The Karik is a great unit. However it is not as bullet proof as most other LINN CD players. This CD player is the most fragile made by LINN. I decided on a Genki as it's been great. Dan dedicated audio
I've seen Ikemi's for $2100 used, that's not much more than you'd pay for a Karik/Numerik combo, saves you some space and sounds better. As for the Genki, it's a nice unit, but the transport seems a little cheap to me, I personally would go with the Ikemi,it sounds much more open. More importantly, it sounds great in my Activ setup (3x AV5105's on AV 5140's)...
I own a genki player and is a very good unit , but like the other person pointed out you probably find a ikemi for around 2000-2400 if you look around, and you will be amazed with this unit. dglinn
I can't comment much on the Ikemi, but am very pleased with the Genki I have using bi-aktiv LK85s and Ninkas.
A lot of people complain about the drawer- generally seems their only complaint. Is it as slick as the Ikemi's- obvious. But are you buying for the music or the subjective qualification of whether or not the appearance of a part seems to your standard?
The main price difference between the two is the transport, the rest of the construction is almost the same. So, a Genki is essentially an Ikemi-lite. Point being, Genkis benefit not from trickle down, but from modifying the base desigin with more price-conscious parts. When I was shopping my dealer emphatically preferred the Genki over a Karik/Numeric.
Can you demo the two? Then you would know- is the difference in sound worth the outlay?
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