Isn't passive with the best amplifier you can afford a better option than more channels of lesser amplifiers?
Naim have always upheld this
"Also note that a single better quality power amp is almost always a more effective upgrade than going active with, say, a pair of 140s or 90s. Naim have frequently stated that a 250 is the minimum level of power amplifier before active operation should be considered."
Is this true of the Akurate 242 only? I see no logic why it shouldn't apply to most speaker configurations.
RDS, Ripnas, KK1, 2 Solos, 242's mkII, Silver bal IC's, Van den Hull snowline Quin wired
ThomasOK wrote:The rumors of a "Majik 150" would certainly seem to fall in line with that. More than that I can't really say right now.
On another forum, it has been stated that Linn just released a new speaker called Majik 150 and it's a floorstander with an Isobarik design. Does anybody know if that is a true statement?
ThomasOK wrote:The rumors of a "Majik 150" would certainly seem to fall in line with that. More than that I can't really say right now.
On another forum, it has been stated that Linn just released a new speaker called Majik 150 and it's a floorstander with an Isobarik design. Does anybody know if that is a true statement?
It is false, because it has not just been released.
Precisionaudio wrote:Isn't passive with the best amplifier you can afford a better option than more channels of lesser amplifiers?
Naim have always upheld this
"Also note that a single better quality power amp is almost always a more effective upgrade than going active with, say, a pair of 140s or 90s. Naim have frequently stated that a 250 is the minimum level of power amplifier before active operation should be considered."
Is this true of the Akurate 242 only? I see no logic why it shouldn't apply to most speaker configurations.
I hear so many times, "when you go aktiv, you don't need such good amps" This is so incorrect. If anyone heard the difference between 4 twins and 8 solos aktiv with 350s would have to rethink!
I prefer 242s passive with solos to akurate aktiv, despite all the aktiv hype.
ThomasOK wrote:The rumors of a "Majik 150" would certainly seem to fall in line with that. More than that I can't really say right now.
On another forum, it has been stated that Linn just released a new speaker called Majik 150 and it's a floorstander with an Isobarik design. Does anybody know if that is a true statement?
It is false, because it has not just been released.
Interesting, by the way...is there an underground news network that can get information from Linn, long before it's released to the public? Perhaps "insider information?"
Anthony, do you know if Majik 150 is a true full-range speaker á la Komri/Keltik/Isobarik or is it another speaker in the 242/Espek/Kaber/Sara "Bass-league"?
Azazello wrote:Anthony, do you know if Majik 150 is a true full-range speaker á la Komri/Keltik/Isobarik or is it another speaker in the 242/Espek/Kaber/Sara "Bass-league"?
Interesting to group those because I think they are rather different regarding bass performance. Ofcourse neither is competeing with active Isobarik, Keltik or Komri but I think active 242 and active Espek is clearly better than passive Isobarik even in the lows.
Azazello wrote:Anthony, do you know if Majik 150 is a true full-range speaker á la Komri/Keltik/Isobarik or is it another speaker in the 242/Espek/Kaber/Sara "Bass-league"?
Having not heard it, I cannot say, but it wont be Keltik, Komri bass, but will outperform Saras and Kabers.
If I hazard a guess, I would imagine it will be a 140, with tighter, tuneful and deeper bass. I am sure we will find out in the very near future.
Irri wrote:But if the Bass unit is hidden and the mid/tweeter is on the top, there's nothing left to go on the front. It would look like the side of a 140!
The 2k array and mid are on the front, very similarto the 140.
As can be seen from the posts above Linn have announced a new speaker today. It is called the Majik Isobarik. You can see a photo a couple of posts above and it should give you a bit of an idea of what it is all about but here is a little more information.
The Majik Isobarik marks the return of Isobarik loading to a Linn speaker in a 4 way, 5 driver system that also features the highly regarded 2K Array. The Isobarik bass system is more similar to what was used in the Melodik than anything else Linn has made. It features two 8" bass drivers mounted face to face in the bottom of the cabinet. Using the two bass drives gives all the expected benefits of Isobarik loading like deep bass form a relatively compact enclosure due. But the face to face mounting is also said to give further benefits in the linearity of the bass as it cancels out the normal tendency of a bass driver to move differently on the outward stroke than on the inward stroke. On top of this the Isobarik array is floor loaded giving even more power to the bass and making the it omni-directional which Linn says reduces problems from room interaction. It appears that the Isobarik drivers are ported again similar to the Melodik.
