Best way to aktively drive Linn Ninkas

Just upgraded the system of a customer who own Ninkas with Kolektor/LK140 with Majik Kontrol/Majik 4100 aktiv biamp and he's rediscovering his system. The Ninka improves a lot in the aktiv mode but I never tried to tri-amp. The newer amp the better but even with a pair of old LK140 the difference will be huge (for the much more better!).

Hello,
I'm working towards the same setup, and I'm going for LK140's as per my dealers suggestion.

He is not a fan of the AV amps for pure stereo. He also says the LK140 is MUCH better than the LK85. I go for quality over quantity, and listen to most genre's.
Best to worst:
1 - Chakras $$$$$
2 - Klouts $$$$
2 - LK140's $$$
3 - 2250's $$$$
4 - LK85 $$
5 - LK100 $
6 - 5125 $$

Cards take time to locate, so start watching for them to come up as soon as you know what amps you are going to go with. I have a bass card to fit Klout/LK100 if you go that way.

good luck!
Mark

Well thanks for the information. I think you rating scale is interesting, and if differs a little from what I've heard.

I've seen posters here say that the 2250 is better than a Klout. The Klouts are still very expensive to the point of being a little unreasonable. Of course, maybe they are that good.

I've also heard a Linn expert at a well respected dealer say the all of the newer amps including the 5125 are better than any of the LKs. The guy wasn't trying to sell me anything, so I think it was his true opinion.

One thing I like about the 5125 is the odd number of channels. There are lots of ways to get 4, but not too many ways to get an extra channel for a future center channel. Of course I could always aktively drive a center channel speaker with a 2 channel amp.

The good thing about all the Linn amps is they have the same gains so you can mix new and old.

In the end, if I choose to go with LK amps, I will look hard for a pair of LK140s vs the others.

Bmdduck,

It is all subjective for sure...in the store my dealer works at, other salespeople like the 2250, but my guy does not. He finds the 2250 to sound BIG, but less sweet than the others he prefers. He never liked the 5125 at all. He does describe the Chakras as "stunning!"

It is personal preference for sure. Try to listen before you buy if at all possible...and ejoy the shopping...as it is often the fun part, especially when shopping the used market.

cheers

Mark

You'll get a variety of answers as to which is best, as you see from the other posts.

I wanted to add a couple of points not mentioned above.

The Chakra amps will use a different active card than the others. It won't fit in the other amps, and the cards for the other amps won't fit in the Chakra amps. So make sure you get the right card for the amp you purchase. It will also be a little bit more expensive since it's a newer version. The cards come up for sale fairly regularly, although not every day, so you should find some without too much trouble.

The LK 140 is better than the other LKs because it has more power. However, when you go active, you don't need as powerful an amp because all the power is going to only one driver in the speaker, bypassing the crossover. The crossover is where you lose most of the power. Switching from passive to active with the same amp is like having an amp upgrade as well as a speaker upgrade! The less expensive LK 85 would do quite nicely.

I've had LK 85s, LK 100s and 5125s. I like the 5125. I think that the switching power supply makes it that much more efficient. My preference, maybe not somebody else's.

Although the Klout is a superior amp (I believe Ivor Tiefunbrun himself had Klouts in his personal system until recently), I think that given the cost, even of a used Klout, I would just save my money for a Chakra.

If you want the best bang for the buck, go for an LK 85 if used actively, LK 140 if used passively, or a 5125 for either active or passive use but you want to have that fifth channel for the future. If cost is not a problem, then get a Chakra.

Unfortunately cost is a constraint. I don't think I can afford Chakra amps, although I did see one recently used for 2K.

The reason I was leaning toward a 5125 is that you can buy one for about the same price as a pair of LK140s. Of course with the two channel amps you can buy one at a time.

I will tackle the cards after settling on the amps. I know the different series have different cards.

As for Preamps, I am thinking about a Kairn. I'm wondering though about the new Majik preamp and whether it's worth going for a new preamp, older amps for now, or just go with the Kairn. There is a used Majik out there for about 2500. Any thoughts?

In response to Markphd, I would like to say that the new cards can be used with the old LK amp but is needed an adaptor that Linn supply for free with the purchase of the new cards if requested.
I too prefer the 5125 sound to the LK.

I also have a pair of Ninkas and I did here them with the new Majik-I charkra, the results were very good even in passive mode. My plan is to get both the Majik-I and a majik 4100 with the aktiv cards to go aktiv. I do have one question for anyone who has done this...is it worth it to tri-amp Linn speakers? It seems overkill to me.