LINN aktiv vs passive biamping

Just talked to LINN directly-

The gentleman I spoke with said he had actually heard of my complaint from consumers and dealers alike. His strong recommendation was to ensure that the post-nuts on the Ninkas' terminals are VERY tightly fastened.

Apparently the crossover cards can have insufficient contact if not well clamped together. I've never tightened them to the level as when they were shipped, thinking the torque applied must have been a slightly zealous fastening.

Another evening of experimentation and incurring expletives from the neighboor should tell...

The cards are exactly the same for Ninkas and Keilidhs; I have a pair of Keilidhs with new Ninka activ cards, in fact. I'm dissapointed to hear of your continued sound problems! I would begin to consider at this point the possibility that you may have a problem with the used cards. Perhaps you could even spring for a new pair of Ninka cards to solve the issue. The positive difference in sound between active and passive in my system was tremendous, one of the most dramatic improvements I've made. And speaker placement should not be that critical; yes, they can be farther from the wall, but you should actually have more flexibility in many ways. Don't settle 'til you get it right!

LINN tell me that the cards should work fine with the Ninkas. I was able to talk to a dealer who suggested that the speaker placement was probably to blame. Apparently aktiv speakers can need to be further away from the wall to avoid the midrange issues I've heard. They may be able to be spaced further apart too; slight toe seems to continue to be recommended.

Guess it's time for me to tango with the towers- nothing like moving spikes around a hardwood floor; thought that was finished with already. I'm dubious, the sound difference and dissappointment are huge between passive and aktiv.

Then the biggest obstacle- spousal disdain for speakers in the living space.

I just purchased active cards (new from dealer) for Ninkas and am waiting for them to arrive. I'm almost positive that the Ninkas and Kelidhs use the exact same set of active cards. The cards need to match the crossover frequency of the speaker. I believe Ninkas are the successor to the Kelidh, so it makes sense that they would share the same crossover points, and thus active cards.

Sorry to hear of your problem, I agree with jwalkerstewart, those Activ cards do take a while to burn in! I put mine together and thought I'd made a huge mistake. Fortunately after a few months they really came together, so much so I put Activ cards in for the rears in my HT.

Now, on to the real issue......

Why are you using Kelidh Activ cards with Ninkas?? That is your most likely problem, call Linn in Jacksonville, FL (1-800-671-LINN) and get their tech support, they'll be able to tell you if they are compatable with the Ninkas.

After playing with the treble a bit, some of the image and forwardness improved. But there is no immediacy. Louis Prima sounds like someone gave him valium. Jimi Hendrix is just playing notes at a recital. One may hear every ridge of his fingerprints plucking the strings, and Tim Alexander's thrumming kickdrum on Tommy the Cat has intoxicating punch and leading attack.

Too bad the sum of the whole is less than the individual parts. Diana Krall has all the sultriness of a wet paper bag. There seems to have been robbing from Peter to feed Paul- the midrange is GONE, and the extremes are excellent; too bad the midrange is where we hominids live.

Time to call LINN and get the skinny on the serials.

Have you adjusted the treble level on back of one of the LK-85s? If so, and they still sound flat, perhaps you oughtta call Linn in Jacksonville and ask them about card compatibility. If the Keilidhs formerly driven had the old tweeter, there may be a mismatch. You might want to open up the chassis and get the cards' S/Ns before you call. Just a thought!

They were actually bought through a classified here. The amps are a couple of years old, and I assume the cards are too.

Perplexing. The benefits of aktiv are common knowledge- but so far my ears disagree. Perhaps Keilidh-specific cards in Ninkas are workable but not optimal?

Also, you should notice that speaker placement becomes less of an issue with properly burnt-in cards and amps. However, you may want to double check, if possible, to make sure that your cards are installed properly and that your connection is correct in back of your Ninkas.

And finally, remember that you do have a treble level adjustment at the back of one amp now; it's a simple adjustment, easily achievable by ear. Be sure to check that your tweeters are not set to -2 or -1 db!

Believe it or not, active cards take some time to burn in. My dealer installed mine in my two well-broken-in LK-140s, which drive Keilidhs. Though I did not track the change, it took a good couple of months for the cards alone to break in and begin to sound tuneful. It's such a gradual process that you probably won't notice it day to day; I remember listening one day and thinking "the dealer was right; these really have broken in." Plus, if your LK-85s are brand new, then you've got to make sure they're well broken in also. So, give it a little time, they'll come around! It's a very good excuse to listen to lots of music and crank the volume.