Replacing Linn Isobariks, but with what?

Hi

A recent house move has resulted in me considering the unimaginable - parting with my beloved isobariks. It's a question of their imposing stature. My better half tolerated them in the old house, but isn't so convinced about their presence in the new one.
I don't want to do it (and I'm going to try some pursuasion) but I need to make plans in case I don't succeed.
So....
Current system: LP12/ekos/troika/cirkus/lingo, linto, karik 3/numerik, kairn pro, Lk280.
The briks are DMS, modified by RATA (tonigen ribbon tweeters, reworked crossovers, kimber cable etc) and sitting on torlyte stands. They are special and my fear is that replacing them might prove costly (which, ironically, may prove a useful argument for keeping them...).
Kabers? a step down/sideways?
Keltiks are cheap these days (though the 28 klouts needed to drive them won't be).
What else will give me the sense of scale provided by the briks, without sharing their er, unique physical presence? it isn't so much the size, it's more the form and complete lack of any aesthetic niceties. Doesn't bother me, but my opinion is secondary here (better half is a designer....).
Now, if someone could recommend speakers that actually look nice, I could be on to a winner. Once had a pair of Ruark Templars. Boy, were they beautifully made.

Why is most hifi so ugly?

Cheers

Martin

 

you don't say what your current room size is...or your musical tastes

 

Fair point, Zanash.

18' x 25' - speakers will probably have to be sited on one of the long walls (ie firing across the room).

Musical taste (this isn't going to help much) is opera, jazz, blues, rock, folk, almost anything of quality with the exception of organ music, which brings me out in a rash.

Budget is about £1200 and I always buy used. I could spend more, depending on how much my briks would realise.

Cheers

Martin

 

but if all you listened to was mega bass stuff or rap etc .....

you could think about the ruark crusader......not heard these but I've always like the ruark sound or completely off the wall

revolver were doing some mighty fine speakers in very small packages like the audiovue avf these were for the money fantastic value and tremendous sound with the added advantage of tunable bass......

 

Don't sell em, put your foot down.

 

Nah, my wife and I are both sulky, petulant individuals. Neither of us responds well to the putting down of feet (foot?). Diplomacy works better. Otherwise we tend to throw things at each other.

Seriously, it's a long time since my system was a mix and match job - I've been a Linnie for a few years now. Which non-Linn speakers are likely to work well in the context of my system?
How about a nice pair of active kabers and some new power amps?
Active ATCs seem popular over on PFM, but I guess they're over my budget.

Cheers

Martin

 

18x25 is the new room?

Sounds like your wife has a designers eye.

That's a big room by any standards - I'd be filling it with a big speaker (doesn't have to be ugly).


Electrostatics often are attractive to a designers eyes. Show her some Quads or better still martin Logans and she'll reach for the cheque book herself!

Not exactly 'ultra modern'!! - but the Tannoy GRF's on PFM are a steal at £2k. Never mind what they look like, they are a great pair of speakers.

The larger horn speakers I like are unlikely to achieve WAF or be anything like on budget.

A pair of Quad 63's with a decent sub would be a good bet..

Whether any of this works with Linn kit isn't something I've paid heed to, I'd rather reccomend equipment I rate rather than brand matching.

All the best
Cheers
Chris

 

Chris

Yes, definitely scope for some big speakers in there. I once heard a pair of Quad 57s on the end of a small integrated amp (might even have been a Nait) and was very impressed. Not sure I'd manage to get them far enough away from the walls (they need space behind them, I believe?).
Just googled for Martin Logans - yep, I can see those being approved. Never heard a pair though. Didn't dare look at the prices.
How about the 'tiny little speakers with whopping big subwoofer' approach? I would certainly miss the isobarik bass. Once you've experienced a prodigious bottom end, there's no going back (Ooer, missus. I really should rephrase that....)

Cheers

Martin

 

heard some vandersteens 2ce's on the weekend, they might be worth an audition?

how about shahinians?

 

FWIW, I reckon these Thiels

http://thielaudio.com/THIEL_Site05/Pages/models/Current_Models/cs1_6/cs1_6nws.html

look great. They're about £2k. I thought they sounded very lively and enjoyable on the end of a Primare amp and CD. I've never heard Isobariks, though, so I've no idea how they'd compare.

Hope this helps.

 

Yes, about 3 feet is a good start. Don't forget the obvious though, they are wafer thin so the footprint isn't any worse than a floorstander a foot out from the wall and a big base.

Roughly £1,500-£2,500 used depending on model. You'd have to hear a pair. Strangely women tend to love the sound (?) sorry for the generalisation. Not my own choice, but I appreciate their finer points - clarity, detail, etc.

