Upgrading my Linn set up HELP advice please

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.

lugnut
thanx for the feedback man! i appreciate it alot.
so a preamp may be the clearest audio upgrade next in line...hummmm???
so if i was to go active i will have to buy other pwramps like the lk85 or lk100 ect...
i cant make the powerteks active right?
thanx

tobias.....as the ikemi was that much better than the genki (and at a bigger cost also)....do u think something like a used naim cd player at the used genki cost would be better.
j

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.

Again great advice from Lugnut IMO. I agree that Aktiv is the way to go eventually, and I agree preamp first. When I listened to various combinations of Linn components, active and passive, that really stood out. The active setup let me hear all too well if the preamplification was ordinary. I ended up deciding that before going active I'd get a Kairn. (Although I ended up not getting the Linn system, I still remember the sound... ).

One nice thing about a Linn active system is that you don't have to use Linn amplification. An external box ( Tunebox, yes ? Thanks Lugnut. ) will hold the cards.

OK now Joolz, thanks for asking about sources. I like Naim players a lot and you might well find one of them fit very well between Genki and Ikemi. I would listen for depth, timbres, presence and purity, as the Genki has drive down pretty well and you'll get even more of this as you upgrade to active. There are lots of other players too, though, and if you haven't started listening to them yet, you have fun fun fun ahead!