Hi,
I just upgraded my fronts and surround speakers to the LINN Ninka and Katan speakers three days ago.
I just now finished getting it all sounding right and pleasing to me with the Z9 as the amp.
What can i say, . . . brilliant!!!!
Maybe for some they aren't good speakers, but for me (and especially at the Great price I got on them). For me, over the previous Monitor Audio Silver 5i fronts the Ninka's blow them, and me, away.
The clarity, the crispness, the detail! I hooked both pairs of speakers up to A and B outputs on the Z9 so I could switch between the two and compare.
Put in a few CD’s and DTS CD’s composed of Eric Clapton, Madonna, Eagles, Cat Stevens, Queen, and one CD I came across as a great sampler is the
Classic Disney, Vol. 1, the first 7 tracks, also the Antz movie soundtrack, a wide range of great material and musical styles on the one CD.
Anyway.
The Monitor Audio's sounded like they had a pillow over them and like they were hooked up to a cheap $10 radio! Or like they were playing an MP3 encoded at 24Kbps. Compared to the Linn, they were muddy and muffled and dull and the sound stage, which I once thought was good, was hopeless
I couldn't believe that I used to listen to them and show others and think they were great!
The thing that really blew me out of the water though, was the sound stage presented by the LINN. The contrast between the two was night and day.
I have had numerous people to come and listen, and they would swear that I had the centre speaker playing as well, or that I had a form of Pro-Logic processing on, the sound field covers the whole front of the room and slightly wraps around you with a clear, crisp vocal/voice, smack in the middle of the room, the speakers nearly disappear compared to the Monitor Audio.
The rear speaker, well, the LINN Katan's replaced some Bose speakers, so I shall let that speak for itself!!!! I feel ashamed to have been listening to music with the bose after hearing the Katan’s.
Anyway, just thought I would share it with you. I am very happy with the new speakers.
For me this was a larger upgrade, I can only imagine what some of your systems sound like with speaker that run circles around the LINN. But as they say, ignorance is bliss
. Though I must say, I auditioned a few speakers over double the price of the Linn, and I was quite surprised, the Linn held up very well, in some cases better!, but that is personal preference I suppose.
The only disappointing thing is that Linn, as a extra cost/purchase, ask AUS$600 for the granite base for the Ninka's. I'll see if I can make my own for that amount, to help the bass a bit.
Anyways, other than that i am overjoyed with the new speakers.
cheers,
I'm off to listen to some music.
KJ
