Aktiv LK140 or Passive Klout?

[Ceilidh]

Hello Music Lover!

Could you tell me what you think of the Chakra/Majik x100 amplifiers, and in particular where you would place them relative to the Klout / 2250 / 5125?

I know they'll have far less real & perceived power than the others, and I understand that the Chakra / Akurate x200 is an all-around superior amp -- but I'm wondering how the x100 sounds in tunedem terms.

The reason I ask is that I haven't found many direct comparisons between the (current "entry-level") Cx100 vs. the (formerly "top"- and "mid-level") Klout & 2250; it seems that most people who've used Klouts and 2250s in the past are able to skip over the Cx100 and go directly to the Cx200. There have been a number of Topica posts suggesting that the Cx100 is inferior to the 2250, but those posts don't seem to have been based on first-hand experience. Conversely, you (and Jan Astrom over on Topica) are one of the few who have said nice things about the Cx100, and I was wondering if you could please elaborate on what you think of that amp. (Thank you very much!)

(And again -- I do understand that the Klout & 2250 are much more powerful!!)

Thank you, and hope you're having a nice August!

- C

[Music Lover]

Klout vs 2250 vs 100w chakra?
It's difficult to rate items that are close in tune dem performance.

I consider Klout/2250/100w chakra being on almost same level, with 5125 a good step below and 200w chakra a good step above.

A huge advantage with the chakra amps is that they can have MANY channels and that the "extra" channels cost less/channel compared with the 2-channel amp.
So for me, the only interesting chakra amps are C6100 (and C4200).

The verdict?
C6100 and go active! :mrgreen:
In a passive setup, Klout/2250

[Ceilidh]

Thank you, Music Lover!

It sounds increasingly like I should hold onto the Klout for now..... :D

But -- as long as we're talking about these things (and as long as I'm daydreaming), what would you think about (for a Ninka):

Aktiv Majik 6100 vs. passive Akurate 2200?

Here are two similarly-priced amps, of the same family, generation, and architecture, but with a clear step in sound quality and power. Which would sound better (in TuneDem or other terms)? Would ThomasOK's suggestion hold, that Aktiv brings an amp up roughly one level (which would make the two choices more or less comparable)? Would one be clearly better than the other? Or would it be apples and oranges, with the two showing different combinations of strengths and weaknesses?

(Please ignore considerations of future upgrade potential, complexity, aesthetics, etc. -- this is just hypothetical "bench-racing", for fun! :D)

Thanks very much, and hope you've had a good weekend!

-C

[lejonklou]

That is easy to answer: Aktiv with Majik 6100 is a LOT better. Even Aktiv with 4100 is clearly better than passive with 4200 in my opinion.

[Music Lover]

Here are two similarly-priced amps, of the same family, generation, and architecture, but with a clear step in sound quality and power.

I think the reason Linn changed the name from chakra to Majik and Akurate is that customers thought (as you) that they are more or less same amps.
I think they are quite a bit different. If not, why don’t we have a C6200?
Fredrik can you give us some insight here?

The Artikulat amps are also to be "chakraamps", but they are likely unique for the speaker.
Komri bass amp is to be a Solo, but is it really?

The technology may be similar but the implementation different.


....and the question.
Thanks Fredrik for the answer, as I haven’t compared this 8)
But based on other similar tests during the years and the performance difference between the amps in question, I have no reason to not believe Fredrik. :mrgreen:

And when comparing, please not forget to include the cost for the Xovers and the two extra pair K400 cables.

[teatime]

That is easy to answer: Aktiv with Majik 6100 is a LOT better.

I can only agree. I did almost this exact test (in fact it was 2200 vs 4100) with Ninka and the difference was simply huge in the active system's favour.

I wrote this somewhere at the time, I so I might just as well reiterate it; To put numbers on it to try to represent how I experienced the relative differences between the configurations: If singlewire passive with the 4100 was a 1, passive singlewire with the 2200 was a 2 and active with the 4100 was a 5. This just to convey where I felt the "big step" was between them. All three configurations sounded great.

IMHO, If you can't afford to run the Akurate x200 amps active, you shouldn't buy them. Active Majik x100 are simply better. (This of course assuming that activation is an option with the intended speaker or that you know that you won't have the funds to go x200 active in the forseeable future.)

[teatime]

I think the reason Linn changed the name from chakra to Majik and Akurate is that customers thought (as you) that they are more or less same amps.

I think the reason they changed the name was that they had this idea of "families" or "segments" in their product range and these were the amps they had available to rename.

