Linn Katans

ozcal · Post by **ozcal** » 2013-06-17 09:02

Hi guys , great forum.
I recently acquired a pair of Linn Katans. To say I am blown away by the music through these speakers is a huge understatement.
The system is a bit of a hotchpotch but uses a dht Supratek preamp feeding a Michi poweramp. Sources are LP12 with the good old Grace tonearm, Audio-gd cd transport and dac , home built TDA1541A dac with tube output stage and music server based on Win8 running Jriver server.
So! first question : what if any tweaks to the Katans do you recommend?
2) has anyone tried the Hiquphon OW1 hf units in the Katans and was it a musical improvement.
Thanks in advance,
Gordon

Post by **lejonklou** » 2013-06-17 23:20

Hi Gordon and welcome to the forum!

1a) When running Katans passive, a worthwhile trick is to replace the link boards at the rear with two very short K400 wires, terminated with Deltron 550 bananas (Knekt bananas are even better, but perhaps not worth the cost for this mod) per speaker. I have described this mod at least twice on the web and right now don't have time to do so again. Search this forum and see if you can find it.

1b) Torque tighten the drive units. Position them very carefully in the room, down to a few mm, using the Tune Method.

2) No, I haven't tried that and wouldn't do it. The belief that changing a drive unit is a simple upgrade is usually false. Even if the new unit is theoretically better, the subtle balance that makes it all musical in practice usually requires modifying the filters. And maybe something else too. Then it becomes really difficult.

ozcal · Post by **ozcal** » 2013-06-18 03:03

Thanks Fredrik.

Ozzzy189 · Post by **Ozzzy189** » 2013-06-18 12:05

I asked fredrik about the ow1 for my ninkas too. I am going to save my money towards other stuff. I trust his judgement after hearing his equipment!

Efraim roots · Post by **Efraim roots** » 2013-06-18 16:43

Is the OW1 a better tweeter comapred to Ninka tweeter at all?

Seems like the OW1 has a lot in common with the earlier Linn tweeter produced by Hiquphon. And most seem to think Ninka tweeter is much better than the earlier type.

Geoff · Post by **Geoff** » 2013-12-15 07:11

I'm staggered by my Katan's Aktiv. I found a good Linn AV5125 for US$800 on Ebay, and the stereo Aktiv cards for GBP175. Could you simply sell your amp and go Aktiv? If yes, also try to find a set of used K400 and you'll be over the moon. If you go this route, look on the Linn forums for how to hook it all together.

simonkenyon · Post by **simonkenyon** » 2013-12-22 20:28

I'd second this - the Katans are a superb pair of speakers and the Aktiv upgrade is little short of astonishing.

macrotech2 · Post by **macrotech2** » 2013-12-29 19:00

lejonklou wrote: 1b) Torque tighten the drive units.

Are there any recommendations for torque settings on the drive units on the Katans (and for 242s). It would be great if all recommendations were collected together (apologies if I've missed it).

Thanks

Kevin