Majik 109 aktiv advice on Upgrading or not.

[extremeride22]

Newbie here and don’t want to sound like a idiot concerning Linn and what I consider a wonderful product line. I’ve been slowly but surely changing my system of Linn components and I’ve now have the following setup.

Linn Majik 109 fully active (not sure but possibly Linn 212 or something else???) with a Paradigm 10” subwoofer ( may swap out to a Linn Sizmik 10.25 or REL )

 Linn Akurate hub

Linn Akurate Exaktbox-I 

Blue sound vault 2 ( maybe swapping this out or not to a Innuos )

Technics SL-10 owned since day one MC310 and runs flawlessly. Probably not a audiophiles first choice yet I like it and I think I’ve got good ears or not.

 So any advise on the above system and potential changes would be greatly appreciated. I know that’s a loaded and extremely subjective question but I figured we’ve got a lot of experience individuals here that love Linn and the products they provide. Thanks in advance

 

[Lurch]

1st question, what don't you like/feel is missing (soundwiselfrom your current setup? 

2nd question room size + kit positioning init. 

3. Budget. 

 

[bencat]

Newbie here and don’t want to sound like a idiot concerning Linn and what I consider a wonderful product line. I’ve been slowly but surely changing my system of Linn components and I’ve now have the following setup.

Linn Majik 109 fully active (not sure but possibly Linn 212 or something else???) with a Paradigm 10” subwoofer ( may swap out to a Linn Sizmik 10.25 or REL )

 Linn Akurate hub

Linn Akurate Exaktbox-I 

Blue sound vault 2 ( maybe swapping this out or not to a Innuos )

Technics SL-10 owned since day one MC310 and runs flawlessly. Probably not a audiophiles first choice yet I like it and I think I’ve got good ears or not.

 So any advise on the above system and potential changes would be greatly appreciated. I know that’s a loaded and extremely subjective question but I figured we’ve got a lot of experience individuals here that love Linn and the products they provide. Thanks in advance

Perhaps consider posting this on the Linn Forum.

 

[extremeride22]

I like it a lot, as you may know we are almost always thinking it could be improved on. The details of the room in which the system is setup will probably make anyone on this form freak out or not. Not sure if I should get into the details ( my garage ) but it’s fairly large area. 11’ L x 17’W x 9’ H. 

 

[extremeride22]

Perhaps consider posting this on the Linn Forum.

As mentioned newbie and for some reason I thought this was the Linn forum. Wow what a dumb a.. I am. Thanks

 

[Blzebub]

As mentioned newbie and for some reason I thought this was the Linn forum. Wow what a dumb a.. I am. Thanks

Linn's a religion, and most people realise eventually that it's, er, overpriced at MSRP, shall we say? Might be a reasonable s/h proposition.

 

[extremeride22]

Linn's a religion, and most people realise eventually that it's, er, overpriced at MSRP, shall we say? Might be a reasonable s/h proposition.

Not sure what you mean, I’m not a religious person but I do love their products. They put a fair amount of thought into product and presentation. I know that audiophiles may not like certain aspects of Linn but in a world that is complex and unique I think they tick all of the boxes. Price can be a issue and the higher end products Klimax is one of those but if you have it and can fully understand what you are buying why not. The thing that I love the most is the connectivity aspect of the exakt systems, clean and simple. This is something that both my wife and I love, yes we both hate the dust collecting aspects of wires I mean tons of wires. 

 

[Blzebub]

Price can be a issue and the higher end products Klimax is one of those but if you have it and can fully understand what you are buying why not. The thing that I love the most is the connectivity aspect of the exakt systems, clean and simple. This is something that both my wife and I love, yes we both hate the dust collecting aspects of wires I mean tons of wires. 

It all depends what you are looking for. A lifestyle-oriented system, or a performance-oriented one. Linn's real strength is in marketing.

If you are looking for the best sound for your money, Linn can't provide it. Even their top Klimax system is poor compared with similarly-priced equipment slected from specialist manufacturers.

 

[extremeride22]

Admittedly Linn products can be quite expensive and I’m not one to throw money in the wind. Everything I’ve bought over the years has been at a reduced price or used and as mentioned I love their whole concept. RJ45 wires feeding the speakers and all of the other exakt components neat and tidy. As the old saying happy wife is a happy life and keeping things tidy in my house hold is of extreme importance. Just to show you how off I am when it comes to audio, I love the 520 and 530 speakers actually I  prefer the latter. You can tell that a fair amount of thought was put into these babies as mentioned the wiring and the speakers can satisfy any home with the interchangeable fabric covers, potential wife pleaser if done right. As for the sound aspect of any sound system these things are extremely subjective, as I’ve stated in my past post I love my Linn products very well laid out as well thought out. I’ve seen some systems which in my eyes looked horrendous and even if they did sound great they would never fit into what I’m after. As they say to each his or her own and thank God for that. 