Komri bass amp is to be a Solo, but is it really?

No, it's apparently a dedicated amp specifically designed for the task of driving the active servo. A task rather different than handling the entire frequency range. I heard Philip Hobbs (the designer of Komri) give a short description of the technique a year ago, but I can't really recall the details.

[ThomasOK]

My conclusion on this that the Klout, 2250 and 5125 (used within its capabilities) are all fine amps and it is generally not worth "upgrading" from one to another. If you want a real upgrade from these three amps then the Chakra - now Akurate - x200 series or Klimax series are the way to go.

This is very interesting to me since my general plan is to change the 5125 to two 2250 (active). Is that a bad idea in you opinion?

/Henrik

No, I don't think it is a bad idea. I like the 2250 a fair bit better than the 5125 and at the prices they go for used the 2250 is an excellent buy. The comment was realy aimed more at the Klout - for a big upgrade you need an Akurate x200.

[ThomasOK]

It seems to me that there is something purer about making the best product possible that leads to the greatness of these units.

Would you say the same about Karik/Numerik compared to Ikemi or Majik CD?

/Henrik

Had to find the exception to the rule, didn't ya. While the Karik/Numerik is a very fine combo even the most up to date units are still not as musical and enjoyable as the Ikemi. I think this is a case of technology having improved and Linn having improved things so much with the CD12 that the trickle down version, the Ikemi, was still a phonemonal unit.

The Majik CD I still haven't made a decision on as the only one I've been able to hear in controlled circumstances is not as tuneful as my Ikemi. Since others whose ears I trust, including Fredrik, tell me that the Majik is capable of better performance than the Ikemi, I am left thinking that our demo just isn't up to snuff.

Since I listen to about 98% vinyl at home, I find the Ikemi perfectly adequate for my needs and wouldn't likely change it unless I went to something much better performing like the Akurate CD. Besides, it would mess up my lovely Quadraspire Q4 Midi rack with all its LK style components and the Klimax Kontrol on top - although Linn seems intent on messing it up by releasing all new components in either AV or Klimax boxes. Although I feel no real need to upgrade my Ikemi or Pekin, I am sure I may feel the need to change when they finally get around to bringing out the Klimax Linto!

[lejonklou]

Moved the entire topic to 'Hifi'.

[lejonklou]

I think they are quite a bit different. If not, why don’t we have a C6200?

Three technical reasons:¨

1) There is not much space left in a 4200, the box is full. Four 200W 'Chakra-channels' take up as much space as six 100W.

2) The power supply would be too weak. I haven't measured the 4200 or 6100, but suspect none of them can be driven to full power on all channels at the same time. The powersupply will reach its limit before that.

3) It would generate 50% more heat than the 4200 - perhaps enough for the fan to be continually on.

[Azazello]

Had to find the exception to the rule, didn't ya.

Yes... :oops: :oops:

[ThomasOK]

I think they are quite a bit different. If not, why don’t we have a C6200?

Three technical reasons:¨

1) There is not much space left in a 4200, the box is full. Four 200W 'Chakra-channels' take up as much space as six 100W.

2) The power supply would be too weak. I haven't measured the 4200 or 6100, but suspect none of them can be driven to full power on all channels at the same time. The powersupply will reach its limit before that.

3) It would generate 50% more heat than the 4200 - perhaps enough for the fan to be continually on.

I was going to take a shot at this but I wanted to take apart a couple of units to verify my theories first. I see that Fredrik beat me to it - he gives all three excellent reasons why no 6200.

The most obvious should be #2. A 6100 puts our a total of 600 Watts at 4 Ohms and a 4200 puts our 800 Watts at 4 Ohms (based on Linn specs). So a power supply capable of handling the 4200 could in theory drive a 8100 if there was enough room in the chassis for it. However, a 6200 would need a power supply up to handling 1200 Watts of output. I think the only way you'd see a 6200 is if Linn felt there was enough demand to make a Kisto size unit with dual power supplies. I certainly haven't heard any rumors of anything like this coming so I wouldn't hold your breath.

[Ceilidh]

Hello Folks,

I just wanted to thank all of you for answering my questions (first about the passive-Klout / Aktiv LK140, and then about passive x200 / Aktiv x100). It sounds like I should try to hold onto the Klout for now, and then go for Aktiv x100 sometime in the future (unless Aktiv Klout would be better than that, of course!).

