Klimax Speaker upgrades

[ThomasOK]

As has been mentioned on one of the forums (I can't remember which :? ) Linn are updating the Artikulat speakers and renaming them as the Klimax series. Klimax 350A, Klimax 320A, Klimax 350, etc. I don't know where this puts the Komri - Klimax Plus, maybe?

Anyway, although the information from Linn so far is pretty thin, no official announcement, no new price list (at least in the US), no specs, they have put upgrade procedures on the dealer website. These documents at least clear up what has changed and it has been pretty extensive. Contrary to rumors the bass and midbass drivers have not changed but much else has.

These are the items upgraded:

New 3K Array with new damping foam pad
New Aktiv cards for all drivers in Aktiv versions
New crossover card in passive versions
New Servo cards for 350 bass units
New one-piece stands for the 350s

In the case of 350As this means that there are 16 cards to be fitted to the pair - 12 Aktiv cards and 4 servo cards! Quite an upgrade considering all the new pieces.

Also of note is that Linn marks the proper settings for the midrange, tweeter and supertweeter on the back of the array and states that the setting may be different from one array to the next recommending making sure you mark which is left and which is right so you make sure you get the right settings on the right one.

This makes me wonder if the level settings on the Artikulat/Klimax speakers is more precise than it is on the Chakra amps. The Aktiv cards themselves look like they are probably the same Aktiv cards that go in the Chakra (Akurate, Majik) amps. I can't imagine fine-tuning arrays with controls that work in 1dB increments. And I also can't imagine Linn putting arrays out with 1dB balance differences between different drivers.

Which begs the question, can the Chakra Aktiv cards actually be adjusted in finer increments than 1dB? And if so how long before we see a Lejonklou Tunebox that can accept up to ten Chakra Aktiv cards and allow adjustment of .25dB or finer?

[lejonklou]

Thanks for another informative post, Thomas.

Indeed the aktiv cards in the Artikulat/Klimax speakers are of the same type as those used in the Majik/Akurate power amps. But perhaps they have now made them with smaller adjustment steps? When we see what those indicated settings are, we will know.

Several people have already asked for that special tunebox you mention. One challenge is to make a really good power supply to feed them, in order to make it sound better than (or at least as good as) when mounted internally in the Majik and Chakra amps.

Another is that many retailers don't seem overly enthusiastic when one mentions the exciting new possibility of finetuning 10 drive units down to fractions of a dB. :lol: Many of them are in fact happy that the Articulates have provided so little electronic adjustment - there are so many other details to take care of.

[DigitalSources]

Thomas and Frederick,

I have just experienced that the 3K array of my Artikulate 350A is not really tightly mounted into the box. Do you know how tight that should be? Also, how do I check the midrange and bass speaker's screws? The bass screws are hidden behind the black ring that is in front of them, right?

Thanks!

[ThomasOK]

Fredrik and I use a precision torque screwdriver to torque the drivers. We have found that differences of only a couple hundredths of a Nm will make an audible difference in the ability of the speaker to play the tune. Too tight will sound somewhat constricted and sometimes harsh, too loose sounds slow and ill-defined. Since the differences between right and a bit off are so small it is hard to give exact figures as the tolerance of even the same model of screwdriver is in the neighborhood of 6% which is more than the precision we are trying for. What this means is that you really have to adjust them by ear.

There is more information in the Me and My System thread under ThomasOKs System on page 2. I talk a bit about the torque settings there including a link to the screwdriver we use so I won't duplicate all that here.

To get at the midbass and bass drivers you have to remove the screens and rubber rings. The easiest way I have found is to slide a small flat screwdriver blade between the screen and the rubber ring and gently pry out the screen. Once it is out you can pry out the rubber ring using one of the holes the screen fits into. Just reverse the procedure to put them back in. You will probably have to remove the 3K array all together to be able to get the screen back on the midbass driver but it will, of course, need to be hooked up while you are doing the tune tests of the tightness. You might also want to put a sticker or something on the screens before you take them off to mark the top. They can go in several different ways and while I don't believe it makes a sonic difference there is a visual difference in how dark the screen looks depending on what angle the light hits it.

There is also some controversy going back and forth between Fredrik, Paolo and I about what the right settings are for the drivers on the Artikulat and Akurate. There is sometimes more than one setting that sounds good but generally one that sounds best. As a guideline I would say that the setting for the 3K array should fall between 1.6Nm and 2.1Nm and the midbass and bass drivers should be between about 1.1Nm and 1.5Nm. For that matter, most drivers on Linn speakers (and others where the bolts thread into a metal fitting) will generally fall between 1.0Nm and 1.5Nm. Good luck.

[lejonklou]

Fantastic answer, Thomas! As usual I am impressed with your perfectionist attitude and agree with every word.

(Wouldn't it be fun if we could find a subject where we would violantly disagree for a change? )

[Music Lover]

(Wouldn't it be fun if we could find a subject where we would violantly disagree for a change? )

We can always start discussing the best car or the best athlete :mrgreen:

[DigitalSources]

Thomas,

thanks for this great details!

As with most settings in a Linn system you need to experiment to find out the best setting.

Happy listening!

[Urs]

Dear Colleagues,

Yesterday, my dealer installed the 350A up-grade - and it is indeed A very articulate CLIMAX... :D

As I up-graded the feet/support of my 350As some time ago - I installed an elegant looking black stone slap, in the shape of the speaker, with only 3 legs - we did not yet change to the new one-piece steel feet; I may try this step later.

Music playes just again on a more refined "musical" level, more transparent, but not at all analytical, with solo voices & choirs singing even more defined and natural.
My "bench mark" is Cecilia Bartoli - and once her beautiful voice performs even more outstanding in my room, then it is "GOOD" :mrgreen:
Equally remarkable I rate the tighter and better conrolled bass. (I do have a defined bass problem in my room, so this is a very important improvement for me)

a very worthwile up-grade indeed. and also a "confident maker", in the sense, that further up-grades could be possible in the future, should LINN technology progress even further .

Best regards

Urs,

[lejonklou]

Yesterday, my dealer installed the 350A up-grade

Coool! :D I want to hear them!

I have found the Artikulates to be quite a demanding speaker in terms of positioning, but once you get them right, they sound just wonderful. On the other hand, this difficulty seems to be the case with any speaker digging deep into the bass...

Can't wait to install a pair of Klimaxes!

[Music Lover]

I know some that have stated that the Klimax 350 is now better than Komri, anyone with personal experience or further input?