You could do that. Decent subs - Velodyne DD and Revel are £1200-£1500, and a decent pair of standmounts will be £500-£800 used with the stands, so again this is about 2k.


All IMO/ IME.


The Tannoy GRF's at £2k would have my own personal wedge on them. The wood finish (whilst beautiful) is traditional rather than modern, but you can really see where your money has gone - and hear it too.

If your wife leans towards Bauhaus, I can't see her giving them the nod, which is a shame IMO.

NB
I'd be interested to hear what she might say about horns by people like AvanteGuarde. As a designer she may think they are amazing, or she may go the complete opposite route.

This type of thing (out of budget by the way, just a curiosity)

http://www.avguide.ch/bilder/magazin/trio_200.jpg




By the way, I'm far from being overly familiar with Isobariks, so take this as an enthusiast talking about some interesting loudspeakers rather than a reccomendation for a blind ''buy it now!" on ebay!!

 

I'm running ML ......

my wife and I went to see the speakers I wanted b&w 803's ...as we entred the dealers she turned to me and said "your not having any like those with the electric screwdriver glued to the top" bugger I thought ....then she turned and pointed at the martin logans and said "why don't you get some like those ......"

which is why I'm running Aerius i's

 

Don't believe the Kaber would give you the scale and power in such sized room... plus would need 3 Klouts...... With 3 Klouts I would say keltik would be ideal......actually they would be stunning in the that size room......a wee all over Kaber. You can get Stereo active cards for them as well, so a pair of 5125, or 3 or 4 x 2250s...

Or ...Non Linn I would try some Dynaudio, great cabinet quality for the wife .... and sounds good with Linn

 

If you wanted to stick with Linn I'd say cross Espek off the list - I had those active after active briks and was never totally happy with them. I'm afraid 242s are out of budget but that's my current choice. If you saw 212s at the right price that would let you go down the "small" route plus sub later. Or an off the wall suggestion: Katans plus Velodyne DD15

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm wondering about Keltiks - I remember drooling over them in my youth. I only had two dems - one sounded absolutely bloody terrible - harsh, thin, yuk. The other was a revelation and convinced me.
I've seen used keltiks for about £1000, but I'd obviously have to budget for amps too, and £2000 worth of Linn power amps would be a stretch too far.
How about driving Keltiks with LK280s? I have one already and rate it very highly (though I've never compared it to the Klout, which I believe replaced it in the Linn range). I guess I'd need one of those Linn crossover boxes (with a power supply?). Would it be worth doing? How many LK280s would it take to do the job?

Just a thought.

Cheers

Martin

 

I have to say I was pretty impressed with ML's when I heard them in the Absolute Sounds room at Manchester. It was a big room and they filled them to a pretty good volume level.

How about some Dali floorstanders? I always like those when I hear them.

The Monitor Audio Gold range has always been nice too actually. You could get the 60's for a good price second hand.

And of course, PMC, will fill the room with decent low bass and do most other things well too. How much is a second hand pair of IB1?

 

Keltiks require a minimum of three powers, (no passive crossover option) LK280 can not accept any aktiv cards inside, so yes a "Tunebox" is required, they come up from time to time, budget around 150-300 GBP depending on type of power supply fitted.
Some have driven Keltik with 4 LK100's about £200-240 on auction, and they accept the mono active card directly.
I tried LK100 on the keltiks I had, not good, gets you going, and helps spread the cost. LK280/Spark with a Tunebox or Klouts is the way to go.
Or the stereo cards and then the newer (more expensive) amps.
Keltik do take a lot of effort to get them tuned into the room, and the aktiv cards adjusted. But they are great done well.

 

hi, ever thought at looking at tannoy dimension series ? pleases both sound and looks, nando.

 

Martin, ordinarily I don't point people away from here to the Linn list (if only because of the primitive interface there) but in this instance you might like to look at some old threads like active Isobarik/Keltik comparison. For active you need three amps but preferably four.

I'm not sure what combinations of active cards are available, but if you didn't already have the 280 I might suggest say a 5125 for the upper two elements each side and one or two 2250s, with the advantage that the active cards would be inside the amps- I'm not sure how easy it is to get a tunebox housing for all the cards, but you could be lucky as quite a few Keltik owners may be moving onto the more modern range. I agree Keltiks can sound amazing, but I believe people have difficulty seting them up to control lumpy bass problems.

Finally, if you find they have significantly better SAF than briks then you're a lucky man

 

On the other hand, I see that someone has a pair of keenly priced AVCs for sale in the classifieds.
I wonder....

Martin