Anyway, if I may please ask one more question:

Do Linn's current "families / systems" (e.g., Majik, Akurate, etc.) apply for passive amps, or for Aktiv? For example, the Linn website (under "Komponent Movie System") groups a UniSC with a Majik x100 -- if one were to go Aktiv with the x100 (which brings the amplifier above the performance of a passive Akurate x200), would that be too much amplifier for the UniSC? (i.e., would it be too "revealing", or would one not really notice a difference between passive and Aktiv with a UniSC front end?) Or to put it another way: can one gainfully go Aktiv with any of Linn's recommended "systems", or must the source/preamp be upgraded first?

Thank you again! :D

[Azazello]

Do Linn's current "families / systems" (e.g., Majik, Akurate, etc.) apply for passive amps, or for Aktiv?

Linn's "families" don't apply to anything more than their market strategy in my oppinion. The source should always be the first priority if musical quality is the goal of the system!

[teatime]

Do Linn's current "families / systems" (e.g., Majik, Akurate, etc.) apply for passive amps, or for Aktiv?

Linn's "families" don't apply to anything more than their market strategy in my oppinion. The source should always be the first priority if musical quality is the goal of the system!

Well said! Seconded. :D

[Ceilidh]

Thank you Teatime, Azazello!

I might be treading on shaky ground here, but let me rephrase the question (sorry for being unclear earlier!).... :D

1) A while ago (on Topica) I was told that an overly back-loaded system (i.e., one with amplifiers and speakers too revealing for the source and control components) will actually sound worse than it would with lesser speakers and amps -- the reasoning here being that a very high-quality "Playback" section will bring out all the distortions and inaccuracies produced by the Source and Control. I've also come across Topica conversations that seem to imply that if the Source / Control sections aren't good enough, then "improvements" in the amplification can start to become inaudible (e.g., a person would write that he can't hear the difference between amp A vs. B on his system, and someone else would reply that that's because his player or preamp isn't up to snuff). And, so....

A. Is the above true? Is it not worth improving the amplification if the Source/Control isn't good enough?

B. And if so, at what point is it not worth trying? Presumably it makes no sense hanging Klimax Solos onto a Classik Musik(!) -- but can one gainfully go Aktiv with Majik x100 amps, if the front end is a Unidisk SC? And is it ever worth going Aktiv at all (even with older LK amps) if the source is a Classik Music or Movie?

(Confession: the particular examples cited above are not hypothetical(!) -- my parents have a UniSC, and I have a Classik.... :D )


2) And to bring up a completely separate issue (and please forgive a novice for (politely!) disagreeing with the more experienced folks here): I'm really grateful that Linn has classed its offerings into suggested systems! As a novice, I very much appreciate a manufacturer telling me which parts of its component lines are designed to go together. The more expert enthusiasts don't need such guidance, but newcomers do -- especially as newcomers can easily become overwhelmed with "expert" advice. For example, when I first started reading the Topica archives, I found it utterly confusing to see people debating whether a Kolektor or a Wakonda or a Kairn is the minimal preamp to go with a Genki or a Mimik or a Karik/Numerik or an Ikemi, etc., etc. -- that sort of debate can be a lot of fun to engage in, but as someone who was initially drawn to Linn because of the company's systems approach, after a while I wanted to hear what Linn itself felt to be examples of balanced systems. That sort of "official" guidance wasn't available in the past, but now it is -- and I'm grateful for it!

Along those lines, many of the past-years' Topica debates, if they became too deadlocked with strong-minded individuals authoritatively contradicting each other, ended with the admonishment to "Go and Listen for Yourself -- Only YOU Can Decide!!!". Well, that's (arguably) good advice....but for some of us it's (sadly) a little difficult to do. :D To use myself as an example: at the moment I'm teaching for a living, and cashflow is close enough to neutral that my little Linn system has to build up very very slowly, and it has to build up via the used (or sometimes exiting-the-business-dealer demo) market. At no time have I had real access to a well-stocked showroom in which to sit and compare equipment (there are Linn dealers in town, but I don't feel comfortable taking up their time when I know realistically I won't be buying anything big from them for many years -- and on the small stuff (power cords and Knekt bananas) they're already too busy to help me). So an A-to-B comparison for me entails watching eBay for months until a likely component becomes available at a low price, upon which I'll bid on it, bring it home, compare it to what I already own, and then sell off the "loser" on eBay. It's a fun process (and a great father-son project; we've really been enjoying it!), but as we've gone progressively up the upgrade path on both my and my parents' systems, we're hitting pricepoints where random eBay buying & selling is becoming a little risky. Hence external advice -- from knowledgeable sources employing a rigorous, repeatable testing method -- is greatly appreciated! And that's why I've been posting questions here (and thank you everyone for all the advice!!) -- and also why I'm glad Linn itself is issuing general guidelines too. :D

Anyway, that's just the view from the peanut gallery. If the Linn "systems" really are a load of marketing hooey (i.e., if the suggested systems really aren't balanced, and X dollars (or Euros, Pounds, Kroner) are best spent otherwise), I would really love to hear! And as always, thank you very much in advance, and hope your summers are going well. All best!

