Thanks to Tony on the forum for an impromptu listen to his passive Akubariks today. I only had an hour to spare, so relatively brief, but just thought I'd add my initially impressions to the thread. The more the merrier etc.
I could tell Tony's setup was excellent, as always. Fed by KDS1 KK1 and latest solos. He's had them a few months now so they have some good running time.
Didn't compare to any other speakers, so it was partly based on memory of my last visit and 350Ps. I liked the Akubariks, especially on slower tempo music and acoustic music. They are not at all impressive, in a good way, and were very tuneful. As has been mentioned by others, the midrange and array is really cohesive and as one. They are a very listenable speaker. I don't think I'd get fatigued by them either. And of course they look nice. Not as big a soundscape as the 350Ps, but I wasn't surprised by that, based on their smaller size. Bass was a little bit soft at times, compared to 242s and 350Ps, but I can't say it bothered me or was distracting.
Linn's efforts on the array and mid integration has really paid off. This aspect sounds lovely and very enjoyable, with the best mid/top-end I've heard. The bass wasn't so faultless, but perhaps the addition of aktiv bass on a 2200 would improve things. If so, then a cheaper system with a single 4200 and aktiv bass would be interesting to hear.
Akubarik
Moderator: Staff
Passive Akubariks
I too had a recent visit to Anthony’s to have a listen to his passive Akubariks. Having recently heard the active versions he was keen to know what I thought.
Run from a pair of Solos, there is an overall cost increase over the Active versions, but I’d say there was a definite improvement. The treble was sweeter and overall the experience more relaxing, less strained at volume and more tuneful. In fairness they were in different locations and not a straight A-B comparison, but they did have a certain refinement in the upper ranges that I’d imagine would show through regardless.
I’d definitely say both versions were worth a listen. I can see the appeal of the active version if you hadn’t already gone the Klimax amp route. If you’d already invested in the amplification then I’d say the passive performance is a bonus.
Like Charlie1 I was trying to remember the 350s with no direct comparison. If I recall correctly the Akubariks couldn’t match the 350s for a sense of scale, but at Charlie1 points out, they are a smaller speaker. They still sounded large enough in Anthony’s room.
I haven’t heard 242s as Charlie had so couldn’t comment on them.
If I was on the lookout for new speakers I’d give them a listen. Plus, each time I’ve been to see Anthony I’ve left with a list of music I’ve never heard before, which is always a bonus!
Run from a pair of Solos, there is an overall cost increase over the Active versions, but I’d say there was a definite improvement. The treble was sweeter and overall the experience more relaxing, less strained at volume and more tuneful. In fairness they were in different locations and not a straight A-B comparison, but they did have a certain refinement in the upper ranges that I’d imagine would show through regardless.
I’d definitely say both versions were worth a listen. I can see the appeal of the active version if you hadn’t already gone the Klimax amp route. If you’d already invested in the amplification then I’d say the passive performance is a bonus.
Like Charlie1 I was trying to remember the 350s with no direct comparison. If I recall correctly the Akubariks couldn’t match the 350s for a sense of scale, but at Charlie1 points out, they are a smaller speaker. They still sounded large enough in Anthony’s room.
I haven’t heard 242s as Charlie had so couldn’t comment on them.
If I was on the lookout for new speakers I’d give them a listen. Plus, each time I’ve been to see Anthony I’ve left with a list of music I’ve never heard before, which is always a bonus!
Akubarik Aktiv vs Akubarik with mono's
Have anyone compared the Aktiv Akubariks with Akubariks driven by Tundra Mono's (source Akurate level)?
With Tundra Monos playing in the Linn Klimax league, I wonder if adding a 2200 to go bass-active would make sense from a tune-dem standpoint - even if you´d have Klimax amps instead.
In case you consider Akubariks, I´d advise to listen to passive ones with Monos, active ones (non-Exakt) and the Exakt version.
This will give you a good insight of their individual performance and preferred future upgrade path.
Finally, a home demo would be essential to confirm it works in your room - though with Exakt it probably should as it incorporates room correction modes.
In case you consider Akubariks, I´d advise to listen to passive ones with Monos, active ones (non-Exakt) and the Exakt version.
This will give you a good insight of their individual performance and preferred future upgrade path.
Finally, a home demo would be essential to confirm it works in your room - though with Exakt it probably should as it incorporates room correction modes.
Ozzzy's Tundra Stereo sounded really good with passive Akubariks, but not heard Mono's drive them. Tundra Stereo and Monos have a similar presentation. The system was fronted by Klimax sources though, not ADSM. Pre-amps were Satagun and KK1.
I think you need to tread carefully now and try to home dem as much as possible to ensure you fix what's bothering you and not make things worse.
If you can't, then anthony has as much experience as anyone, installing the various bits of Linn and Lejonklou kit that you're using and contemplating using. So, he's probably best placed to steer you in the right direction.
I think you need to tread carefully now and try to home dem as much as possible to ensure you fix what's bothering you and not make things worse.
If you can't, then anthony has as much experience as anyone, installing the various bits of Linn and Lejonklou kit that you're using and contemplating using. So, he's probably best placed to steer you in the right direction.