Предусилители — Line Magnetic G-2

The G-2 is a valve preamplifier made by Line Magnetic, the maker set up in 2005 by two brothers whose workshop first restored and copied old Western Electric, Altec and Jensen speakers and electronics. It is hand assembled, relies on tube rectification in its power supply and ships with a remote control for volume. It has been offered at around USD 2,900 to 3,000, and it is specified for 220 V mains at 50 Hz, allowing a deviation of 5 percent either way.

Key specs that matter

Connections cover one balanced analog input and two single-ended inputs, together with one balanced output and one single-ended output. Line Magnetic quotes a gain of 15.6 dB and an input impedance of 100 kOhm. Frequency response is listed as 10 Hz to 30 kHz, measured at 1 W according to the maker. The chassis measures 440 mm wide, 260 mm high and 500 mm deep. Net weight is 9 kg, and the packed unit weighs 11 kg. The unit is presented in retro styling as part of the brand's Analog Sound series of vacuum tube products.

Engineering and use context

Nine valves populate the chassis. Two 6SL7 and two 6SN7 double triodes appear in the tube list with a single 5U4 rectifier and three 6V6 beam tetrodes. The maker describes the circuit as using transformer switching at the input and a cross-linked capacitor at the output, so source selection passes through transformer windings. The power section adds multiple voltage-stabilizing tubes to regulate its rails. According to the brand, all of its electronics are built with point-to-point, hand-made internal wiring in two dedicated factories, and its engineers keep proven mid-century schematics while combining them with modern parts. Line Magnetic lists the G-2 alongside valve amplifiers based on EL34, KT88, 300B and 805 output tubes, as well as phono stages and converters with vacuum tube output stages from the same maker.

Pairing

Offering XLR as well as RCA outputs, the G-2 can drive a power amplifier through either cable type, and its mix of one balanced and two single-ended inputs gives room for three line sources in total. The handset allows level changes from the listening position. Line Magnetic power amplifiers built around the output tubes named above are the brand's own matching partners for the G-2.

Alternatives

Within the same brand, the Line Magnetic LM-129 preamplifier uses four 6J7 tubes with a 5U4 rectifier and offers 100 kOhm and 600 Ohm input impedance options at 9.6 dB gain.