-C

[ThomasOK]

Do Linn's current "families / systems" (e.g., Majik, Akurate, etc.) apply for passive amps, or for Aktiv?

Linn's "families" don't apply to anything more than their market strategy in my oppinion. The source should always be the first priority if musical quality is the goal of the system!

Well said! Seconded. :D

And I'll third this. Although this "family" naming makes things seem simpler it actually can make it harder for the consumer to understand how to best put together a system and therefore harder for the dealer to configure things in the best way. A couple of examples: with a speaker that needs a fair amount of power - especially in a large room - a system of Majik CD, Majik Kontrol and Akurate 2200 might be the way to go for the price range, with more efficient speakers in smaller rooms an Akurate CD with Akurate Kontrol and Majik 2100 would be a better bet. Of course an Akurate CD, Klimax Kontrol and Majik 2100 would be even better.

As you can see all the Linn components can work together (within limits - I wouldn't try Majik x100s with Komris!) but the system should be structured according to the hierarchy. The source is the most important component and should thus be optimized within the budget and then it goes on form there (phono stage, preamp, poweramp, speakers).

[sommerfee]

Hi Ceilidh,

As always, you asked good questions which are IMHO not easy to answer.

I also welcome the new marketing strategic from Linn, meaning: Offering well balanced system instead of separate components. In my eyes all have benefits from that strategic: The end user, the dealers, and Linn itself. I felt that the situation before was really confusing: 2250+5125, after 2 years some Chakra amps instead, old Exotik, new Exotik, ...

I must confess that I can't see why this should make anything harder. Its just the names that have changes, so Thomas, in what does the problems you have mentioned differ from the problem you already had with the old names/components?

Regarding source first I would like to offer two anecdotes:

1. We were listening to the new Majik System (with Ninkas, as Linn has suggested) and we all felt that it is really good. I had one CD with me, not as a test CD, but because I wanted to show it a friend of mine. So had the idea to put it into the Majik CD player... What a shock
:shock: Even the dealer was confused, he didn't know that I was listening to such hard-to-listen music. Well, its modern stuff, but at home I never felt that this music was very hard-to-listen at, so we changed the Majik CD to a Unidisk 1.1 (ESS 221). All people in the room had the same feeling - its not a different CD player, its a different CD which is playing now. And every reason why I actually like this CD so much was finally there again.

BTW: It was "Nordic Spell" from Sharon Bezaly.

2. When the dealer got Klimax Kontrol and Klimax Solo for the first time, he connected them to the Majik CD and Katans. I haven't heard it for myself, but he and a customer agreed that they could not stand it for even 1 minute. He hasn't a better CD player at that time, so he swapped to a LP12 with Lingo, Ekos and Metak, and everything went fine.

Axel

[Music Lover]

When the dealer got Klimax Kontrol and Klimax Solo for the first time, he connected them to the Majik CD and Katans. I haven't heard it for myself, but he and a customer agreed that they could not stand it for even 1 minute. He hasn't a better CD player at that time, so he swapped to a LP12 with Lingo, Ekos and Metak, and everything went fine.

I think we mix up musicality with sound here.
A better (according to tune dem) component in a system always improve the musicality, regardless WHERE it's positioned.
A totally different matter is if the sound gets better OR if you can use the money elwere to obtain a better result.

Ceilidh
Regarding recommendations on Topica.
Some persons prefer maximal musicality and are not that interested how it actually sounds. Other just care about the sound.
Some like to have a mix...
A "balanced system" for these groups going to be different so obviously the recommendation going to differ!

THIS is the reason you get mixed messages.
After some time you understand who to trust

Sound is very personal so it’s difficult to discuss “what is best”.
But tune dem is an objective method, so musicality can be easily discussed.
The reason I love this forum is that it focus on musicality!