 

[bencat]

Apologies @extremeride22I should have done this in my original message and posted a link to the Linn section on this site . There is no problem posting on the main site and you will get some answers . However as you can see many on here do not hold Linn products in much respect so the answers you get may not be helpful . On the Linn forum they will be more like minded and also probably more experienced with Linn equipment and can offer more useful advice .

 

[extremeride22]

Apologies @extremeride22I should have done this in my original message and posted a link to the Linn section on this site . There is no problem posting on the main site and you will get some answers . However as you can see many on here do not hold Linn products in much respect so the answers you get may not be helpful . On the Linn forum they will be more like minded and also probably more experienced with Linn equipment and can offer more useful advice .

Hey Andrew no need to apologize what you had posted is greatly appreciated in so doing I did take your advice and posted this question on the Linn forum. Thanks once again. Cheers……

 

[Blzebub]

Admittedly Linn products can be quite expensive and I’m not one to throw money in the wind. Everything I’ve bought over the years has been at a reduced price or used and as mentioned I love their whole concept. RJ45 wires feeding the speakers and all of the other exakt components neat and tidy. As the old saying happy wife is a happy life and keeping things tidy in my house hold is of extreme importance. Just to show you how off I am when it comes to audio, I love the 520 and 530 speakers actually I  prefer the latter. You can tell that a fair amount of thought was put into these babies as mentioned the wiring and the speakers can satisfy any home with the interchangeable fabric covers, potential wife pleaser if done right. As for the sound aspect of any sound system these things are extremely subjective, as I’ve stated in my past post I love my Linn products very well laid out as well thought out. I’ve seen some systems which in my eyes looked horrendous and even if they did sound great they would never fit into what I’m after. As they say to each his or her own and thank God for that. 

Here are my unsightly cables, as seen from the listening position:

 

[extremeride22]

Here are my unsightly cables, as seen from the listening position:

Ok where did you hide those damn speaker wires. My wife would be proud of that setup makes it so much easier to vacuum around. By the way my neighbours think that the vacuum in my garage is broken due to the fact that it’s always on. 

 

[Blzebub]

The gear is in racks to the right, out of shot. If you look very carefully, you'll see a very thin cable snaking its way across where the floor meets the skirting. The cabling for the TV is hidden in the wall.

There are ways and means, and FWIW I also hate the sight of rats nests and dangling cables.

 

[extremeride22]

The gear is in racks to the right, out of shot. If you look very carefully, you'll see a very thin cable snaking its way across where the floor meets the skirting. The cabling for the TV is hidden in the wall.

There are ways and means, and FWIW I also hate the sight of rats nests and dangling cables.

Yea I did see that actually my wife did but didn’t want to ruin the moment. That said the rack looks nice and neat as well I’ve got to admit that’s extremely well done. That deserves a least one big thumbs up. 

 

[lindsayt]

Linn 109's are - relatively speaking - good looking, pleasantly small sized from an aesthetic looking point of view, poor to mediocre sounding speakers.

If you can go for much larger speakers you should find it easy to find something that you prefer the sound of.

My impression of Linn Exakt is that it provided a nice tweak to the sound but that it doesn't overcome fundamental shortcomings in the speaker drivers.

I'd much rather have the speakers of my choice with no Exakt than 109's with Exakt.

It's your choice whether you go for sub(s) or not. Or whether you go for larger speakers with a proper woofer built into the cabinet.

 

[tuga]

Not sure what you mean, I’m not a religious person but I do love their products.

That's what he means by "religion".

 

[tuga]

The gear is in racks to the right, out of shot. If you look very carefully, you'll see a very thin cable snaking its way across where the floor meets the skirting. The cabling for the TV is hidden in the wall.

There are ways and means, and FWIW I also hate the sight of rats nests and dangling cables.

I find those rack piles visually more offensive than a couple of cables running into the speakers. :sofa:

 

[tuga]

Newbie here and don’t want to sound like a idiot concerning Linn and what I consider a wonderful product line. I’ve been slowly but surely changing my system of Linn components and I’ve now have the following setup.

Linn Majik 109 fully active (not sure but possibly Linn 212 or something else???) with a Paradigm 10” subwoofer ( may swap out to a Linn Sizmik 10.25 or REL )

 Linn Akurate hub

Linn Akurate Exaktbox-I 

Blue sound vault 2 ( maybe swapping this out or not to a Innuos )

Technics SL-10 owned since day one MC310 and runs flawlessly. Probably not a audiophiles first choice yet I like it and I think I’ve got good ears or not.

 So any advise on the above system and potential changes would be greatly appreciated. I know that’s a loaded and extremely subjective question but I figured we’ve got a lot of experience individuals here that love Linn and the products they provide. Thanks in advance

The "problem" with a Linn setup is that it may complicate the interoperability with non-Linn gear and thus reduce your options.

And as others have mentioned a system comprised of equipment produced by different manufacturers has the potential of higher performance at a much lower price point.

I would definitely replace Linn speakers with ones from a dedicated speaker manufacturer. (had a pair of Helix 2s for some years btw)