Active Linn Katans

Christian,

I'm not sure I understand the entire nature of your post. I think you are trying to say you have too much bass. If so, you should try to reposition them away from walls and especially corners. I have the Aktiv Keilidh's and without going Aktiv they are flat to 70 Hz. By going Aktiv they are flat to 40 Hz. Also, go listen to some live music. I think you will find the tonal balance of your Aktiv setup is very close to the real thing.

I have no knowledge of the Majik/LK-85 vs. two LK-85's differences. I do know that all Linn amplifiers have the same gain so this really shouldn't be part of the problem. Also, the cards should behave identically whether stereo or mono. I had communicated directly with Linn about using two LK-240's for the treble and my LK-100 for the bass. They advised that would be great. What I ended up using were two LK-100's (one for stereo treble, one for stereo mid/bass) being more cost effective.

I'm sorry for not being clear about my problem. You understood me correct though Lugnut. :)

The thing is that the two different setups sounds very different, which I don't think they should. Just by changing the bass amp to an LK-85 changes the tone of the system to a brighter one compared to the Majik.

The Katans change their frequency responce from (on the low end) 75 Hz to 60 Hz when active. When I originally went active (with the Majik) I repositioned the speakers and by moving the Katans out from the wall the bass decreased... Ok, now if I try to move the Katans closer to the wall when using the LK-85 for bass the bass should come back... Hmmm, I've got to go home and try that one out!!

Still, one wonders why the tonal balance is so different between the amps.

Christian,

The first thing that comes to mind is whether the amps, left and right, are hooked up correctly when using the LK-85's. There really shouldn't be any difference except at higher volumes. If you installed the cards yourself, I'd start looking inside the bass amp and checking things out just to be sure. I'm unfamiliar with the LK-85's having not owned one. I do remember though that when I looked at my Aktiv card documentation that the cards are amp specific. You can get mono cards that work in some stereo amps as well as mono amps. But not all cards work in all amps. If you purchased these used I'd check the documentaion to see if they are in fact compatable with your amp. Good luck and you can email me through Audiogon anytime. Maybe we can figure this thing out for you.

My dealer was the one who did the rebuildning of both the Majik and the two LK-85:s. I haven't actually checked the installation he did, but I would be suprised if he made a misstake. You are correct that the cards are amp specific. The LK85/140 series (together with the 5125 and 2250) take stereo cards, while the Majik, Klout, old LK100 etc take two monocards. I suspect that the monocards don't mix too well with the stereocards. I have heard that there are two versions of the monocards, an original one and one newer based on the newer design of the stereocards. My monocards should be of the new type since Linn delivered them new to me.

I had a listening session yesterday evening and the balance in tone is now restored when using two LK-85:s and the speakers back to their original place. Listening to CD:s with some bass punch (Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation... and Alicia Keys, Songs in A minor) is now very enjoyable (again), with tune and _balance_ in place. The lesson learned is that there is a lot of care to be taken when mixing different cardtypes and/or amplifiers when going active.

I remember when I initially played my first CD on the Majik/Lk-85 combo, my first thought was that there was a little bit too much bass for my taste. Then I got used to the bass... But now I know. I was correct in my reaction from the beginning. Always trust your ears.

Thank for your suggestions and your help Lugnut! I really thought I was going crazy for a short while.