John wrote: ↑2021-09-07 13:48
My impression on this forum was that Linn using digital technology, with the likes of the Urika, in the analog chain was a bad thing. What changes when it’s done with this JBL speaker which I assume is taking the analog input and converting it to digital?
This forum has never been about any dogmatic belief in one electronic (or mechanical) technique vs. another. It has always been about what actually creates a more musical sound in your room and using the Tune-method as a reliable way to determine what will actually be more musical. Nobody has ever said digital is outright bad and many here use Linn streamers along with Linn analog sources or by themselves, as well as other streamers and/or DACs (though I expect some changes there soon). What is questioned is when something, whether digital or analog, doesn't work as well as it is supposed to. DVC compared to a good analog preamp is one good example as even the KDS/3 is more musical going through a KK or Sagatun than with the internal DVC, IMHO. Linn has managed to improve the DVC with each generation and I haven't heard the new Organik version, but when in comes to preamps I am still an analog guy. Seeing as I find neither Urika as musically satisfying as the Entity I think that is all that needs to be said.
What changes when it's done with these two JBL speakers? Well the obvious answer is just that it works. Note also that nobody is saying that it works with anything other than two specific JBL models, just as it was clearly stated a while back that the 3677 was the only JBL theater speaker worth investigating. As to why, especially considering that the internal electronics in the 308P are really cheap, that is a good question. One possible guess is that the digital conversion comes at the end of the system where it is low in the hierarchy. As Fredrik has mentioned that it is difficult to move a signal around in the digital domain without problems, whereas analog transferring is more robust (my paraphrase), it may be that there are fewer problems when converting at the speaker inputs.
Regardless it is all about what works musically and just as I had to admit that a horn loaded loudspeaker could be quite musical I have to admit that this digitally crossovered and amped speaker is quite good. Here I am talking about the 308P mk1 as, since we are coming out of the closet now, yes I do own a pair. I purchased them about a year ago, at which point you could still occasionally find a pair new on eBay and elsewhere. I did find them to be surprisingly musical although they certainly weren't musical enough to replace my Tundra Mono/Quad ESLs, which are still the most musical things I have heard. But I did feel they came closer than they had any right to do considering the cost (I paid right around $500 the pair) when mounted on proper stands. In my case I have a pair of original SARA stands which I consider to be pretty ideal. I have not compared the sound of the 308s on them vs Kan stands so I can't say for sure which is better. But the the SARA stands have a top plate which is pretty close to the ideal size for the bottom of the speaker and the hight is a little lower than a Kan stand, which seems to me to put the tweeter at a better level. They have ended up as computer speakers as I really just didn't have any other good place to use them. If anybody really wants them I still have the original boxes and packing and would be willing to sell them for what I paid from them plus shipping. The 708Ps do sound quite interesting but they are quite a bit more money. And honestly, I'm not particularly interested in any speaker to replace my Quads unless the brand starts with Lej. ;-)