[ThomasOK]

I also welcome the new marketing strategic from Linn, meaning: Offering well balanced system instead of separate components. In my eyes all have benefits from that strategic: The end user, the dealers, and Linn itself. I felt that the situation before was really confusing: 2250+5125, after 2 years some Chakra amps instead, old Exotik, new Exotik, ...

I must confess that I can't see why this should make anything harder. Its just the names that have changes, so Thomas, in what does the problems you have mentioned differ from the problem you already had with the old names/components?

Regarding source first I would like to offer two anecdotes:

1. We were listening to the new Majik System (with Ninkas, as Linn has suggested) and we all felt that it is really good. I had one CD with me, not as a test CD, but because I wanted to show it a friend of mine. So had the idea to put it into the Majik CD player... What a shock
:shock: Even the dealer was confused, he didn't know that I was listening to such hard-to-listen music. Well, its modern stuff, but at home I never felt that this music was very hard-to-listen at, so we changed the Majik CD to a Unidisk 1.1 (ESS 221). All people in the room had the same feeling - its not a different CD player, its a different CD which is playing now. And every reason why I actually like this CD so much was finally there again.

BTW: It was "Nordic Spell" from Sharon Bezaly.

Axel

Well Axel, you answered your own question. The reason that it can make things harder is that the customer gets the impression that this is an optimally matched system. If you then try to get them to listen to the UniDisk 1.1 or Akurate CD so they can really hear what is on the CD they are likely to think you are trying to oversell them because it is not part of the "matched" system.

[ThomasOK]

When the dealer got Klimax Kontrol and Klimax Solo for the first time, he connected them to the Majik CD and Katans. I haven't heard it for myself, but he and a customer agreed that they could not stand it for even 1 minute. He hasn't a better CD player at that time, so he swapped to a LP12 with Lingo, Ekos and Metak, and everything went fine.

I think we mix up musicality with sound here.
A better (according to tune dem) component in a system always improve the musicality, regardless WHERE it's positioned.
A totally different matter is if the sound gets better OR if you can use the money elwere to obtain a better result.

Unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying, I have to disagree on this point. The Hierarchy of a Hi-Fi system as written by Linn states; "If you do a poor job of getting information off the CD at the beginning of the system, it is impossible for any component further down the chain to improve upon that signal. It is not possible for an amplifier to improve upon the signal that is put into it. It is not even a matter of how good the amplifier is; it simply cannot improve the signal that is fed into it. The same is true of speakers. In fact, improving the speaker when there is a fault earlier in the system will only serve to more clearly reveal the fault."

This echoes my own experiences: if you put a component into a system that is superior to one or more of the components preceeding it the result is a LESS tuneful system. The better component unbalances the system by revealing the flaws of the preceeding component(s). An example from my own experience was some comparisons I once did when I was told by some co-workers that the Linto was so good it might "break" the Hierarchy. That a system with a Linto and Valhalla would sound better than one with a Lingo and the Kairn phono stage. I was just about to upgrade my system and thought I'd test their idea out. I had an LP12/Cirkus/Lingo1/Ekos2/Arkiv feeding a Kairn. I took home a Linto and a Valhalla in a box with a connector that allowed the Lingo cable to be plugged into it instead. When I did my A/B comparisons my SO and I came to the same conclusions: the Linto made a huge improvement in tunefulness and clarity when the Lingo was used but when the Valhalla was plugged in we actually preferred the Kairn phono stage. With the Valhalla the Linto sounded more detailed and more Hi-Fi but it was LESS tuneful and just less enjoyable. The Linto was revealing the flaws of the Valhalla LP12 and the result was worse overall performance than the Valhalla with the Kairn. The Hierarchy was not "broken" by the Linto - it was still, and is still, fully intact!

Ceilidh
Regarding recommendations on Topica.
Some persons prefer maximal musicality and are not that interested how it actually sounds. Other just care about the sound.
Some like to have a mix...
A "balanced system" for these groups going to be different so obviously the recommendation going to differ!

THIS is the reason you get mixed messages.
After some time you understand who to trust

Sound is very personal so it’s difficult to discuss “what is best”.
But tune dem is an objective method, so musicality can be easily discussed.
The reason I love this forum is that it focus on musicality!

I totally agree on this. The members on Topica range from knowledgeable and helpful to confusing and contradictory but you can count on them all being opinionated! Some will point you in the right direction and others will give advice that will totally screw you up. There was one poster who was constantly complaining that the LP12 was too antiquated and that they needed to use more modern design principles and materials like acrylic. He felt that other companies like Transrotor and Clearaudio had surpassed the LP12. After about a year of this he finally bought an LP12! And we finally stopped hearing about Transrotor and Clearaudio.

