2.5 feet away from where he sits. There is no other available placement. Is this going to overheat him, and/or the room?
Any input would be appreciated. If he cannot make use of this amp he loves so much, it could get very difficult to find anything else, given it's price performance capabilities.
He travels a fair bit for work, and has had two recent experiences listening to the exceptional Line Magnetic 518ia, and was blown away by it. I can guarantee you that he has heard some very good audio components, but has been captivated by the 518ia. If you have heard it, or read the reviews, you understand, as I do. That's a truly amazing piece of gear, especially for the price.
Here is my concern, Because of serious budget deficits related to his other problems, he can only afford one of these wonderful integrated amps, used. Okay, they are available in his price range. I have him set up with speakers and everything else to maximize the quality of his system. But, this is a Class A amp, even if relatively low wattage. He would be using this in a 10x10 room, with the integrated amp only 2.5 feet away from where he sits. There is no other available placement. Is this going to overheat him, and/or the room?
Any input would be appreciated. If he cannot make use of this amp he loves so much, it could get very difficult to find anything else, given it's price performance capabilities.
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- 43 posts total
@nightfall While I can’t speak to how its sonics would compare to those of the LM-518ia, an approach that you may want to consider would be the combination of a Music Reference RM-10 MkII power amplifier, purchased used, with a relatively inexpensive passive preamp. The RM-10 MkII, designed by the very accomplished and well regarded designer Roger Modjeski, utilizes a push-pull pair of the highly respected but low powered 6BQ5/EL84 tube, in a cleverly designed circuit providing 35 watts per channel (significantly more than the power capability of any other EL84 amp I am aware of), while consuming a total of only 70 watts at idle. And its 100K input impedance and 0.95 volt sensitivity make it well suited for use with a passive preamp. One of these amps has just appeared for sale here. It is stated to have been purchased new only 9 months ago, and has an asking price of $2950. (The list price for a new RM-10MkII is indicated at the manufacturer’s website as $5K): https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis92fh8-music-reference-rm-10-mkii-tube Links to the manufacturer’s pages on this amp: http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/rm10mk2.html http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/rm10design.html On another note, @facten , as a fellow owner of Daedalus speakers I certainly second Charles’ praise of your outstanding system :-) Regards, -- Al |
Al, Once again, thanks for your thoughts. I have great admiration for Roger Modjeski and his products, and I happen to think his RM-200 is one of the truly great values out there. The problem is that his amps are designed and optimized for fully balanced operation, per my relatively recent discussion with him. Good luck finding a truly good, balanced preamp affordably! |
nightfall---while the RM-200 is a fully balanced amp with XLR input jacks only (I agree with you about it, owning a Mk.2 myself), the RM-10 is not. It has RCA input jacks, and is a great little amp (THE best for old Quads, for which it was designed). An excellent suggestion by the always-dependable Al! Roger Modjeski is also offering numerous low-power single-ended amps and passive pre’s. He is also making ESL speakers with dedicated direct-drive (no input transformer on the panels!) OTL amps. Not trendy or expensive enough for most audiophiles apparently, Music Reference is the best kept secret in hi-fi. Along with Eminent Technology, of course! |
The RM 10 is a wonderful amp. I used to own two mk2's and powered both Quad 63's and Merlin's. I think you'll find it to be very different than the 518 though. It's much more transparent. But holy cow, whats happened to the pricing at Music Reference? Not that long ago retail for the RM10 mkII was about 1/2 current retail. |
- 43 posts total