Keel, Ekos SE and Trampolin II

We use the Tune Method to evaluate performance

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Moomintroll
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Post by Moomintroll »

Just thought I'd report that I fitted a Trampolin 2 last night and ending up listening to vinyl until well after midnight. To use the old saying, "Simply Better" than the original it replaced. I was listening to albums that haven't been played for many, many years - certainly as good an upgrade as a T-Kable and an absolute bargain at 140GBP.
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Post by lejonklou »

I agree with you, Moomin. Not having strictly compared them to eachother, I do get the impression that the Trampolin/2 is a bigger upgrade than a T-kable to an Ekos.

I also have a strong impression that the Trampolin/2 is an even bigger upgrade on a Keel'ed LP12. They seem to work together really well.

Tomorrow I will be moving my Adikt to an Ekos SE... Still without a Keel, but that's just because Linn can't produce them fast enough. Despite the hefty price tag, they sell far more than they can make at the moment.
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Post by bonzo »

Ive a few ?'s regarding Keel. I've been thinking real hard lately about a keel and plan to have a demo next week. I called my former dealer just to see if they had one on display, which they dont, however he said he can get it in 7 days. Is that lead time correct or is it taking much longer? Frederik, have you got yours installed yet? if so results? Finally, will trampolin 2 work/improve tune with lp12 on apollo wall shelf on neuance platform, or is it only for tables on a rack on the floor? thanks
lp12, Keel, K Radikal, Urika, EkosSe/1 Kandid KK1/D, JBL 708p
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Post by lejonklou »

I have no idea about the current lead time, bonzo. Regarding my own, I did have it but it was once again sold. :lol: I will install one in my own LP12 after the summer and I am really looking forward to it. I have heard several Keel'ed LP12's in my system and every time I just put a record on - any record that is close at hand - and sit down listening to it in amazement. Marvellous upgrade, bloody expensive but marvellous.

The Trampolin (same for 1 and 2) works with all surfaces that are solid and stable, not suspended or rocking. I am afraid I don't know anything about the Apollo/Neuance, can somebody else please help?
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Post by bonzo »

well, i went ahead and placed an order for keel..the flordia distributor has them in stock, so install should be complete by a week from tomorrow. not sure if i can get trampolin installed in that time. if not i will wait for a bit. also may be able to take home and demo 221 to go with my 212s. i know its far from a 345, but it may fit well in my room and thats what i have to find out
lp12, Keel, K Radikal, Urika, EkosSe/1 Kandid KK1/D, JBL 708p
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Post by Linnofil »

No demo? So you placed an order without hearing it first? Do you trust us that much? (After all, it is a sizable sum of money.) I have no doubts that you are going to be stunned by the upgrade. On an LP12 such as yours the improvememnts are likely to be huge. Congratulations! Please report back when your thoughts are back in order again. It will take a while before you can understand that happiness and musical energy from your LP12 can't be the sole replacement for sleep! ;)

I have heard the 221 at my delaer and it is a sweet sub with a lot of music to offer. It is not designed for use by teenagers planning a trashmetal weekend. But it works fine for adults in normal circumstances placed in average size rooms. That said, I liked it even better when he (in a small room) was running two 221 (with 242's). The reduced gain seamed to improve the music.
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Post by bonzo »

may be able to go for ekos se from ekos 2. current table is '99lp12, lingo2, linto, akiva, keel. has anyone heard what upgrade to ekos se from mk2 is like by itself? preferably after keel?
lp12, Keel, K Radikal, Urika, EkosSe/1 Kandid KK1/D, JBL 708p
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Post by Charlie1 »

I upgraded from a keeled LP12 with Ekos II to Ekos SE. R U still looking for feedback or have you made the change already?
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Post by bonzo »

I'd love to hear your experiences...looking forward to it
lp12, Keel, K Radikal, Urika, EkosSe/1 Kandid KK1/D, JBL 708p
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Post by Charlie1 »

Hi Bonzo,

The upgrade to an Ekos SE was very important to me in terms of overall musical involvement. I may well be in the vast minority here, but I've had an issue with the LP12 for a long time (maybe since the beginning when I had a Valhala, Akito and Pre-Cirkus, but can't recall for sure). It was more a suspicion prior to the Ekos SE, and something that I simply tried to ignore. The point is that, prior to the SE, slower tempo pop/rock music often seemed a little boring and uninteresting. Songs that had swing were superb, uptempo stuff was great, but quiet/mellow tunes often lacked involvement.

