SET vs Push-Pull (Line Magnetic vs Primaluna)

@mabonn,
There is an excellent store called Pitch Perfect Sound located in Palm Desert CA. They have Line  Magnetic, Leben, Shindo etc.

3 years in a row I attended the C.E.S. in Las Vegas. The Acoustic Zen Crescendo each time shared a room with Triode Corporation of Japan.
The Crescendo was paired with the Triode Corporation Parallel SET TRX M845 mono blocks that are 50 watts per channel.

This combination filled the generous sized room in the Venetian Hotel gloriously. Each year this demonstration room was always one of the better sounding rooms at C.E.S. I don’t know your listening room size but the Ventian space was again far from small /cramped.

Line Magnetic 805ia /508ia (805 output tube) class A SET is 48 watts per channel and could be a serious candidate based on what I heard with the 50 watt Triode Corp TRX M845. The sound was big/spacious, beautiful and very natural and nuanced.
As ozzy62 stated above, Line Magnetic is very good quality.
Charles

I currently have a Line Magnetic which I purchased a few months ago. I have the LM805iA paired with my Golden Ear Triton Reference and they sound amazing together!  I actually use all Acoustic Zen cables. I was really interested in the Crescendo but was out of my price range. Anyhow I think they would make a good pairing since it is 48 watts per channel.  With my current setup I never go past 12 oclock when listening to music. I found a dealer in Florida called Wellington Audio which Johnathan from Tone Imports recommended. 

I have a LM-218ia, 845-based 22-watt SET amp. When I first got it, it was pushing hungry Polk Lsi15 speakers. I was amazed at how good it sounded as the measly 22-watts simply wasn't supposed to make them (a sub-4Ohm 87db speaker) sound that good.

I then picked up a pair of Omega Outlaw Super3XRS speakers with active 8" subs built-in -- 94db and 8Ohm. When I fired up the Line Magnetic all I could say, was, "oh!"

My take way was that those 22 SET watts can push a stubborn speaker pretty well, but when paired with a much more efficient speaker, wow, it shines.

-Chris  

I can't answer your question in regard to LM amp. I can only say I ran Coincident Turbo 845 SET with Merlin VSM-MM, a similar load to your speakers, quite satisfactorily for years. I doubt any other SET tube type would provide enough power.

I  have a Prima Luna Dialogue Four modded with Takman resistors and a variety of boutique caps. I also have custom built 300B SET monoblocks and the Coincident 845 SET which all rotate through system. The largest difference between the SET's and PL push pull is the sense of immediacy, a greater illusion of performers in my listening room with the SET's. Whenever I listen to push pull tube or solid state setups I always get a sense of being more distant from performers, I'm taken to the recording venue rather that the recording venue being brought to me as with SET. My mind interprets these systems as high fidelity. I always hear live performers in room with my system, just slightly less with the PL (this all with my highly modded Klipschorns which excel here). I've not listened intently with all three amps with my Merlin VSM-MM, a speaker more similar to yours. Based on memory I recall hearing this same jump in immediacy when I went from Cary SLM 100 monoblocks, Conrad Johnson MV-55 and Nirvana Electronic Works A-60 (battery powered class A solid state) to Coincident 845SET with Merlins.

Contrarian opinion here- just never have gelled with the LM sound (my Devore dealer carries them). It’s a vintage, slightly soft sound. Tri (which I have owned) that was mentioned before is not vintage, but still flavored less than dynamic sound as well. I believe they are both made in the same OEM factory. At this price I prefer Melody which is more objective.