Well I think my preamp and Nap 135s will do wonders with either the Kans or the IBLs. Although I’m not really looking for Sara’s. That’s another speaker that has always intrigued me.
I had Sara 9s for a while and they were very different to Kans and IBLs.
3 Likes
So i am long time fan of both, and both will sing on the 135’s as they like the huge control of the larger amp. I just had to reduce my collection down and got rid of 2 pairs of IBL and kept 3rd pair. If you get the kans they need to be on specific stands. For my money IBL all day long.
4 Likes
For which reasons? 
2 Likes
Please elaborate
Tricky to decribe.
My Saras 9s had a very nice midrange so that was their strength. Treble was ok but nothing special. Bass was more substantial than Kans but not that weighty considering their size and isobarik design. They were a bit rough and ready and needed a lot more power, more than late Isobariks. Passive CB 160 minimum. My bolt down 160 didnt cope. 180 should be fine, 250 no problem of course.
Overall, I prefer Kans although Ive not had original Saras which are supposed to be more musical.
1 Like
I have had both early Sara’s and Sara nine and the earlier are easier to drive ,but even if I had a pair of active driven by 4x 135´s and very impressive they were ,they are too slow when one is used to Linn Kans or Naim IBL´s.
4 Likes
+1
Didnt realise the earlier ones were easier to drive.
1 Like
Judging from memory, Saras would make Harbeths sound bright and aggressive…
1 Like
Was this the famous tape over the tweeter problem
I wonder if Sara Tiefenbrun found it problematic growing up and having two sets of loudspeakers named after her. Last I heard, she had emigrated to Australia working as a journalist.
1 Like
Maybe as Sara also stands for
Small Area Roars Alot
1 Like
My early Sara’s were much better build quality than my early Kans and subsequent SBLs. If I had my time over again I’d have stuck with the Kans. Sara’s were bass heavy in my room (but could sound terrific). SBLs are certainly great speakers but come in too many bits for (my) convenience which is why I moved them on.
The best Sara’s I heard were active, driven by 110s at my then dealers. Active with 250s was likely great.
3 Likes
Five speakers that I’ve had conflicting reports about. SBL, Sara, Isobarik, Kan, IBL.
I think it was always the system which they were used in rather than their individual performance.
SL2s I had were stupid fast and I’m wondering how the Kans and IBLs would compare to the SL2 for speed. I completely understand the SL2 is the better speaker but I wouldn’t spend that much on a secondary system speaker.
I did have a gorgeous pair though. I’ve only recently made the decision that I will now hold onto the gear that I buy rather than purging myself of electronics in order to avoid hoarding hifi gear. In the long term I end up losing as I almost never get my money back that I’ve paid for exceptional examples of classic gear.
For instance my NAC 52 that I sold was a very late model and had all the phono boards, manuals etc.
I ended up selling it for £1000 loss considering I had it serviced and ended up refunding the buyer for a transit mishap. Right now I could have been using it in my second system. Even with my SL2s, I sold them after having sourced them from a very nice guy from Russia. Ended up selling them at £800 loss.
BTW I now cringe at how I used to overlook setup and positioning of my gear. This was about 5 years ago though and I’ve since learned a lot
5 Likes
Both Linn Kan and IBL
are faster than SL2.
2 Likes
Lots of variables, including listener preferences too of course.
My SBLs were very fast as well, in terms of how the music seemed to flow (more obvious on some music material than others). All the Kans Ive owned were more even handed. Id say Kans are snappy but not speeded up - I never had a runaway train feeling to the music. Kan treble timing is second to none.
2 Likes
Wow now I must own a pair of these speakers. SL2s for anyone who hasn’t heard them was an eye opener. I didn’t even know speakers were slow in timing until I heard my SL2s.
How do the Sara and Isobariks compare in terms of speed?
Both are slower,Sara slower than Isobariks.
4 Likes