Active?? mix brands

i totaly understand! thanx a million-----ive yet to go active--havent heard a linn active yet but heard a naim and it was awsome apart from the unbearable treble

Rcprince, you're very close. When converting Linn systems to Aktiv, you install powered crossovers in the amps, thereby the amp only has to generate power for the bandwidth each driver will produce. You then completely bypass the crossover in the speakers so each channel of amplification goes directly from the amp to the driver.

Yes, it is a significant step up from passive configuration (i even went Aktiv with the surrounds in my HT), but I agree with you you'd be in a huge compatability problem using other speakers. You'd need something with the same crossover points to start with, and then you'd certainly be voiding any warranty you have on them.....in short, I wouldn't recomend doing it.

My understanding of Linn's "Active" concept (and I could be wrong, so those of you with Linn speak up!) is that essentially the amplifiers are bandwidth-restricted, thereby replacing the crossovers in the speaker cabinet by supplying each driver in the enclosure with a direct signal from an amplifier custom designed to that driver's frequency response in the design. I've heard this in a friend's system, and it certainly was much better sounding than passive bi-amping. But since the amplifiers' frequency response is specifically matched to the speaker design and the drivers used, unless you get another brand of speaker with the same drivers or drivers tailored for that specific frequency response (highly unlikely, I'd imagine), I think you'd be disappointed in the results. It might be possible to tailor the amplifiers' frequency response for another speaker, but that sounds like a lot of work and something I think Linn would not like to do.