Line Magnetic set up........... Lured me!
- Thread starter sameer kumar
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sameer kumar
Well-Known Member
Welcome!. I plan to do few adjustments on power supplies & Speakers placement when you are around.
sameer kumar
Well-Known Member
Could you suggest specific cable material which is suitable for 300Bs?
I plan to search based on the composition of materials?
Thank you
Refreshing an old thread because I finally got to hear Sameer's superb Line Magnetics this Sunday and it was a special treat. He had got the LM integrated along with the LM 755 speakers back in February but due to various reasons could not get to hear them until this Sunday.
One of the big reasons was of course Sameer's busy work schedule. Apart from that however is the burn in period that these speakers need (almost 300 hours) before Sameer was happy with the sound. In the meanwhile he had also implemented some changes - notably a tube upgrade (Shuguang) over stock tubes, speaker stands (custom wood blocks layered with granite slab) and finally implementation of a power conditioner for our torrid Hyderabad power conditions. Room acoustics were also changed with addition of acoustic panels at first reflection points and on the wall behind the listening position.
By the time I reached Sameer's place on Sunday evening, FM sidvee was already there listening to some tunes. Walking into Sameer's listening room, I noticed that the speakers were on the nice custom stands that he had made to raise them off the floor to suit his bass preference. The room is not very large but has been treated acoustically with panels located behind the main rig, first reflection points and behind the listening position. Sameer had the ceiling treated earlier as well. I mention this because without these treatments I believe the speakers would overload the room if just played as is.
Going by previous impressions I had seen online I was expecting to hear a polite, musical, well behaved speaker which the LM 755 is but I was pleasantly surprised that they were able to reach reasonably deep into the LF despite the stated 60Hz LF limit. I have to ask Sameer for details of the song that was playing but there was a section where the trumpet positively growled at us with sure footed weightiness. Settling into the listening seat I was greeted by a sound stage that was at least 6-7 feet high and placed very nicely between the speakers. Transients were nice and clean tight and surprisingly fast. I noted mentally that the instruments were to scale in the sound stage. Piano sounded suitably large in the left corner, sax was closer to my left and hence louder, drums were slightly behind on the right side.
I also noted that the sound was very complete. FM sidvee and I, both noted how well the single driver handled even the higher frequencies. You just dont miss having a tweeter at all. The music is laid out beautifully in a manner that is at once easy on the ears. Musical detail is conveyed without getting too clinical with a nice tonality and timbre. You hear the high hats with the rim shots along with the sound of the trumpet or saxophone all in a coherent manner.
The area that this speaker really excels in is the mid range and vocals fantastic would be a better way to put it. If you are one who listens to music which is more about melody and vocals this speaker is an absolute gem to listen to. This was borne out by the pleasure it was to listen to some Bollywood songs - Paani Da Rang from Vicky Donor and Tum Hi Ho from Ashiqui.
Sameer has taken the trouble to put together a very nice system that has (to me) a very satisfying sound. Kudos to Sridhar for getting Line Magnetic to our shores. These are truly wonderful systems that would make many a seasoned audiophile very satisfied. It should be mentioned that these speakers are certainly not for the bass heads in the audience. These are more suited to those with a taste for Jazz, Classical and Vocals. The mid-range of these speakers are up there with the best. I would highly recommend folks with a similar taste to listen to these speakers.
One of the big reasons was of course Sameer's busy work schedule. Apart from that however is the burn in period that these speakers need (almost 300 hours) before Sameer was happy with the sound. In the meanwhile he had also implemented some changes - notably a tube upgrade (Shuguang) over stock tubes, speaker stands (custom wood blocks layered with granite slab) and finally implementation of a power conditioner for our torrid Hyderabad power conditions. Room acoustics were also changed with addition of acoustic panels at first reflection points and on the wall behind the listening position.