Anyway, I'm pleased that in addition to some Hi-Fi improvements (not as much as the Keel), the Ekos SE is allowing the quieter moments in rock and pop to be as engrossing as they should, and even more so than I've heard before. That famous sense of swing, found in some tracks, may stand out a fraction less, but my deck is now a much more balanced performer overall. With the SE in place, I'm now hearing a wonderful purity and delicacy, especially in vocals, which the Ekos II was inhibiting. It's been a long time since I heard a Naim ARO, but from memory I would say that the Ekos SE incorporates some of it's strengths (i.e. vocals)

The only caveat on the above situation is that I had an Arkiv B at the time. The more recent upgrade to an Akiva has been just a important. The Akiva is so much more musically involving than the Arkiv B - it just draws me away from hi-fi and into enjoying the music in a way I wouldn't thought possible. All I'm saying is that if I'd already had an Akiva with the Ekos II, then perhaps my issue with slower tempo music would have been less of a problem in the first place.

A second big improvement is that music played through the Ekos SE is more emotive. After the Keel upgrade, I could hear the emotion in a singers voice more clearly, but I didn't actually feel it more. With the Ekos SE, music now has greater capacity to bring a tear to my eye and involve me emotionally.

Just to round up on the Hi-fi side. Personally I think the Hi-fi improvements were fairly subtle even though their influence has been much much greater. Treble is a little smoother and clearer, soundstaging has slightly better seperation, and bass has a little more slam (I was expecting more bass inprovement, so it's really the keel which is making the big changes in this department, although maybe the Ekos SE has more effect on bass performance when installed onto an un-keeed deck).

Good luck and I hope this has been useful.

Charlie,
Last edited by Charlie1 on 2008-01-11 13:45, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by Charlie1 »

Was in a bit of a hurry this morning and have recalled a couple more points. Firstly, I don't know the extent to which a Keel is dependant in order to obtain the Ekos SE improvements. I know you're lucky enough to already have a Keel, so it doesn't effect you, but I just wanted to make this point in case other readers were trying to decide between a Keel and Ekos SE upgrade.

Secondly, my system is now a little faster than it was with the old Ekos II (is this what is called 'transient speed'?). So if you're into the 'P' in PRaT, then you'll no doubt be pleased. I was happy enough with this area beforehand, but it's nice to have the improvement anyway.

I've also thought back to the original point about the new arm allowing the music to be more emotive. It's generally the slower tempo songs that are the more emotive anyway, so this is probably just the result of my first observation - i.e. slower songs are more engaging.

Finally, the SE also brings vocals/midrange slightly forward in the mix. 'More brightly lit' is another term I've heard for this.

I'll shut up now and get on with some work!

Cheers, Charlie.
Last edited by Charlie1 on 2008-01-11 13:47, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by hgsbnt »

Hi guys,

I am not too sure if someone already talked about this but can the Keel be installed still using an Ekos II (not the new SE) ?
LP12-Ekos II-Klyde-Lingo I-Linto | Klimax Kontrol | Twin Chakra | Ikemi | Dunlavy Aletha
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Post by lejonklou »

Welcome hgsbnt!

Sure, the Keel just replaces the old subchassis, armboard and tonearm collar, but the dimensions are the same.

All three upgrades (Trampolin 2, Keel and Ekos SE) can be fitted independently of one another.
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Post by Charlie1 »

As also noted by a Topica member, there is an Ekos SE on Ebay (not mine): http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-LINN-EKOS-SE ... dZViewItem

This is the same seller that sold a Linto last week - which also looked brand new - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :IT&ih=012 .
The seller's registered address is Glasgow, so I wonder if they are a Linn employee...
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Post by Lego »

Lugsby works at Linn and he's a dab hand at setting up an Lp12 ,that was the bloke I mentioned in another post about concerning Linns ebay shop :wink:
I know that tune
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