Charlie1's System

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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

Thanks Pete! :)

Could be source first or could be that we like to hear some room reflections added to the mix.

Last week I compared and YouTube was miles more tuneful but seems more variable today...
Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fijf2lpwc15n7 ... 2.mp4?dl=0
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rElX6maFxHQ
Last edited by Charlie1 on 2021-10-13 15:30, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by springwood64 »

In my browser/laptop/headphones combination YouTube sounds messy compared to Dropbox, and the timing of the accoustic guitar at the start seems really off. I can't listen to it for long.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

Thanks Pete
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by ThomasOK »

Dropbox sounds pretty good. YouTube not so much.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

Thanks. I'm still preferring youtube but I agree it's not as solid sounding. My player is set to 1080p though. Its an Android phone using Chrome app, not youtube app
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by ThomasOK »

I'm running on an older iMac through its speakers using Chrome browser and YouTube.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

Been happy with Adikt LP12 > 42.5/110 > Kans for a while now. The Troika deck of same spec just didn't work out in the end. Still not sure what it was. Going to the Adikt deck just widened up my taste for music so much and it sounds 'right' somehow. Needs the leaner and faster 42.5/110 for better balance but that's fine for Kans.

Classic 80s HiFi shop track:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bfsxkwd49j5bj ... 8.mp4?dl=0

And whilst the Nait was a bit more musical, it needed 12" singles to come alive and drive the Kans properly:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/j7kkjxnm2kt4s ... 4.mp4?dl=0

And the rebuilt Karma had to go too - never got on with that. So the Valhalla deck is being re-fitted with a VM95E
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by beck »

Just great music….. we need nothing else. :-)
Playing cd’s…………
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Tony Tune-age »

beck wrote: 2022-01-31 19:03 Just great music….. we need nothing else. :-)
Absolutely... (+1)
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

Thanks gents. Listening to Tony's clips reminds me that this MM system is really Medium-Fi, rather than Hi-Fi, but it works for me. Like you both said, it conveys the music, which is the main thing.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by tpetsch »

I enjoyed those Charlie, thanks for sharing..
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by ThomasOK »

Good sounding clips, Charlie1. Always fun to hear what Kans are capable of. Nothing to apologize for, I suspect that system would still musically outperform 90%+ of the systems out there.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

Thanks Tom
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

So, that's it now and the office is also finished - I've done what I can. Two vintage systems, neither with much bass, but they play music the way I like it and I have to compromise somehow. If I get bored and some active Kan 1s come my way then I'll probably explore but seems every unlikely I'll ever find a Linn-made pair.

I can still appreciate Manu Katche's drumming via this clip which is a good sign, for me at least :)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/80yaj02jy9b1v ... 1.mp4?dl=0
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by V.A.MKD »

Charlie1 wrote: 2022-03-17 14:02 So, that's it now and the office is also finished - I've done what I can. Two vintage systems, neither with much bass, but they play music the way I like it and I have to compromise somehow. If I get bored and some active Kan 1s come my way then I'll probably explore but seems every unlikely I'll ever find a Linn-made pair.

I can still appreciate Manu Katche's drumming via this clip which is a good sign, for me at least :)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/80yaj02jy9b1v ... 1.mp4?dl=0
Great sounding stereo ... as always.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by ThomasOK »

The system sounds good. If you are hoping for active Kan 1s I don't think I'd hold my breath. As far as I or the other guy here most familiar with Linn are aware they never made Kan 1s in an active version. Unless the factory did a couple one-offs they probably didn't exist. I think it was with the Kan 2, where it had bi-wirable connections, that they might have offered active as an option.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

Thanks Tom
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Spannko »

Linn definitely made active Kan 1’s. Naim made either made a NAXO for the Kans or adapted an SBL NAXO (plug-in boards? I can’t remember). With a couple of 250’s they disappeared and the sound was huge!
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by tpetsch »

Spannko wrote: 2022-03-17 18:05 Linn definitely made active Kan 1’s. Naim made either made a NAXO for the Kans or adapted an SBL NAXO (plug-in boards? I can’t remember). With a couple of 250’s they disappeared and the sound was huge!
Yup, back in the day at the shop we would drill another set of holes and attach a second set of connectors and make a quasi set of Kan II's before the Kan II's came out. Aktiv experimentation ensued using what we had including SBL tuned NAXO as Charlie stated. We had a few -of our wealthier- customers that did this in a second room, remember one was set up in a Sun Room.. And yea, 250"s/135's always made the Briks and Kans shine, made the music "fun" to listen too while still maintaining the tune, as the Linn gear was a little more laid back, sucking the fun out in exchange for a little more resolution. Julian was a master at finding that perfect balance..
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

Thanks tpetsch,

That's useful to know. The difficulty for me now is how to tell original Linn ones from dealer or owner converted ones, although perhaps it doesn't matter too much - what fo you think?

