I have passive Linn Isobariks with a 252/250 DR. A 300 DR seems to be the obvious upgrade but do you agree?
Does anyone recommend any other options for the money??
The new retail price of the 300 is £8299, for a little more you could get a second hand 500 dr. My dealer has one for £10k with guarantee?
Hi Gazza. Unfortunately (??) I am already looking at a second hand 300 DR so that’s out of reach but it sows the seed for the next move.
Have you heard 500 or 300 with Isobariks. What do you think about the match of a 300?
Sorry not heard either with your speakers, they are both great amps…just did not know from the post if you were be buying new. @NigelB bought a 552 for his system second hand which might be worth considering…source first snd all those considerations. Nigel has a 250 currently, so its another avenue to explore.
Your right of course. I was more worried not many people have experience with passive Isobariks anymore.
Unfortunately a pre owned 552 is too much as well at the moment. I have always thought the speakers are a difficult load so the 300 should be a step forward.
1 Like
I suppose I might be the last person running passive Isobarik’s.
Assuming I’m not buried with or in them. What should I look at as replacements?
Based on 252/300 and teh afct I love the sense of scale and authenticity they give.
AJK
I had passive and active Briks for 29 years
DBLs are a completely different league
I know they’re bigger but realistically that’s only the width and that’s dead space next to the Briks anyway
Lyndon
135s are a good match with passive briks. Not heard them driven by a 300 but I bet it would be a great step up.
Thanks for the info. I seem to remember An LP12 Naim pre, 2 x 135’s and Isobariks were the ultimate system when they worked together.
Pity Naim have had to move away from speakers. I think a 300 has to be the next step for me but no idea where I look for passive speakers.
I have plenty of space for DBL’s, both in the room and between my ears (I know that doesn’t make sense but…) I don’t think l’ll ever go active so don’t have a clue what passives might follow on from Isobariks and last me another 20 years. New or used the budget would be about £5k
I’m pretty sure my better half would veto a set of DBLs. She was seriously unhappy when I brought my current Briks home.
If you were running active I’d say stick with Isobariks as I don’t believe £5k could better them, unless you could find a decent set of DBLs for that. But I’m not so sure when comparing passive. I never heard passive driven by 300 or 500 though. I found the passive Briks too slow after going active with 250s. SL2 would be tempting but it’s a very different presentation. There are probably a lot of options but if you’re buying second hand it’s a real gamble as you can’t demo in your own room and system. Maybe have a look at some new options around that budget that you can dem and get a feel for what the new generation has to offer.
1 Like
as owner of a NAP 300 dr I would say absolutely yes. It is the best result of the Naim series (not that the 500 is not good) but it is the one where you have a better value for money.
Thanks Nikoaye.
I have a 300 DR waiting for collection once we are allowed out.
Looking at other posts it should be a noticeable step forward.
Have also read posts wondering why we look for positive reviews of kit we own, or want to own, but it seems natural to look for reassurance. I still like reading positive posts on my CDS3 as you would think CD was dead sometimes.
1 Like
reassurances are sometimes a harbinger of a new system😂 … joke! The NAP 300 is a great ending.
Another 300DR owner, agree with @Nikoayeye for me pound for pound IMO the 300 is sublime and for me 252/300DR is one of the best combinations if matched well with source
Enjoy, assuming active is not an option?
1 Like
The 300 is fantastic - though I went from an olive 250 to a non-dr 300 (now have 2x300dr into SL2s) - the improvement was huge
I bought my DMS Isobariks in 1984 and still use them most days these are the models with the crossovers internally.
Yes I started off in 1984 with the ubiquitous 32, Snaps, 250 upgraded to a Hi-Cap a year later stayed with this amplification till 2014 then moved on but kept the Isobariks.
Regards,
Martin
Mine are similar vintage. Internal crossover with open stands.
When I became interested in hi-fi the 32/HCAP/250 with Bariks was the ultimate system. (In the magazines I was reading anyway).
I eventually bought a pair 15 years ago and they do everything I want, balanced SQ, big scale and authority and more detail than live concerts.
The 300 was going to take me to my endpoint for the CD system but after reading many posts I think I might end up with a 552 in a few years.
Forum contagion has also convinced me I need to look at streaming and get my LP12 out of its box.
OK, I took the bait, I’m a Brik fanatic!
Off the top of my head, I think its:
DMS ~ Domestic Monitor Speakers
PMS ~ Profesional Monitor Speakers
I have a later model which is neither. The Great thing about Linn at this time they allowed me to run my Briks with one single LK-280, not bad at all. But I needed more power, so I invested in a Spark, wanted the other top linn Amp, can’'t recall the Name right this minute, but a hell of an amp to this day!
With that being said, I let the Spark handle the Woofer and the LK 280 take care of the tweeter & Mid ranges. But we all know where I was headed:
Full Blown Linn Active System, and sweet it was!
Like Crack, chasing that illusive musical high:
LP 12/ Ghengki, Karin, Dirack, Linn Crossover with Bingo Card, and the mighty Briks!
But the day came when linn stop servicing there older amps, Then came Naim!
Actually Naim & Linn Started this whole game, as you old timers already know!
Linn K-20, Nac A-4, etc… Linn took care of the front & Tail End and Naim filled in da Middle!
Ok, getting long winded, best to let the pictures tell da 40 year story:
2 Likes
This new format is da Bomb! Nice work Richard! 
bfuMHHR3uPkFGSRdCVx6IopYS.jpeg)
3 Likes
Fantastic to see other Barik owners, at one time I thought we were in danger of extinction.
Great to see the crossovers too.
Now where’s my screwdriver…