By the time I reached Sameer's place on Sunday evening, FM sidvee was already there listening to some tunes. Walking into Sameer's listening room, I noticed that the speakers were on the nice custom stands that he had made to raise them off the floor to suit his bass preference. The room is not very large but has been treated acoustically with panels located behind the main rig, first reflection points and behind the listening position. Sameer had the ceiling treated earlier as well. I mention this because without these treatments I believe the speakers would overload the room if just played as is.
Going by previous impressions I had seen online I was expecting to hear a polite, musical, well behaved speaker which the LM 755 is but I was pleasantly surprised that they were able to reach reasonably deep into the LF despite the stated 60Hz LF limit. I have to ask Sameer for details of the song that was playing but there was a section where the trumpet positively growled at us with sure footed weightiness. Settling into the listening seat I was greeted by a sound stage that was at least 6-7 feet high and placed very nicely between the speakers. Transients were nice and clean tight and surprisingly fast. I noted mentally that the instruments were to scale in the sound stage. Piano sounded suitably large in the left corner, sax was closer to my left and hence louder, drums were slightly behind on the right side.
I also noted that the sound was very complete. FM sidvee and I, both noted how well the single driver handled even the higher frequencies. You just dont miss having a tweeter at all. The music is laid out beautifully in a manner that is at once easy on the ears. Musical detail is conveyed without getting too clinical with a nice tonality and timbre. You hear the high hats with the rim shots along with the sound of the trumpet or saxophone all in a coherent manner.
The area that this speaker really excels in is the mid range and vocals fantastic would be a better way to put it. If you are one who listens to music which is more about melody and vocals this speaker is an absolute gem to listen to. This was borne out by the pleasure it was to listen to some Bollywood songs - Paani Da Rang from Vicky Donor and Tum Hi Ho from Ashiqui.
Sameer has taken the trouble to put together a very nice system that has (to me) a very satisfying sound. Kudos to Sridhar for getting Line Magnetic to our shores. These are truly wonderful systems that would make many a seasoned audiophile very satisfied. It should be mentioned that these speakers are certainly not for the bass heads in the audience. These are more suited to those with a taste for Jazz, Classical and Vocals. The mid-range of these speakers are up there with the best. I would highly recommend folks with a similar taste to listen to these speakers.
Nice review Nikhil. How do they compare with AP MS101 which I understand that you liked very much.
ranjeetrain
New Member
Congrats Sameer. I am sure you will be very very satisfied.
I am tempted to get one, too. In fact the dealer proposed me a good price for the amp I auditioned. But I have put all hifi expenditure on hold for now. But you never know what may happen tomorrow.
When I was writing my review of LM amp here, I had a hunch it might start a LM culture here in India. Good to see many FMs are going the LM way after my review of an LM amp
I am tempted to get one, too. In fact the dealer proposed me a good price for the amp I auditioned. But I have put all hifi expenditure on hold for now. But you never know what may happen tomorrow.
When I was writing my review of LM amp here, I had a hunch it might start a LM culture here in India. Good to see many FMs are going the LM way after my review of an LM amp
sameer kumar
Well-Known Member
Very well documented Nikhil 
.
Eagerly waiting for the speaker base supports from magma to fine tune the set up. Lets have another listening meet after the spatial computer room correction.
.Eagerly waiting for the speaker base supports from magma to fine tune the set up. Lets have another listening meet after the spatial computer room correction.
sameer kumar
Well-Known Member
Congrats Sameer. I am sure you will be very very satisfied.
I am tempted to get one, too. In fact the dealer proposed me a good price for the amp I auditioned. But I have put all hifi expenditure on hold for now. But you never know what may happen tomorrow.
When I was writing my review of LM amp here, I had a hunch it might start a LM culture here in India. Good to see many FMs are going the LM way after my review of an LM amp
Thank you ranjeetrain.