Thank also Spannko
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by tpetsch »

Charlie1 wrote: 2022-03-17 20:21 Thanks tpetsch,

That's useful to know. The difficulty for me now is how to tell original Linn ones from dealer or owner converted ones, although perhaps it doesn't matter too much - what fo you think?

Thank also Spannko
As time goes by this is more of an issue as all this stuff is quite old now and it's hard to know a speakers history, how it was stored etc. And when ever you see a set for sale on line it's rare to see the actual drivers in the pictures because the grills are glued into position from the factory on the Kans & the Kan II's, and when ever you do see pics it's not uncommon to see the tweeters pushed in mainly because when people pick them up over the years they don't know where the tweeter is and lift/crunch, and the tweeter recess makes for a nifty little finger lift handle. Also it's impossible to tell if one of the drivers is internally damaged even if the driver "looks" perfectly fine. If you see two sets of holes on a set of Kan I's then they were definitely modified to some extent, but that doesn't necessarily make them bad. Thing is, drivers could have been swapped out several times and you can never know if it was done properly, also I think some people buy Kans to cannibalize for drivers for their Briks, swap suspect drivers and re-sell off the Kans, so there's that too to consider. Also the Kan I's came with the unbranded scanspeak D2008, I don't recall if the whole "I" run was with the D2008 but the II's had the Linn branded hiquphon tweeters, so there is this to consider too when shopping/evaluating. ...Best is you have a friend that has a pair -with a known history- that their willing to let go, or even if a Linn dealer you know gets a used set in they can call you? ..Or if someone on line is selling local you can arrange a local pick-up and bring a flashlight, a little trick to get a good look at the drivers thru the grills, hold the light right up to the grill fabric material and you can get a good look at the drivers on those with the grills still glued in place. ...And oh yea, if the grills "are" still glued in place then there is a good possibility that the drivers were never changed, ...but not always, at the shop we would re-hot glue them back into place if we needed to service them for what ever reason, and again, that wouldn't necessarily make them bad if they were once properly serviced, which ain't rocket science..
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

V.A.MKD wrote: 2022-03-17 16:34 Great sounding stereo ... as always.
Thanks V.A.MKD!
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by ThomasOK »

Some confusing and contradictory bits of information here.

Spannko wrote:
"Linn definitely made active Kan 1’s. Naim made either made a NAXO for the Kans or adapted an SBL NAXO (plug-in boards? I can’t remember). With a couple of 250’s they disappeared and the sound was huge!"
tpetsch wrote:
"Yup, back in the day at the shop we would drill another set of holes and attach a second set of connectors and make a quasi set of Kan II's before the Kan II's came out."
And "If you see two sets of holes on a set of Kan I's then they were definitely modified to some extent, but that doesn't necessarily make them bad."

Charlie had said:
"If I get bored and some active Kan 1s come my way then I'll probably explore but seems every unlikely I'll ever find a Linn-made pair."
My reply was to that stating:
"If you are hoping for active Kan 1s I don't think I'd hold my breath. As far as I or the other guy here most familiar with Linn are aware they never made Kan 1s in an active version."

