What would you do?

Hi-Fi Corner
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Thank you for this forum, I have found it very helpful over some time now, and just joined.

I have £2k or so to spend on a final upgrade (retirement is in sight), and would appreciate advice on best course of action. System is LP12-Akito-AT95ML, 32-SNAPS-110, Mk1 Kans.

Complicating factor is living in the Sicilian countryside.

Nearest Linn dealer is a 20 hour round trip, so upgrading the deck is more than difficult. Deck was built by the ever excellent Peter Swain, and has Karousel and Mose. It withstood the 1800 mile drive here on a Transit van, packaged per instructions of Peter.

Naim kit was serviced by Class A in May this year. New black SNAICs. Witch Hat 3.5m speaker cable. