I sent an email to Linn with the serial numbers of my Sara’s to find out the year of manufacture. They replied that my speakers were sold in August 1981. I am pretty impressed that they have records going that far back.
I now would like to know what Naim combo would have been used at that time to drive my speakers.
Any thoughts?
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I’ll have a stab at: NAC32, SNAPS and NAP250… though I have no experience of any them, let alone together.
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Exactly this!
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What is a SNAPS? I’ve not come across this before.
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It was the predecessor to the Hicap power supply. It’s a single rail supply vs. the Hicap’s twin rail supply.
Naim upgraded its pre amps the 32 and 42, which were suitable for the SNAPS, in the early 1980s to the 32.5 and 42.5 in order to harness the new, more capable Hicap.
I had a 32/SNAPS/250 and Linn Saras at the time and returned the 32 to the factory. It came back as a 32.5, to run with my brand new Hicap.
Best regards, BF
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If you enjoy your Saras with a NAP250, you may wish to try a pair of 135s. I did when the 135s first came out and was viscerally shocked by the improvement…
Best regards, BF
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Naim introduced NAC A4 in ‘81 if you fancied a time aligned speaker cable 
Are you gonna use it with an LP12 of the same period?
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Regarding the LP12, I’m using a modern LP12 but it’s fitted with an Ittok LVII. I think it’s the Ittok that Sara’s were voiced with. All sounding great despite hearing loss in left ear! I really love the look of the CB equipment over Olive, however I have no idea if they sound the same or there are sonic differences. I love the idea of a time aligned cable and the original amp combo with the LP12 of that period.
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I’ve had 32/SNAPS/250 and 72/HC/250 in recent years, both serviced. It’s impossible to predict what will work best even for myself, let alone someone else. However, the olive amps should be providing better clarity and timing. CB would provide a chunkier warmer balance well suited to Kans, but perhaps less so Saras. Enjoy the journey!
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My experience really echoing Bluesfan‘s view, but it was Kan of the similar period.
I recently snatched a pair of earlier Linn Kan (SN 179xx) released in 1982, which 32/snaps/250 should be the amp to pair with (I think CB250 was slightly lesser power as well).
My late chrome bumper (87-88), Nac A4, with board-pulled 32.5 drove them too hard, resulted in thin, peaky, forward sound, everything sounded 2 octaves higher and ran faster than usual, no bass. The same setup got no audible issues with Kan 1985.
I solved the problem by put back pair of 322/4 phono board inside the 32.5 to ‘drain the power’. Fwiw it’s the exact setup of a 32 was in 1981.
My conclusion is, the earlier Linn speakers were designed tightly around Naim amplifications, so tight that even change of cables will change the balance (e.g. grey snaic vs black snaic, a4 vs k20, pre-cirkus vs cirkus etc). So if it sounds right with your current setup that’s great. But if you bump into similar issue at least you have a clue what happened there.
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With Saras, back in '81 you would have had a Linn Sondek/Ittok front end with anything from a NAC42/NAP160 (maybe with a SNAPS added), through NAC32/SNAPS/NAP250, up to making them active and going with a NAC32/SNAPS/NAXO/NAP250 x 2.
You could just about get away with a NAP110 with Saras, but not ideal.
Do you know whether the seals for the Isobarik drivers on your Saras still good?
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Thanks for the information Richard and to everyone that has posted so far. It’s great to know what the options were back then to drive Sara’s.
My pair were refurbished about 8 years ago and had new driver seals fitted. They are still in as new condition. This pair was on the old Linn Forum with detailed photos of the restoration and a full write up of the work carried out. I have all those photos now from the original owner. I can post a few if anyone is interested.
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Lovely looking, I really like the CB styling.
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Must dig my SNAPS out of the back of the loft (my 32 is more easily accessible)…are they both still able to be serviced I wonder?
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Should be. I had a SNAPS serviced at the factory not so long ago.
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100% 32/Snaps/250 in that period. I ran exactly that system in 1982/3. Linn Sara, Linn LP12/Ittok/Asak ‘T’, 32/Snaps/250, and what a system it was. After that the 135s arrived and they took Sara’s to another level, although i never owned them at that time.
Only time i heard Saras sound any good with anything other than a 250 then was at Heathrow Audio Show, where Linn used a 32/2xSnaps/Naxo (or maybe Hicap as it was a bit later) and two Nap 110 into actively configured Saras.
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A friend of mine had exactly this system in the early 80s. He then moved to Isobariks with the same amp.
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SNAPS is, to me, the loveliest of Naim PSUs. It has two separate single 24V rails, originally intended for powering a not .5 preamp and a NAT, that allow the PSU, with a simple soldering job and one 5-pin DIN, 240° socket, to become a smaller HiCap. It has the same Holden&Fisher transformer of the NAP110 and is an effective, less muscular addition to a preamp.
I’ve had at least four in my life and am currently using one with a NAC62.
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Typical system was LP12/Ittok/Asak/32/Snaps/Sara. Super stereo mag in 83 reviewd such system with Active Sara with 2x250 and Asak T selected version. The venue was Vanino Spinelli Place of Audio Graffiti- Rega/Creek/Myst/Heybrook agent for Italy. The panel included Vanino, Antonio Trebbi of Audiotech, Alexis Montenegro and few others
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