Upgrading my Linn set up HELP advice please

Just make your long range goal going Aktiv. The Tukans are great speakers. After going Aktiv get a tube preamp and you won't upgrade for years.

Joolz,

My Linn Aktiv system (Keilidh's, 2-LK100's) cost less than $1500 used. I had a Genki for about a year but didn't use it much since I've been vinyl based for close to 40 years. It was a nice analog sounding player. I recently inserted a tube preamp into this modest system and I'll share the secret with you. It's killer. It will destroy systems costing multiples of it's price point. No kidding.

The vast majority of audiophiles don't like Linn gear so that works to your advantage on the used market. Linn dealers by and large are insufferable snobs.

Supratek Syrah. This will be more than you need unless you spin vinyl. Actually, it's not mine but I'm saving my money for one. www.supratek.biz It's Austrailian.

The Syrah also has a phono stage. One without is about $500 less. One of the better attributes of Supratek is the bottom end. I simply could not believe the depth, detail and slam in the bottom end. It really lets the amps show just how good they are. The stage gets deep and wide beyond anything you would expect. Detail everywhere to die for. It's a great combination.

There are other tube preamps that would be nearly as good for much less money on the used market. The reason I like the Syrah so much is the quality of the phono section. You can use any cartridge and set it up right in no time. Rather maintenance free too.

I'm not telling you what to buy first but saying simply that going Aktiv is the real deal and affordable. The tube preamp just takes it several notches up from there. I could live with this sound for the rest of my life.

Joolz,
I'm not an expert in all things Linn but I know you can get a tunebox which the Aktiv cards go in and use any amplifiers you want. Might be hard to find one for the Tukans used. You may want to contact Linn helpline and ask if there are cards for your amps.

Joolz,

One last thought on all this stuff. If your current CDP is 24 bit then I would recommend keeping it for awhile. My reasoning is sound. The difference between a Genki and Ikemi is very small in the scope of things. For that matter a $150 DVD player as compared to one of state of the art CDP's ($5000+) will be small too. Before you can appreciate those differences the rest of your system must be up to the task.

The difference between your current preamp and a good tube unit will be so profound you will wonder if you are listening to your own system any longer. It will bring you the most benefits for the money spent.

Going Aktiv will be the next biggest bang for the buck upgrade.

Spending even huge amounts of money on a digital source now is not the way I would go. There simply won't be that big a difference.

When speaking of vinyl I would turn these recommendations upside down with the source first. Big dollar investments in analog will reap big returns. The difference between a $1000 turntable combo versus a $5000 combo is huge. Not so within the digital realm.

Keep in mind also the new digital format wars. Waiting may be a very wise thing to do. My guess is that a year or two down the road will be the sweet spot in buying a digital source to keep. Lots of reasons for this and they are covered well in previous threads.

I'm no tube expert. Discovering the joys of the Supratek came by accident. It has a very high output voltage, which I think is somewhat rare for a tube preamp, and keeps the noise floor very, very low. Dead quiet. If you decide to go this direction I recommend posting another thread to get some sound advice from the tube gurus about what to look for in a good match with your solid state gear.

Pick your rut carefully. You'll be in it a long time.

Joolz,

You need a TUBE preamp. Seriously. I own a Wakonda and like I said before, it's okay. Sonically, the Linn preamps haven't come far since the days of the LK1. What they are now is feature rich. If you want to whole-house your system then the Linn preamps make it a snap but if you want to take the performance up several notches go with a tube unit.