[geowak]

My dealer wants me to hear a LM KT--88 integrated tube amp he has. He stated it sounds better than the likes of Cary, Rogue and Primaluna, hands down. Has anyone out there actually heard this amp?

I need a powerful tube integrated for not so sensitive speakers (86db)

[JakeJ]

Hi geowak,

It took some searching but are you referring to the Line Magnetic Audio 216A?  If so it's rated for 22 Watts in Triode and 38 Watts in Ultralinear and I would also question its ability to drive your low sensitivity speakers (at least I think that is one of your concerns).

I found no published reviews of it or any LM Audio pieces and they have quite the line up of vintage-based gear.  Love the silver/black hammertone paint.

This is a clear case of the dealer needing to loan you this amp for an extended home demo.  Your ears will need to determine whether this is the amp for you.

Apologies if that's not exactly the answer you are looking for.

[jtwrace]

He stated it sounds better than the likes of Cary

That's not saying much IMO. 

[smargo]

My dealer wants me to hear a LM KT--88 integrated tube amp he has. He stated it sounds better than the likes of Cary, Rogue and Primaluna, hands down. Has anyone out there actually heard this amp?

I need a powerful tube integrated for not so sensitive speakers (86db)

it also sounds you are referring to the legend audio kt-88 - im not so keen about dealers recommending one brand over another - they make think its all that - but you may think it sounds lousy

i agree with jake - you absolutely need to hear the amp for at least a week

[geowak]

Thanks guys. I may give it a listen, but does not seem powerful enough. My dealer has the exact same speakers as I do, and we will give it a whirl since he stated it's very to beat under 5K.

[geowak]

Well here goes...

I sat down with my audio dealer yesterday and had an actual listening session of the Line Magnetic 216IA. It is a Chinese designed and manufactured integrated tube amp.

My FIRST impression was that he is correct. After listening to the Cary SLI-80 Signature, the Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum and even a Primaluna Prologue model it sounded much better to my ears through Vandersteen 2CE SIG II speakers.

It is PTP wiring and built very well. It can be switched from UL to triode on the fly and has a built in meter for bias of the tubes. It uses 4 KT-88 tubes (push-pull) and puts out 22 watts in triode and 38 watts in UL.

I did not think it would sound better than the Rogue or Cary, but it did. I did not think it's low power would impress me, but it did.

Bass was more defined and it had a black, quiet background that I have been searching for. Midrange was silky smooth and the timbre on all instruments I heard was accurate. That would be violin, sax, piano, female vocalists, percussion and upright bass. Orchestral music sounded very convincing and the sound stage was fantastic. The separation of instruments was perfect.

There appeared to be a SS handling of mid to deep bass that I had not heard on the other amps. There was a delicacy of sound that I was looking for contrasted with some dynamic
range which took me by surprise. The midrange and high freqs were not harsh of shrill sounding. There was a sweetness to the sound.

I arranged to purchase this amp after less than 2 hrs of listening to it. The dealer told me they were flying off the shelf. Once I take possession I will post a follow up review. The price is (was) quite nice and affordable.

I think Tone Audio imports this amp along with the likes of Leben Hi-Fi and Shindo Labs.

[JakeJ]

Very cool, geowak.  Glad to hear you are impressed and that you have a dealer that is trustworthy.  The Vandy 2CE's Sigs are also your speakers?

You had me going there for a second!  I thought, "Tone Audio?  Jeff Dorgay is an importer of audio gear?  And as he's owner and editor-in-chief of Tone Audio magazine that would seem to be a bit of a conflict of interests."  But Google straightened me out, the importer is Tone Imports.

[opnly bafld]

The price is (was) quite nice and affordable.

Is it a highly guarded secret?

[Ericus Rex]

http://toneimports.com/lmaudio/216ia.html


It's unfortunate that it has that ebay chinese amp look.  What was the price?

[rlee8394]

$1850

http://www.stereophile.com/content/tone-imports151devore-fidelity151well-tempered-lab151-box-furniture-co

Ron

[geowak]

Yes I stand corrected JakeJ it is Tone Imports not Tone Audio Imports... my mistake.

Yes I did pay $1850 and my dealer has been very professional and helpful. I have some RCA cleartops that I will be trying out and he has inserted some JJ tubes that sweeted the sound.
(Later I will try out some different output tubes)

I was very conflicted about this decision.

Many here at AC have given me GREAT advice as I was looking for an amp. I appreciate this, thanks. The path to go with tubes and low(er) watts proved to be the choice I made only after some educated me with all the knowledge THEY gained over the years. (I had originally been looking for a high watt SS amp.) Even more troublesome for me was the experience of listening to highly reputable US audio manufacturers amps that were out of my price range and finally settling on a Chinese made amp that sounded better and was built at least equal to or better than the US made amps...at half the cost (in many cases).

I would have much preferred to buy a USA product, and I know I will take a beating here on AC for buying this amp.

The amp actually does NOT look cheap. It just does not look as polished as a Cary. But I never did like the look of CJ or Audio Research amps. I think that much of the design is derived from the old Western Electric designs of USA.

In the end the sound is what I fell in love with.... (BTW the only other combo that sounded this good to me was a Musical Fidelity M6500I dual mono amp and a Leben tube preamp which cost around 8 to 10K)

[Radiotron]

Hi everyone, first post here. 

I had a chance to see and listened to this model this week. For the price, you get your money's worth and then some. Quality of construction is top notch. The beast weighs a ton. Sounds sweet. I took a pic of the inside of the EL34 model which should be similar. Is it reliable in the long run? Only time will tell.