Linn Akurate Radikal vs Klimax Radikal comparison

[jewa]

I recently upgraded my three years old Akurate Radikal to a one year old Klimax Radikal. My dealer at Tonlaget helped me record the difference. It’s not 100% scientific but it was done fairly accurate – but not a la lab coat.

The LP12 is my (Cherry plinth/Keel/Radikal/Ekos SE/1/Adikt/ADSM Exakt (using internal MM-stage)).

The motor is of course also changed. Other than that, all the same LP12. With minimal extra adjustments, other than what a normal change of Radikal would be.

Have a listen, second link is mp3:

Akurate Radikal
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a1t5zo190zxhy ... .flac?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c8ktdd6u6dtue ... e.mp3?dl=0

Klimax Radikal
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r9rro3j9fj3dl ... .flac?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4qme5lpqj5gg8 ... x.mp3?dl=0

/jrr

[beck]

Thank you for posting the clips jewa. It is nice to get a chance to listen to the sondek through an exact system though I do not get the proces and that makes me hesitate to comment on them.
It is easy to hear the difference but I have a question. Is it only the sondek that have changed from the Ekos arm clips to these clips?
Are both records used (Ekos clips and these) fully analog recordings or?

[jewa]

These clips are made using the same process as before. The Radikal clips are later, and both have the new Ekos SE/1 on them, but it is the same LP12 with the same trusty Adikt.

Both records are fully analog (this one from 1981). All files have been treated the same way. It is a little worse than the originals but it is half the file size, as I intend to keep them on my dropbox for some time.

Last time someone asked about mp3, so I provided that as well.

Hope you enjoy and don’t mind the music too much.

[Charlie1]

Thanks for the clips jewa. Sounds great! First time I have heard clips of any such comparison.

I hope someone can one day post clips of the same Radikal board being moved from Majik or Akurate casework into the Klimax casework, with no other changes. I am just wary of how Linn improve things over time, changes to LP12 set-up, and also manufacturing variances between the boards, PSUs and motors.

I know we must always deal with similar challenges when comparing upgrades. However, this one is so specific and also so expensive (for what it is), that I think it warrants these precautions before drawing any fair conclusions. I'm told Tom did this when he originally compared, which may explain why he found the gap quite small when others are more excited by it. I don't blame them if they experienced similar improvements to your clips.

[jewa]

The klimax version has a different PSU.

[Charlie1]

OK, didn't know that. I presume it's just different shape - i.e. still the same Dynamik technology?

[Freddy]

It would be quite interesting to compare different Ak Radikal units to see if it possible to hear differences. Are all this much worse than Klimax?

[ThomasOK]

Unless some change has been made that Linn has not published, they use the same power supplies. Indeed when originally announced Linn stated that the Klimax and Akurate versions used the same circuitry and the only difference was the casework. This is confirmed by the Dynamik upgrade instructions which lists the DYNAMIK/MINI, also known as the PCAS 779, as the upgrade module used for both units.

So any differences not due to unit to unit variations are caused by the differences in the casework and the way the boards are mounted, which are indeed different. One obvious difference is that the boards on the Klimax version are mounted upside down whereas the main board on the Akurate version is right side up and the PSU board is mounted vertically. I still haven't been able to fully test the differences between the two but should have some parts coming in shortly to allow me to do all the testing I want to do. I do hear the improvement in the above clips and I did hear an improvement when I was able to do such a comparison. But I still want to know where the differences come from.

[jewa]

Thanks for the details Thomas!

[sunbeamgls]

There is the physical isolation between PSU and board too:

[ThomasOK]

I'm not sure what you mean by the physical isolation of the PSU? In both cases the PSU is separated from the control board by a fair distance and in both cases it is shielded by metal casework. Of course, one is machined from solid and one not, just like the rest of the casework.

[beck]

These clips are made using the same process as before. The Radikal clips are later, and both have the new Ekos SE/1 on them, but it is the same LP12 with the same trusty Adikt.

Both records are fully analog (this one from 1981). All files have been treated the same way. It is a little worse than the originals but it is half the file size, as I intend to keep them on my dropbox for some time.

Last time someone asked about mp3, so I provided that as well.

Hope you enjoy and don’t mind the music too much.

I like the music and have both enjoyed and listened a lot to your flac clips. The most musically satisfying clip to me is your EkosSE/1 clip from the other tread. I really like that one!
The clips in this tread I first thought was being influenced by exact but now I actually think that the record you use here has been affected by some digital technic in the studio before being made into a record (I can be wrong :-)). I hear a kind of squeeze of the intervals and a slight seperation of the timing in both clips.
I have many records that has been affected the same way without it being mentioned anywhere. Many from the start of the 80`s.
I would love to hear the track from the EkosSE clips recorded the same way with your latest Sondek setup.

[sunbeamgls]

I'm not sure what you mean by the physical isolation of the PSU? In both cases the PSU is separated from the control board by a fair distance and in both cases it is shielded by metal casework. Of course, one is machined from solid and one not, just like the rest of the casework.

Just a thicker bit of non-magnetic material, that's all.

[Efraim roots]

Congratulations, what a nice upgrade! They are very appealing those Klimax radikals :)