Yes I am very happy with the sound.I have a bit space constraint sideways to place them. Many FMs picked up LM amps & CD players but I feel that for me LM 755 speaker is a real upgrade.Very musical....
i had heard the LM audio 300B with the single driver speakers also at ARNs. it played effortlessly in the large room there. I am rather amazed at the 300B it is unlike what i thought it would sound like...very powerful and even across the spectrum .
surprisingly (to me) liked this over the 845 (or was it 45 ?) amp i heard...which was more mellow sounding
surprisingly (to me) liked this over the 845 (or was it 45 ?) amp i heard...which was more mellow sounding
Nice write up Nikhil, I concur. However I would like to add a few more accolades for the LM speaker specifically - it's high frequency response is really amazing - having heard a few single driver speakers - I believe that this is the best I have heard for treble response - sounds almost as if there is a tweeter present! Secondly though this is a very musical speaker (read non-audiophile), it images superbly and soundstage dimensions are expansive, specifically the depth. Of-course as Nikhil described these are not for head bangers, but available bass is taut and well defined.
Cheers,
Sid
Cheers,
Sid
sameer kumar
Well-Known Member
I think you heard LM 219 IA which is 845 (24w).I think it's an overkill for LM 755 speakers and Its more suitable for speakers like your Tannoys.
Yes LM 210 IA 300B SET (8w) mates very well with LM 755 speakers. LM 300B sounds even better with Shuguang Treasure series 300 B-Z tubes over its stock tubes..
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I am now a proud owner the LM Audio CDP for the last few months. I think, it has taken my system up a notch, for sure. I have written about it in this post http://www.hifivision.com/av-lounge/43909-lm-audio-mini-meet-kolkata-3.html#post496102 and a few subsequent posts.
Before I owned this CDP, I also heard the LM Audio 218 amp (with the KT88 tubes) at Pratim's place. I also wrote about my experience and comparisons in this thread: http://www.hifivision.com/av-lounge/43909-lm-audio-mini-meet-kolkata.html .
A couple of months ago at ARN Systems Bangalore, I had the opportunity to listen to a full LM Audio system (the amps with the 845 tubes and the amp with the 300B tubes) with the LM 755 speakers. I should thank Sridhar for hosting me at ARN and also driving me around in Bangalore and dropping me back where I stayed in Bangalore. In the last couple of months, I have been stressed to the full with various reasons, did not have the time or the mood to write anything about my experiences there. Arjun also joined during the audition.
Both the amps were superb. the 845 tubed one was mellower, and the 300B tubed one was very agile and fast. The sound was, in a word, musical. Sridhar told me, they had not experimented with the positioning of the speakers, and I felt the musicality of the bass especially could be improved. But as I heard them, the sonics were quite beautiful. I am not a bass freak, and therefore a single-driver speaker does not bother me. I also think, what we hear mostly is artificial bass, and the acoustic instruments do not have that kind of inflated bass. I remember hearing a small PMC bookshelf (TL) in Singapore last year which was producing a lot of bass for its size, but it sounded very artificial to me. Long time ago I heard a PMC monitor and I liked it, but this time it did not please me very much, because it sounded as if it was trying to do more than it was capable of.
Ideally I'd like to hear the amps separately with a different pair of speakers to know the amps individually. But I have a feeling (after hearing Pratim's LM Audio KT88 based amp), the amps would please a lot of people. The single driver speaker is not everybody's cup of tea. But it is definitely a very very interesting piece of equipment, and thanks again to Sridhar for giving me the opportunity and being so helpful during my trip. Thanks are due to Arjun too for driving me to a very far away place to let me listen to a very special system, but let's keep that for another time.
Regards.
Before I owned this CDP, I also heard the LM Audio 218 amp (with the KT88 tubes) at Pratim's place. I also wrote about my experience and comparisons in this thread: http://www.hifivision.com/av-lounge/43909-lm-audio-mini-meet-kolkata.html .
A couple of months ago at ARN Systems Bangalore, I had the opportunity to listen to a full LM Audio system (the amps with the 845 tubes and the amp with the 300B tubes) with the LM 755 speakers. I should thank Sridhar for hosting me at ARN and also driving me around in Bangalore and dropping me back where I stayed in Bangalore. In the last couple of months, I have been stressed to the full with various reasons, did not have the time or the mood to write anything about my experiences there. Arjun also joined during the audition.