Since Charlie1 specifically mentioned a Linn-made pair, and I said I didn't believe Linn made an active version my comment stands. I think it is highly likely people modified Kan 1s by drilling two more holes and fitting another set of banana sockets or binding posts, as tpetsch mentioned. Some likely also bypassed the crossover to run them active. But that doesn't qualify them as a "Linn-made" pair of active Kan 1s. That is something I have still never seen. Although Linn did certainly make occasional one-offs for their own use and experimentation I don't think an active Kan 1 was ever on the price list, but if I can find price lists that old I'll report back.
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by Charlie1 »

tpetsch wrote: 2022-03-17 21:11As time goes by this is more of an issue as all this stuff is quite old now and it's hard to know a speakers history, how it was stored etc. And when ever you see a set for sale on line it's rare to see the actual drivers in the pictures because the grills are glued into position from the factory on the Kans & the Kan II's, and when ever you do see pics it's not uncommon to see the tweeters pushed in mainly because when people pick them up over the years they don't know where the tweeter is and lift/crunch, and the tweeter recess makes for a nifty little finger lift handle. Also it's impossible to tell if one of the drivers is internally damaged even if the driver "looks" perfectly fine. If you see two sets of holes on a set of Kan I's then they were definitely modified to some extent, but that doesn't necessarily make them bad. Thing is, drivers could have been swapped out several times and you can never know if it was done properly, also I think some people buy Kans to cannibalize for drivers for their Briks, swap suspect drivers and re-sell off the Kans, so there's that too to consider. Also the Kan I's came with the unbranded scanspeak D2008, I don't recall if the whole "I" run was with the D2008 but the II's had the Linn branded hiquphon tweeters, so there is this to consider too when shopping/evaluating. ...Best is you have a friend that has a pair -with a known history- that their willing to let go, or even if a Linn dealer you know gets a used set in they can call you? ..Or if someone on line is selling local you can arrange a local pick-up and bring a flashlight, a little trick to get a good look at the drivers thru the grills, hold the light right up to the grill fabric material and you can get a good look at the drivers on those with the grills still glued in place. ...And oh yea, if the grills "are" still glued in place then there is a good possibility that the drivers were never changed, ...but not always, at the shop we would re-hot glue them back into place if we needed to service them for what ever reason, and again, that wouldn't necessarily make them bad if they were once properly serviced, which ain't rocket science..
Thanks tpetsch! I've bought a few pairs now and defo think (in hindsight) that one pair had replacement drivers - they just sounded a bit different somehow
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Re: Charlie1's System

Post by ThomasOK »

tpetsch wrote: 2022-03-17 21:11
Charlie1 wrote: 2022-03-17 20:21 Thanks tpetsch,

That's useful to know. The difficulty for me now is how to tell original Linn ones from dealer or owner converted ones, although perhaps it doesn't matter too much - what fo you think?

Thank also Spannko
As time goes by this is more of an issue as all this stuff is quite old now and it's hard to know a speakers history, how it was stored etc. And when ever you see a set for sale on line it's rare to see the actual drivers in the pictures because the grills are glued into position from the factory on the Kans & the Kan II's, and when ever you do see pics it's not uncommon to see the tweeters pushed in mainly because when people pick them up over the years they don't know where the tweeter is and lift/crunch, and the tweeter recess makes for a nifty little finger lift handle. Also it's impossible to tell if one of the drivers is internally damaged even if the driver "looks" perfectly fine. If you see two sets of holes on a set of Kan I's then they were definitely modified to some extent, but that doesn't necessarily make them bad. Thing is, drivers could have been swapped out several times and you can never know if it was done properly, also I think some people buy Kans to cannibalize for drivers for their Briks, swap suspect drivers and re-sell off the Kans, so there's that too to consider. Also the Kan I's came with the unbranded scanspeak D2008, I don't recall if the whole "I" run was with the D2008 but the II's had the Linn branded hiquphon tweeters, so there is this to consider too when shopping/evaluating. ...Best is you have a friend that has a pair -with a known history- that their willing to let go, or even if a Linn dealer you know gets a used set in they can call you? ..Or if someone on line is selling local you can arrange a local pick-up and bring a flashlight, a little trick to get a good look at the drivers thru the grills, hold the light right up to the grill fabric material and you can get a good look at the drivers on those with the grills still glued in place. ...And oh yea, if the grills "are" still glued in place then there is a good possibility that the drivers were never changed, ...but not always, at the shop we would re-hot glue them back into place if we needed to service them for what ever reason, and again, that wouldn't necessarily make them bad if they were once properly serviced, which ain't rocket science..
A lot of good advice here on trying to get a good pair of Kans. We also re-glued the grills after a repair. There is the possibility of someone using a stock B110 driver rather than one modified as Linn did to consider as well. This will make a big musical and sonic difference.
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