Upgrading into Akubariks and Lejonklou Monos

jakez · Post by **jakez** » 2014-07-23 14:55

My journey with Linn Audio started over 15 years ago with the LK and 5100 components, and lots of upgrades and trials along the way. The most recent system makeover was about 8 months ago. I was joyfully living with an Akurate Kontrol/0, Akurate 212s Aktiv, 2 x Majik 5100, and a Sizmik 12.45. With that, the source components are an Oppo BDP-93 for DVD/SACD/etc, an AppleTV for streaming movies, and a Logitech Transporter for streaming music. All-in-all I was extremely happy with the system, and still decided to make a leap forward.

Initially I was considering the Akurate 242s, and then the Akubariks came out. With the lauded history of the Isobarik design, it seemed like a great leap forward. So I started the path of figuring out the next system. As much as I liked the idea of fewer components with Akubarik Aktiv, I also don’t really like being locked into an amp setup as well – and the price was somewhat out of my reach. So I went for the Akubarik Passive in Cherry. I also wanted to upgrade my amplifiers to match the level of the Akubariks so I began my search.

This is where I want to give a huge thanks to John Peters at Definitive Audio in Seattle. I’ve worked with Definitive Audio in Seattle for over a decade and always appreciate their service. Being in Colorado now, it’s been more challenging and I don’t have the drop-ins to listen to whatever is new, but I’m a loyal customer. And also to Chris at Hidden Systems whose reviews of Akubariks in various systems into Klimax, Klimax Twins, and Lejonklous were incredibly helpful. I did eventually did a pair of Lejonklou Monos, which you’ll read about below, from Chris and again appreciate his ease and knowledge of service.

With the amps, I looked at the Linn Akurates and possibly going Aktiv, or Klimax Solos, or Klimax Twins, or this similar brand called Lejonklou. It’s small and seems to have a loyal following as does Linn, and as I understand is often built and designed to match into Linn systems. The huge bonus is the cost. After reading reviews and considering cost and talking a lot with Chris at Hidden Systems, I choose the Lejonklou monos.

The music is coming soon, but before I step there, I want to give the Logitech Transporter kudos which is rarely gets. It’s predecessor was the Turtle Beach Audiotron – basically the first streaming component out there which was amazing at the time over a decade ago. The sound of the Logitech probably matches that of a Majik DS if you use the onboard DACs. For me, I feed it digitally to the DAC on the Akurate Kontrol/0. Then it comes to life with the Linn sound. Besides the sound, the interface to the Transporter is incredibly useful where I can easily select music from the component itself without needing a tablet or computer around, which is one of my favorite pieces. I also think the Transporter application for the iPad is marginally better than the Linn variations. The Akurate Kontrol/0 is an amazing component as well.

For comparison, I have tried an Akurate DS/1 and an Akurate DSM in my system. While both were amazing in their own right, I preferred the sound from the AK/0. The music seems to be somewhat from accurate, but then for me it lacked some musicality, and I prefer the interface on the Transporter. I don’t follow Linn’s TuneDem method, I go with what sounds good to me. I’ve also tried using the Oppo 105 as a DAC/preamp and again it sounds amazing for what it is, but it’s not the AK/0. If I’d never heard the AK/0, I’m sure I would be happy with any of these.

Finally the speakers and amps arrived and I got it all hooked up. First impressions right out of the box were wow, what a jump over the 212s/5100 combo. What was especially noticeable was the integration of sound within the 3K array. But the bass didn’t match and was dulled out. A while ago I had heard the Majik Isobarik in two different environments and systems and in each case the bass didn’t match either, but was completely overblown. I played with the speaker wires in various combinations. Eventually I figured out that what was causing it was a pair speaker connectors which when I removed them made a big difference. Currently it’s set up with a pair of Transparent speaker cables – though at some point I’d like to go back to the Linn K400 I have, but I’m happy for the moment.

With the speaker cable settled out, the bass was definitely more there and more involved. The speakers came alive and I’ve thoroughly been enjoying them. Many times I’ve pushed the volume way up and it holds steady so well. Again the array of drivers matches so well is amazing (except for some of the bass – which I’ve read is cleaned up well with the new Exakt). I’ve almost always enjoyed music with Linn systems and this continues to be even more true with the setup I have now.

As a reference here are some tracks I often use for comparisons:
- Doc Severinsen and Blue Brothers to hear brass
- Pink Floyd – Money to hear drums, Sorrow, On the Turning Away
- Mark Knopfler – Wag the Dog to hear amazing bass on almost all tracks
- Mark Knopfler – Prairie Wedding
- Lyle Lovett – almost anything on Joshua Judges Ruth
- Ray Charles – Heaven Help Us All from Genius Loves Company in 96/24
- George Winston – for piano
- Sarah McLachlan – Fear and others for vocals
- Rodrigo y Gabriela – guitar and clarity

What was really fun about the whole setup was introducing my housemate to a nice system. She’s never heard an audiophile system and was asking lots of questions as I was setting it up. She asked if she’d hear a difference, to which I said definitely. Once it was all set up and ready to go, she sat down with me and was blown away. She’d never heard anything like it and totally understand the appeal (addiction?). She would totally get absorbed into the music.

