TENDABERRY...........Thank you for the information and I have just read the thread you quoted. I think the budget might just stretch to the purchase from IKEA even though it may just tip the TOTAL SPEND to a whisker over £500.
The system still sounds great in its present form but in an idle hour or two recently i looked into the DAC possibilities. I have looked at the SNEAKY/SEKRIT options on eBay and they are £500+ which sadly doubles the total spend. So seeking the "value option" the odd LINN NUMERIK has come up for sale. One sold recently for £199, but they tend to go for £300 to £350. From what i can see with limited research......GOOD POINTS : (1) The cheapest (value) option - (2) Seems to have a good reputation for build quality. BAD POINTS - (1) Old technology which has been surpassed by newer DAC's - (2) Does not seem to be able to cope with "HIGH RES." formats. The sensible option would be to choose a non-LINN more modern option. But i want to continue along the LINN path so this may be the "value option".................Any general advice or experience of NUMERIK owners appreciated.
You can get a Sneaky DS for under £500 if you’re patient on eBay. Mine was £411, earlier this year, and still within warranty.
For an interim fix you could try a Dragonfly usb DAC and feed an analogue out to your preamp.
Thank you for the reply.........That is nearer to my "value priced" philosophy. Looks like a choice between an EXTERNAL SOUND CARD @ £100(ish)..........or LINN DAC (of some type) @ x3, x4 the price .. In no rush, so a keen eye on eBay for the foreseeable future. Best deal I have seen (sadly already sold) was on the COSTCUTTERS WEBSITE : LINN NUMERIK + KARIK (sold together) @ £399. So the deals are still out there.
Yep... thats the way to do it. Well done.
My 3 kt 100's, kairn, lingo 2, pekin and kabers were all off eBay. As were the active cards. i dont know what the equivalents would be. I have some majic isobarics coming and i will be trying to upgrade but I dont want to lose the lovely enveloping sound I have already...... majic 6100 ? with active cards.
My LP12 is triggers broom, only the plinth is original. Very happy with it.
It is nice reliable gear and being an "unbeliever" for years, I have been very pleasantly surprised by how good Linn electronics are. It was the price that kept me from finding out, but eBay has changed that, it seems i am not the only one.
My 3 kt 100's, kairn, lingo 2, pekin and kabers were all off eBay. As were the active cards. i dont know what the equivalents would be. I have some majic isobarics coming and i will be trying to upgrade but I dont want to lose the lovely enveloping sound I have already...... majic 6100 ? with active cards.
My LP12 is triggers broom, only the plinth is original. Very happy with it.
It is nice reliable gear and being an "unbeliever" for years, I have been very pleasantly surprised by how good Linn electronics are. It was the price that kept me from finding out, but eBay has changed that, it seems i am not the only one.
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I'm loving hearing about your budget Linn eBay purchases story here. What you've accrued here is a system very similar to mine, one that's given me many many years of pleasure. I added a Sneaky DS to my system just a year ago, at £420.
Good luck with finding a Sneaky or Numerik at a good price. Remember, if you are considering a Linn turntable at any point, then I understand a DSM would be a better choice now, as you'll get use of the Space Optimisation for playing vinyl as well as all other sources, such as your tuner.
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Thank you for the reply. I think a LINN TURNTABLE may now be off the list now. They are by far the most expensive option in the land of budget LINN products ( £500+ for the models that take my fancy ) and perhaps my vinyl days are over anyway. If I can get hold of a "value priced" DAC I think that will be the system complete. The sound is great anyway, but as we all know, the UPGRADING BUG then bites so its probably a never ending quest.
I’ve previously heard this as a way to revive any ageing speaker. It’s not unique to this model. Gravity gets the best of everything in time!
Yes, it's true. I did it to my ageing Keilidhs and to the mid-range units of my Espeks when I had them.
I think it will be obvious when the voice coil touches any of the magnetic parts. But that will take some time. Before that the sagging might cause an in-homogeneous field for the voice coil to operate in resulting in distortion. That will however be a creeping deterioration, so maybe hard to notice if you listen to the speakers all the time.
Well, I have just joined the Linn owners club by buying this system from eBay
I know that I could probably have bought the bits separately for similar money, so it wasn't a drop dead bargain, but it is a one owner since new system which looks well looked after.
Although I have been into Hi Fi most of my adult life this is my first foray into Linn, so I suspect I will have lots of questions. I hope this forum is the right place to come!
I know that I could probably have bought the bits separately for similar money, so it wasn't a drop dead bargain, but it is a one owner since new system which looks well looked after.
Although I have been into Hi Fi most of my adult life this is my first foray into Linn, so I suspect I will have lots of questions. I hope this forum is the right place to come!
Very nice. Similar to the system I've had for 25 years. Enjoy!
Are you going to be adding a streamer to play music?
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Well, the system is all up and running and I am very pleased so far.
Actually I have a confession to make. I also bought a matching silver LK85 (from the Cash Convertors website) which arrived today and is in excellent condition. I have therefore bi-amped the speakers and it sounds very good.
In terms of streamers I also have a Sonos attached, which sounds good. However, a Linn streamer will be my next upgrade, followed by some Activ cards for the amps. After that, who knows...
Actually I have a confession to make. I also bought a matching silver LK85 (from the Cash Convertors website) which arrived today and is in excellent condition. I have therefore bi-amped the speakers and it sounds very good.
In terms of streamers I also have a Sonos attached, which sounds good. However, a Linn streamer will be my next upgrade, followed by some Activ cards for the amps. After that, who knows...
UPDATE AFTER ONE YEAR.....................No traumas whatsoever and am happy with the high quality sound of the LINN products and have had no plans to change the system. It's a testimony to the quality of these older LINN products, this system gets 4+ hours of use every day and just does the job. The only change I have made this year is after reading the thread on VIBRATION CONTROL. Following the "value seeker" approach I invested a whole £10.00 in a 50 pack of 2 inch black rubber washers from eBay (similar to tap washers). Stacking them 4 high under the 8 speaker spikes and the 4 legs of the rack gave nearly one inch of rubber under each. And, I can tell the improvement, seems better definition but definitely better bass on everything. So £10.00 on materials + electricity seems acceptable running costs for a system that produces high quality music every day................And 2020 ..................If I could pick up a LINN SNEAKEY for £200 or less off eBay (which is not going to happen @ today's prices) I might get one, but perfectly happy as is.
I'm pleased you're enjoying your system. There is currently this at £330. That's a good deal!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/linn-sneaky-music-ds-black-very-good-Condition/133326026702?hash=item1f0ad9b7ce:g:M3oAAOSwdvxeIxrr
Mike.
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