The Majik Isobarik while being officially launched in June is available for ordering now by dealers so demos should start showing up soon. The price for a pair is $5600 in the US which I feel is a really good price point for this speaker and plugs a definite hole in the Linn speaker line. The Majik Isobarik while, of course, being capable of full Aktiv operation will also be able to be driven with the Isobarik section Aktiv and the top passive giving even deeper and more controlled bass. Packages will be offered including an amp with free bass Aktiv cards to make this even simpler. The packages will constitute the Majik Isobariks and either a Majik 2100 (for those with an existing amp) or a Majik 4100 (for those without an amp or wanting to upgrade an older LK series amp.
This is the information available in the release information and full specs should be available next week. The rest of the info I am posting here is more conjecture based on photos and other previous information. It appears that this uses a midrange driver about the same size as the Majik 109. As Linn have often used a bass/mid driver as a mid only driver in bigger multi-driver speakers in the past I wouldn't be surprised if it were the same driver - it certainly wouldn't be a bad choice. Imagine a Majik 109 with extended and powerful bass from an Isobarik bass driver setup. The majik 109 driver would also allow a lower crossover point than many midrange only drivers - a good idea with a floor loaded, omni-directional bass system. I am also going to bet than this speaker is going to be both a little wider and somewhat taller than the Majik 140 (it may be deeper as well but it is hard to say from the photos). For on thing it would pretty much have to be wider to accommodate the 8" drivers and the cabinet also looks more squarish in the photos. From the photos it also looks like the cabinet is a bit taller with the bass slot/grille at the bottom seeming to add some height. Since the original rumored name was the Majik 150, indicating a 50 liter cabinet volume - even larger than the 242, it is not surprising the cabinet would be a decent amount bigger than the 140. Also, contrary to some rumors on the Linn forum, it appears that the bass drivers will not be able to be amped separately. According to the info provided a fully Aktiv system would use 8 channels of amplification. Again this last paragraph is informed conjecture rather than confirmed fact. We will know more when the full specs and photos are released next week. For now I hope this gives a good picture of what the Majik Isobarik is all about.
I was just about to post that I seriously doubt these will go below 20Hz using 8" woofers in this size a cabinet. But I don't need to make it a guess any longer. Linn have just released the actual product info sheet with specifications and it states the frequency response as 28Hz to 20kHz+ in room response. Interestingly the bass response is the same Aktiv or passive which is unusual for Linn. With other models Linn have normally used the Aktiv crossover card to supply some bass equalization and make the bass go lower. It may be that doing that with this design might overload the drivers (always a concern when applying bass boost).
Other information on the spec sheet confirms much, though not all, of the conjecture in my last post. The cabinet is indeed noticeably larger than the Majik 140 (although the volume is listed at 44 liters not 50 as once predicted). This still means it has more internal volume than the Akurate 242s! The cabinet is 300mm wide (up form 250mm on the 140) so about 2" wider. It is also almost 3" deeper at 406mm as opposed to 335mm. While it is also taller the difference there is negligible being only 6mm taller. It is also obvious that they are using a bass/mid driver on the front panel as the crossover point between this and the Isobarik bass driver is 120Hz. Finally it is correct that the bass drivers will not be able to be amped separately (at least not without substantial physical modification). There are four sets of binding posts for Aktive or multiwire connection to bass, mid, tweeter and supertweeter, I'm sure with standard bridges much like the Majik 140s but with a likely break point between the bass and mid driver connectors.
In other specs it is a 4 Ohm speaker in passive mode with a sensitivity of 88dB from 1 watt at 1 meter so a reasonably efficient speaker. although certainly not high efficiency.
Now for a little more conjecture, though they do not give the size of the mid driver but I'm still betting it is the M109 driver. As a matter of fact, comparing the photos with the Majik 109s the mid driver appears to be the same exact size in relation to the Skoop and there also appears to be a port in the Skoop behind the supertweeter as in the 109. If I am correct then this is, in essence, a Majik 109 with an Isobarik woofer operating below 120Hz all in a nicely proportioned floor standing cabinet. Personally I think this is a good thing - why mess with success. The 109 is already an excellent reproducer of midrange and highs (the Stereophile reviewer claimed it was the best high-frequency reproduction he had eve heard regardless of cost!). The midrange should be even cleaner with the driver not having to handle frequencies below 120Hz. And we add on a well tuned Isobarik bass system going down to 28Hz. What's not to like? Linn have often used this formula successfully with the Espek being essentially a Katan with a bass driver and a Kan being an Isobarik without bass drivers. I really think this is likely to be an exciting speaker! If it is, it might also inspire further designs heading in this direction: Akurate Isobarik, anyone?