Both the amps were superb. the 845 tubed one was mellower, and the 300B tubed one was very agile and fast. The sound was, in a word, musical. Sridhar told me, they had not experimented with the positioning of the speakers, and I felt the musicality of the bass especially could be improved. But as I heard them, the sonics were quite beautiful. I am not a bass freak, and therefore a single-driver speaker does not bother me. I also think, what we hear mostly is artificial bass, and the acoustic instruments do not have that kind of inflated bass. I remember hearing a small PMC bookshelf (TL) in Singapore last year which was producing a lot of bass for its size, but it sounded very artificial to me. Long time ago I heard a PMC monitor and I liked it, but this time it did not please me very much, because it sounded as if it was trying to do more than it was capable of.
Ideally I'd like to hear the amps separately with a different pair of speakers to know the amps individually. But I have a feeling (after hearing Pratim's LM Audio KT88 based amp), the amps would please a lot of people. The single driver speaker is not everybody's cup of tea. But it is definitely a very very interesting piece of equipment, and thanks again to Sridhar for giving me the opportunity and being so helpful during my trip. Thanks are due to Arjun too for driving me to a very far away place to let me listen to a very special system, but let's keep that for another time.
Regards.
it has a very airy treble. with the 300b the bass (not sub bass ) was pretty well done. But what cathes oner ears is the beauty of the timbre in the midrange..lot of harmonic content
funny, i had this composed but due to some posting error at that time pasted this into textedit and then forgot about it till today !! i think as on 18th of July.
--------------------------
I was in Kolkata( last month) and over last time had discovered that the best place to taste the best sweets of the season and some stimulating audio conversation is to drop it at Asits !
Despite him having been really stressed out due to various reasons we did spend some time listening to his CDP.
What hits you when you hear this system is the richness in the music. The tones are dense but very fluid and the the soundstage is a solid continuous entity with a beautiful texture ..not with instruments separated by space...but one stage full of music
the strength in this system are definitely the speakers. they are able to convey the full density of the music. the album Volvere by gypsy kings (checked via Shazaam
) has a phenomenal presence..and we listened to some more music. Overall compared to what i heard the last time the music was a lot more gripping and with more scale and presence.the difference primarily being the LM CDP.. it appears to be a really good product and seems to be able to extract music well even from ill recorded cds . (one of them a typical sa re ga ma cd with tinny treble but beautiful midrange sounded good)
now i could write another 2 paragraphs on the dense rich but lingering flavour, which is surprisingly light on the stomach, of the chocolate flavored rosogolla and the angoori rasmalai
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Ohhhh I miss Calcutta sweets so much having grown up there and not having gone back to visit for over 20 years now !! I know this is sooo completely off-topic, but I hope you will forgive one moment of such nostalgia. However, I do also want to go listen to the valve amps at ARN sometime soon.
Yes, the CDP has made a significant difference within my budget, and that was the purpose why I upgraded (something which I rarely do).
However, there was another significant difference. The volume pot of the amp (An ALPS Blue) was replaced by a new one. I lived with the faulty volume pot for more than a year (just lazy) even after getting a new one. The sound deteriorated to a point when I was not listening to my system at all. I think you heard my system previously around that time.
Now I have implemented another step in the chain of improvements. I shall let you guess and reveal later.
Thanks for the kind words.
sameer kumar
Well-Known Member
My new HiFi journey.....300B SET amp & Single Driver speaker.
So far I have listened for 40 hrs and I am happy....
I request all the FMs who are already on the path of Tubes and Single drivers to suggest appropriate ICs & Speaker cables.
Here are the pics...
Line Magnetic Audio LM 755i Field coil Speakers ,
LM Audio PR-3 300B field coil power supply (Middle Shelf)
LM Audio 210IA 300B SET integrated amplifier (Bottom Shelf)
Prism Orpheus Fire wire DAC (Top Shelf)
Cheers
Sameer
Reposted the picture
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