The bass is still not what I’d like, especially after the bass with the 212s/Sizmik was so present and punchy. I have a number of theories – one could be the speaker wires. One is that the Akubariks don’t have a front facing bass driver so the air moved by the bass gets dispersed so much. It feels a little like the Lejonlous don’t quite have the power for five drivers including a strong bass driver. For now I’m more than happy with the system.

Where to next? Well the bank account has to catch up first. Mostly I’d like to fill in the bass, so another amp just for the bass drivers – a Klimax Twin, or Lejonklou Stereo, or using a 2250 or Akurate 2200 with Aktiv cards just for the bass driver. Or possibly back to having a sub again to really get a great bass going. I’m not wild about adding another box back into the system, but I think it’s needed. I’m curious about the new Lejonklou Sagatun pre-amps though they seem like overkill with the AK/0 I have and I’d still need a DAC, and my rack is already fairly full.

I certainly feel blessed to have been introduced to Linn over 15 years ago and continue to love their designs and sound!

CJ1045 · Post by **CJ1045** » 2014-07-23 15:55

Thanks for sharing the interesting write up. With respect to the bass could you try putting the Sizmik back in if you still have it. I would also definitely try repositioning the speakers - this can often have a profund effect on the bass as well as making sure the spikes are done up.

CJ

tokenbrit · Post by **tokenbrit** » 2014-07-23 17:08

Hi jakez,

Where did you get the Akubariks, and are they new? If so, they will likely take a little time to 'open up' especially in the bass... If they were shipped (flown) then I have heard that the isobarik drivers can need tightening / torquing after arrival as they might be manufactured loose deliberately to avoid issues with changes in pressure during air freight. If they are run in, and don't need any tightening up of drivers, then it could just be that you need to play with speaker positioning...

Just a thought, if you got the Monos from the UK but are in Colorado, did you get them set-up for 120v? It shouldn't impact the bass but there was a tweak to remove auto-ranging by bypassing a relay (I think) for US voltage & frequency.
For Lejonklou in the US, I strongly recommend you contact Tom @ Overture Audio. He works at Overture, and runs Nokturne Audio which is the US importer/distributor for Lejonklou. Tom will be able to provide guidance with respect to US set-up that overseas dealers may be less familiar with...

Happy tuning, and listening.

Ozzzy189 · Post by **Ozzzy189** » 2014-07-23 18:19

Great write up, i'm not surprised that you prefer the lejonklou over the majik 100 linn amps, especially 212 which are difficult to drive. sagatun is a tremendous amp, more so in the mono guise. i'd definitely recommend a listen of those !!!

anthony · Post by **anthony** » 2014-07-23 19:52

Careful setup and attention to detail should cure bass problems.

I would direct any further funds towards the source, as adding a tundra stereo to the bass will most likely be worse.
You cannot easily combine Linn amps and lejonklou as they have different gains.
The klimax D's into sagatun and tundra and akubariks sounded superb at Hidden Systems no bass issues, Frederik spent a fair amount of time positioning the speakers. K400 at 2.48m and silver interconnects, mains cables all make a big difference.

jakez · Post by **jakez** » 2014-07-23 20:29

Thanks everyone!

CJ - I don't have the Sizmik anymore. I have played some with positioning the speakers and I don't hear much difference. I'll check the spikes again.

The space the system is in is an open family room, so multiple open entryways that lead to other rooms, a bar area, and not square. So sound disperses in many directions and doesn't necessarily bounce back square either.

tokenbrit - The system is now about 6 months ago, so the speakers are well broken in. I've heard about the tightening and am a bit reluctant since I'm not exactly what to do without making the speakers worse. The monos were set up for 120V

Anthony - I have Linn Silver interconnects, I may need to get the k400s working again.

I might consider putting money into a new DAC/preamp, but it has to have at least three digital inputs (Transporter, AppleTV, and Oppo). I've looked - obviously the Klimax DSM, but that's way out of the park right now. Otherwise I'm sure the AK/0 is a better DAC than almost anything out there.

anthony · Post by **anthony** » 2014-07-23 20:48

jakez wrote:Thanks everyone!

CJ - I don't have the Sizmik anymore. I have played some with positioning the speakers and I don't hear much difference. I'll check the spikes again.

The space the system is in is an open family room, so multiple open entryways that lead to other rooms, a bar area, and not square. So sound disperses in many directions and doesn't necessarily bounce back square either.

tokenbrit - The system is now about 6 months ago, so the speakers are well broken in. I've heard about the tightening and am a bit reluctant since I'm not exactly what to do without making the speakers worse. The monos were set up for 120V

Anthony - I have Linn Silver interconnects, I may need to get the k400s working again.

