I also went back to the Linn a couple of times and did prefer the sound of the LP12 50th Anniversary to the Streamer each time but thought something odd about the bass from those 360 speakers. I think it must have been let down by the room or setup as it seemed very capable.
I know they’ve got to show off their latest and greatest but it often seems that the simpler, lower cost systems work best at the shows. Awful environments and not the best place to demo kit that probably needs a bit more care and attention to achieve its best.
A Nova or Selekt with a pair of stand mount Kudos speakers would probably fare a lot better.
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And not just for shows either. 
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I thought the Chord/ATC, Kerr and Kudos Sigao rooms all sounded better then the more expensive rooms - Linn, Naim, Dynaudio. It seemed more thought and listening tests had gone in to some of the ‘small’ rooms, rather than plonking down top end stuff and accepting what comes out.
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Not overlooking the fact that some of those decidedly average performing systems come in at the price of a small bungalow or 2 bedroom flat.
Given the room plays such a key part in what we hear from a system it does seem an oversight to only focus on the extremes and showcase something a small percentage of people get to call their own.
I enjoyed the ATC 50’s Special Edition setup with a Technics front end on it playing a visitors own vinyl choices in particular.
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It’s very interesting to read that some of you were disappointed with the Linn room as I loved it and I’m a dedicated Naimee! The only thing I have ever owned from Linn is a set of original Kan 1’s and my Linn LVX tonearm on my old Ariston RD110SL. I liked the fact they were playing lots of normal records because they liked them and not just because they are well recorded.
I agree it’s a different sound to Naim of course, but I could certainly imagine coming home after a long day, pouring a whisky and really enjoying that system. It timed well and seemed to me to have a really nice open and honest sound without ever being harsh. Just a lovely listen!
I guess that’s what makes this passion and the shows so fascinating - you get a real chance to listen to lots of different ways of presenting music…
Good to hear that ATC proved popular, quite honestly they’re my favourite speaker brand in the world due to their exceptional transparency, power, speed and accuracy. If my only priority was sound per pound then an SME turntable and nice Naim streamer and pre-amp with a set of Active SCM100ASLT would be the endgame for me. Being a reviewer though means passive speakers are a more practical and useful proposition.
JonathanG
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“Ok” was really not an endorsement. Pretty much every room sounded at least “ok”.
Eg chap played 2 tracks by the Cranberries and it was flat as a pancake. The soulwax that followed had more bite to it. But nothing would have told me the whole package was the price of a semi detached house.
The supatrac room sounded distinctly better, and he was using a sub £300 behringer power amp!
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There in lies one of the take aways from
these shows, you hear something that is 6 figures in retail cost and do some number crunching in your head and ponder to yourself, “Does this equate to value for money”
An expensive system I heard and felt I’d be happy spending serious money on was Nagra and SME based, there’s not many others I’ve heard and thought the same about, regardless of cost and complexity.
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I attended same demo at end session on Saturday. Good to meet Richard Dane at the show. Such a nice man. My recent Naim friend was very impressed. Naim was best demo of show, especially compared to Linn room which sounded muddled. All of Naim staff at show were very approachable. Clearly they all love music and hifi afficianonardos
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Yes they were
Hi @Keano16
Yes, the Innuos sounded very nice indeed. I think it was a Zenith server, a Pulsar streamer, Lyngdorf amp and Sonus Faber speakers. It sounded really nice playing Dead Can Dance.
Keith
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Agree that Kerr’s room had an outstanding sound. Actually recommended to me at the show by Chord Electronics. Wish i had £6k to drop (or £5.4k perhaps with show discount)…
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I thought with the Cranberries track the band sounded great, but Delores sounded subdued and soulless, unfortunately.
It’s funny because tastes vary over time. Pre millenium I was full on Linnophile source to speakers. The Naim sound was always a bit dry and “papery” to me and the Linn, for lack of a better word, “watery” and flowing and seeming more natural and unembellished.
I took a break from stereo hifi for over a decade and when I returned, the Linn sounded a tad boring. It was good but somehow unable to hold my attention. But I also can’t put my finger on it because I have other systems that are more reserved than the Naim but they still sound more enjoyable than the Linn.
Ergo, I must have changed in the years I took off.
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It’s the Class A/B amplification 
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Linn seem to have a distinct house sound across their entire range, at least among the amplifiers, sources and speakers I’ve heard in recent years. Very detailed and clean, not a hair out of place, but sometimes overly forensic and falling short in engagement. I’ve yet to hear a single recent component from them that I’ve been even briefly swayed by.
My theory is that, since they went all in with digital many years ago, they’ve aspired to a house sound that is very different from the bright, crude and unnatural sound of early digital, hence the polished and sophisticated sounds they produce now.
The LP12 hasn’t been totally unaffected by this, but I’m still finding the gains to outweigh any deficits. Lets hope it stays that way. I’m eyeing a Klimax Radikal 2 upgrade and possibly an Ekstatik in the next year or two. I haven’t heard the latter, but I’m concerned that some have described its sound as “too much”; I’m not looking to increase my running costs, so I’ll be giving that a careful listen when the time comes.
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Exactly how i feel about Naim now. The amplification continues to impress the sources refuse to engage in the way they did a quarter of a century ago.
They were using a Naim 500 system.
Oh god please don’t set them off again.
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It’s Class C I feel sorry for, left out of the party all together 
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