Linn Artikulat 350A

Does anyone have a set or have reasonable listening time with the Linn Artikulat 350As? These are the fully active (Aktiv) floorstanding units of the series. I had a chance to listen to these with the internal aktiv configuration as well as a set of regular 350s in passive mode with external high-end amplification as well. In Aktiv mode, they are perhaps the best sounding speakers I've ever heard, In non-aktiv mode, I wanted to stop the audition immediately. I still believe it was an issue with the room and/or configuration of the speaker, but I can't imagine anyone buying the speaker after listening in that audition space (given the price). I did listen to some other speakers in the same room, and they performed well regardless of the room.

I'm considering getting an Aktiv pair for a 2 channel setup because they have several desirable characteristics. First and foremost, they are the best sounding speakers I've ever heard, but for the price of the Aktiv system, they'd better be. The other factors I like are that the Linns are very handsome speakers, that while large, are not menacing in stature (like the Dynaudio Evidence Temptation I also listened to). The decision is completely mine at this time, but I plan to put these in the living room, so they have to have a chance of surviving down the road assuming someone else has a say in the decor. I particularly like how clean my install would be too since the wires/boxes required would be minimal. I only have CDs and streaming (like a slimdevice transporter) as sources, so I'd have at most 3 boxes (pre-amp, disc, & streaming player).

I recently listened to Wilson Watt/Puppys as well. These sounded on par with the Linns, but I find them particularly awkward looking. I also don't like the idea of the external amps required, etc. It's the only set that has made me challenge my Linn preference though.

Since the $$ needed for the Linns is so outrageous, it pretty much allows a nearly unlimited set of alternative options which makes me pause (along with coming to terms with that amount). The cost of the amps and the speakers would have to be similar to or less than the Linns to make sense...and then they'd have to beat the Linn's outright in performance for me to consider external amps and the other aesthetic issues.

Thoughts?

I didn't find the price of the TAD Model-1, but I suspect that's in a different class than I'm talking. The TAD Model-2 looks more comparable, but with appropriate amplification, I suspect that solution would even be more expensive than what I'm looking at. Nice looking speakers though and I'm sure they are awesome. If I can find a local dealer with a pair, I might check out TAD.

I guess the real issue is this...I get the sense that Linn has a "lifestyle" angle to them that allows them premium pricing. If there was a comparable performing system for significantly less, then I'd really like to take a listen. If it's a wash or more expensive, then I'm probably not interested. I'm really not excited to pay what I'd have to for the Linns except that I'm somehow rationalizing the clean install as being an advantage given they sound great.

BTW - I don't know the forum rules, which is why I'm avoiding specific links and/or price ranges.

With a comment that strong you should probably provide more insight. Even if it's your opinion, "hardly listenable" is not how I'd characterize any speaker I've auditioned (even the non-Aktivs). I had my preferences too, but they were just that...they all still sounded better than 99% of what I hear day to day. You also didn't provide an alternative selection, which is what I was really asking for. Looks like you own Dynaudio - listened to those and they sounded great - just too large (tall). I didn't like them as much as the Wilsons or the Linns, but they had room setup issues (couldn't get far enough away) and their size in general was a non-starter. Now if I had a dedicated room...


Why? The electronics/speaker setup are very complex in the design. It could be that they just don't sound good when not Aktiv...I actually don't know the real reason, but they sounded horrible. I don't think that's expected - I believe there was some other problem, but I didn't care because I wasn't really there to listen to the Linns (at that shop).


I looked for something like that previously and still don't see it...can you give me a pointer or name of the forum?

That's probably the Artikulat because the next level down (Akurat) could not reach that level of pricing. Even within the range pricing varies dramatically because Aktiv involves individual amps per driver integrated into the speaker, so if you remove all those amps, the price of the actual speaker drops dramatically.

This is great insight and interesting to assimilate into my experience - I did find myself gravitating toward vocal and what I'd call recordings with a lot of open space in the auditions, which is probably exactly the point you are making above. I found that the speakers I didn't prefer absolutely could not replicate what the Linns and the Wilsons could in this area. I guess I give that aspect of the experience a very high weighting.

While I apparently really like the clarity of the mid-highs for vocals, there is another requirement I have and I can only describe it this way... When you turn it up, I want the song to move me, whether it's time to dance, impromptu air guitar, or becoming the conductor. I want it to surround me and and I want to become a part of it. So obviously we move from critical analytical listening to emotional and physical listening here. I have found all systems deliver the same material differently, so I expect that regardless of what you spend, this balance will be challenging to find. I did find that the Linns and the Dynaudios had both...I'd give the edge to vocal to Linn, but the Dynaudio seemed even across the board. Surprisingly, the Linns did a great job with Metallica (one of my heavier tests) - I was expecting a boring presentation, but they somehow managed to rock while doing it effortlessly. I, like most people I suppose, am not used to listening to a system that's rocking while remaining well within it's capabilities... I think that's only possible with the dedicated amps of aktiv in that case where there is ample power to spare (or obviously if you have adequate external power).

I am very aware of how coloration can be a good thing having worked with guitar tube amps, etc. What I'm not sure of is whether I want that in my reproduction gear. I switch the guitar and the amp based on my mood because everything affects the sound. If I get a system that clearly colors, it will sound great sometimes and not so hot other times. I wonder if this clarity is simply a different color?

That being said, I'm thinking I now want to do a couple things...I'd like to specifically test the Linns on alternate denser material, but I'd also like to listen to a pair or two from the list you presented to see if it is consistent that they are not my thing, or if they provide a better balance.


Ahh..ok. I guess I kind of lumped the amp and crossover configuration into the "speaker" since Linn does. So Aktiv is a confusing term only because it can be several configurations... The 2 configs I listened to were this... First fully Aktiv. This means you connect your pre-amp directly to the speaker. The speaker is essentially 5 amps feeding 6 drivers (bass has 2) with each once range limited by crossovers and each internal amp was power matched based on the tuning done at Linn obviously. There is some capability to tweek dB of the parts of the system to compensate for room dynamics, but essentially you have ~1500w per speaker cabinet in this setup. Config 2 was what they call passive mode. You take the output of your amp directly into the terminals of the speaker (like normal). This is where it gets tricky...The bass part of the speaker is still internally powered. So, the speaker uses the hot input and drives the 4 passive mid-high units, but it also feeds that source to the powered bass driver to drive the 2 base drivers in the box as well. So, not only were the crossovers configured completely differently, but the amount/type of power and how it was applied to the drivers was as well. BTW, the effect was a dramatically rolled off top end on the passive system - which kills a Linn experience for me at least. They needed to spend more time optimizing the setup for the Linn if they wanted to stay passive...I think they just hooked it up to a good amp and moved on.

I'm not an audio engineer, but it does seem reasonable to believe that matching an amp per driver with appropriate range limiting by crossovers by engineers who have all the capability to do so is probably going to work out more times than not to the enthusiast who is trying to optimize based on mix/matching themselves. There are technical challenges either way, obviously, but I have to believe the integrated approach has the advantage. There was an obvious disparity in the amount of power in each config, but the issue was of balance in the sound that I noticed. The high-end was missing.

Just curious... what are you referring to here on reasonable price? Price is the reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet on the 350As, even though I'm pretty much sold on them. They are pretty unreasonably priced.

I would also feel better if the warranty was better and there was a known upgrade program in place for them (if they should improve the amps in some way). Because the amps are built into the speaker, you've just killled your speaker life to the life of the amp, which could be a lot to fix. I guess if you can afford them, this shouldn't be a concern, but it's a tough pill to swallow.