Thoughts on upgrade path please

[tryertee]

Hi All. I'm a long-term Linn user but haven't paid much attention to the gear side of things for the last 10 years or so. I had to source a blown bass driver recently and that process has drawn me back in. By chance I also got to listen to a 6 year old Akurate/Exakt/Akubarik set up which was a real revelation for me vs my own system both in sound terms and how uncluttered it looked.

My starting point is MDS/M-I/M4100 (all Dynamik) fully Aktiv into Ninka's with the upgraded bases. It's a pure music system in a good-sized room (our AV stuff is in another room) and it sounds pretty decent.

My current thinking is to go from here to Akurate/Exakt/Akudorik with Katalyst which of course means navigating the used market. I'd like to get there in 2 or 3 steps rather than doing a wholesale upgrade in one go. I considered switching out the MDS for an ADS/3 i.e. with Katalyst/Exakt but then realised that the Katalyst would become redundant in the DS by the time I got to the Akudorik step. I'd welcome any thoughts on how to proceed or indeed whether the Akurate/Akudorik end objective could be bettered for that rough size of budget.

 

[akamatsu]

You could by first getting a Majik DSM/2/3 that includes Exakt. Sell off everything but the Ninkas. Then get a pair of Akudoriks which would work with the Majik DSM. But you could immediately sell off the Majik for about an even swap for an Akurate System Hub (Akurate Exakt DSM).

Or, in one step, you could just get an Akudorik system.

 

[akamatsu]

I overlooked that you are Aktiv using the M4100. This could be maintained with the Majik DSM I believe. I'm thinking you would need to employ the Majik DSMs internal amp, and I'm not familiar with the Aktiv card compatability. The key to phasing the upgrade is the Majik DSM as it can do Exakt, line out analogue, or passive using the internal amp.

 

[tryertee]

I overlooked that you are Aktiv using the M4100. This could be maintained with the Majik DSM I believe. I'm thinking you would need to employ the Majik DSMs internal amp, and I'm not familiar with the Aktiv card compatability. The key to phasing the upgrade is the Majik DSM as it can do Exakt, line out analogue, or passive using the internal amp.

Thanks for your response. Yep I'm using an old Majik-I (effectively a pre-amp + 2100) and an M4100 and 6 aktiv cards to drive the Ninkas. I hadn't thought of going to an MDS 2/3 to get Exakt functionality so thanks for the idea.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of Akudorik's around so I might have to be patient on that side and flag my interest up to a few dealers here in the UK. However there is a bunch of Akurate DSM/3s or upgraded equivalents out there for quite reasonable prices so maybe that's the route to take for now. I'm thinking that a Katalyst Akurate streamer would be a big improvement over what I have at the moment.

I'm just a couple of weeks in to understanding the current Linn direction of travel after a decade of complete indifference. Good to see that they are still on the cutting edge!

 

[akamatsu]

One thing you may want to do is wait until the end of March as Linn should be making some announcements around new 50th anniversary products. Akurate range is going (has partially gone) away in favour of Selekt. We aren't sure about Organik DAC upgrades for the Akudoriks. New speakers should be introduced. There's lots happening in the Linn world now.

 

[tryertee]

One thing you may want to do is wait until the end of March as Linn should be making some announcements around new 50th anniversary products. Akurate range is going (has partially gone) away in favour of Selekt. We aren't sure about Organik DAC upgrades for the Akudoriks. New speakers should be introduced. There's lots happening in the Linn world now.

One thing you may want to do is wait until the end of March as Linn should be making some announcements around new 50th anniversary products. Akurate range is going (has partially gone) away in favour of Selekt. We aren't sure about Organik DAC upgrades for the Akudoriks. New speakers should be introduced. There's lots happening in the Linn world now.

Thanks for the heads up. Much appreciated