I might consider putting money into a new DAC/preamp, but it has to have at least three digital inputs (Transporter, AppleTV, and Oppo). I've looked - obviously the Klimax DSM, but that's way out of the park right now. Otherwise I'm sure the AK/0 is a better DAC than almost anything out there.

Yes ak0 is a good dac.

Surprisingly akubarik bass is good when they are close to a rear wall, much nearer than I expected.

sunbeamgls · Post by **sunbeamgls** » 2014-12-14 23:19

Thanks for your detailed write-up.

Suprised to read that you're finding the Akubariks lacking in bass. I've heard them in a number of system combinations and different rooms and only once have heard them a little light in the bass - that was in a room about 10m x 10m which was just to big for them.

Perhaps the amps aren't enough? You could try another pair to bi-amp the speakers or you could give a pair of Solos a trial, just as a comparison.

Good luck!

jakez · Post by **jakez** » 2014-12-15 20:26

While attending the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest here in Denver in October I heard a number of floorstanding speakers around the same size at the Akubariks with beautiful bass. That gave me a renewed interest in finding the bass with the Akubariks, because I did believe they had the capacity.

I again played with various speaker cable combinations, various DACs, various wirings, and finally the addition of a Linn 2250 just for the IsoBass.

Adding the Linn 2250 for the IsoBass really helped! All of the sudden the speakers and music just opened up again. The bass is a now a little strong relative to the rest - I believe because the 2250 has more gain. It's very livable though.

I love the Monos with the rest of the Akubariks. I've heard that Monos with Akubariks in other systems work fine. It may be that there is something amiss with my system where the Monos don't drive the Akubariks fully.

For now the 2250 is a nice addition and I'm happier again and music beautiful!

rowlandhills · Post by **rowlandhills** » 2014-12-15 22:42

Sounds like you need to swap the 2250 for a Tundra Stereo on the bass, to keep the gain matched.

jakez · Post by **jakez** » 2014-12-15 23:42

Swapping a 2250 for a Tundra Stereo does sound like an optimal solution. A 2250 is much cheaper and I doubt a Tundra Stereo would work since hooking up a Tundra Mono just to the IsoBass doesn't offer the sound and uumph that the 2250 does.

rowlandhills · Post by **rowlandhills** » 2014-12-15 23:56

jakez wrote:Swapping a 2250 for a Tundra Stereo does sound like an optimal solution. A 2250 is much cheaper and I doubt a Tundra Stereo would work since hooking up a Tundra Mono just to the IsoBass doesn't offer the sound and uumph that the 2250 does.

Not sure I understand what you're trying to say there. Your first sentence suggests that it's a good idea, but you're second suggests it's not! Is there a typo there somewhere? :)

jakez · Post by **jakez** » 2014-12-16 00:39

I agree that in theory using a Tundra Stereo seems like a good idea.

In practice though using a Tundra Mono for the IsoBass hasn't worked well.

Hope that clears up what I meant.

rowlandhills · Post by **rowlandhills** » 2014-12-16 00:52

jakez wrote:In practice though using a Tundra Mono for the IsoBass hasn't worked well.

Ah, so did you try using 4 Monos for a pair of Akubariks? (2 for the bass, 2 for the rest of the speakers)?

anthony · Post by **anthony** » 2014-12-16 04:15

jakez wrote:I agree that in theory using a Tundra Stereo seems like a good idea.

In practice though using a Tundra Mono for the IsoBass hasn't worked well.

Hope that clears up what I meant.

There is an 8 dB gain difference between the two, so you will have that amount of boost which is huge.
You can reduce it if you used a 2200

jakez · Post by **jakez** » 2014-12-16 21:02

I tried many variations. The closest to 4 Monos is that I tried the 2250 into the rest of the speaker and Monos for the IsoBass and that wasn't sufficient. But the reverse was fine and where I'm at.

rowlandhills wrote:
jakez wrote:In practice though using a Tundra Mono for the IsoBass hasn't worked well.
Ah, so did you try using 4 Monos for a pair of Akubariks? (2 for the bass, 2 for the rest of the speakers)?

rowlandhills · Post by **rowlandhills** » 2014-12-16 21:25

jakez wrote:I tried many variations. The closest to 4 Monos is that I tried the 2250 into the rest of the speaker and Monos for the IsoBass and that wasn't sufficient. But the reverse was fine and where I'm at.

Okay. The 2250 is nowhere near as good as the Monos (or a Tundra Stereo) and since the treble/array is more sensitive than the bass to amp quality, I'm not surprised that you ended up where you did.

I still think that replacing the 2250 with a Tundra stereo would be a good upgrade for you at some point, and would remove the problem of your amps having different gains. In the meantime, I think that you might want to look at buying some attenuators to drop the bass signal by 8dB.