I also notice that the moderator has finally found out that the Linn Silvers are better than the Audioquests. Considering he has had all Linn systems for some time it is surprising it has taken him this long to try them. He really can't be totally blamed for this as his dealer was also not aware of the superiority of the Silvers until he got some in so they could both do a cable comparison with some other cables. He now knows of their better performance as well.

[Music Lover]

The Hierarchy of a Hi-Fi system as written by Linn states; "If you do a poor job of getting information off the CD at the beginning of the system, it is impossible for any component further down the chain to improve upon that signal. It is not possible for an amplifier to improve upon the signal that is put into it.

Agree totally on this.

But I wasn't discussing improving the signal, it's a matter of not making the signal worse
All components degrade the signal, the good ones not so much...
So if you replace a component that kills the tune a lot with a component that doesn’t do that, you obtain an improvement.

Ikemi/Klimax Kontrol is better than Ikemi/Exotik - because the Kontrol destroy the signal LESS than Exotik.

But I really like to make the comparison that you made, never experienced such a result!!

[Ceilidh]

Thomas, Teatime, and Azazello,

I'm starting to better understand your misgivings about Linn's recommended families / systems, and I do see now how these systems can make it harder to convince customers to go with "unrecommended" source-first configurations. So, thank you for the explanation!

I guess the larger issue is that Linn (like any company in the business) has to deal with a large range of partners and constituencies, and what works for some constituents might not be best for others. In this particular situation, it sounds like the older marketing angle (a philosophical focus on "Source First", plus vertical "silos" between component categories) worked at least tolerably well for quality dealers who know their craft, their product lines, and their customers (i.e., for dealers / customers like yourselves!): by only spelling out performance relationships within a product category (e.g., preamp A is better than preamp B, and amp U is better than amp V -- but with nothing said about whether A is good enough for U, etc.), Linn gave its dealers enough flexibility to mix and match components to best suit the customer's needs. So I can see how the new approach, for these quality constituencies, is a step backwards.

That being said, there are other constituencies that don't have access to the quality, expertise, and kindly goodwill shown by people like yourselves. Certainly buyers on the used market (like myself) have no such access -- but I wouldn't want to be an unguided new-equipment buyer in my city either: my two local Linn dealers, though personally very nice (no, they failed to get me my power cords or Knekt bananas -- but they were very nice to me during the process!) have strong opinions that many of you would find a little odd (e.g., the Linn power cord is not worth ordering as it has absolutely no effect on the sound), and it's not clear that a new-equipment buyer blindly following their advice would end up with a particularly well-setup system. So for this constituency (e.g., Linn customers in my city), the Linn "Recommended System" approach can be very useful: it establishes a baseline (not least, it establishes what would be a real violation of Source First), and it forces a seller who wants to break from the guideline to demonstrate why the deviation would be an improvement. That's certainly hard on the expert dealers of the world(!!): I presume your customers must sometimes be fairly strong-minded and overly swayed by hearsay as it is, and the "Families" approach must make it even more difficult to get them to see past their preconceptions. But for customers with less access to quality dealers...well, from Linn's point of view, perhaps it might not be such a bad idea to offer some general guidelines?

Anyway, I don't mean to be presumptuous, and it's not for me to suggest whether new-equipment buyers overall would benefit from the Systems / Families approach! (I guess that would depend upon how many Good Dealers vs. Mediocre Dealers there are in the world, and whether it's better to free up the Good Dealers vs. to guide the Mediocre -- and these are issues for you industry experts, not for a novice with a Classik Music!) The only thing I can confidently say is that, as a used/demo equipment buyer, I find it personally helpful to see factory-examples of what a balanced system might look like -- even though I value even more what you folks say on this forum. :D

Happy September, everyone!

-C

[Music Lover]

The only thing I can confidently say is that, as a used/demo equipment buyer, I find it personally helpful to see factory-examples of what a balanced system might look like -- even though I value even more what you folks say on this forum. :D

Thanks that you appreciate this forum! :D

But balanced systems? Balanced for what?
Certainly NOT to obtain max musicality :roll:

This is exactly the reason I have concerns with the suggested systems.
BUT...I think the strategy (including the new product names) is correct from a business perspective. Linn going to sell more equipment with this model.
And that is good also for us enthusiasts :mrgreen: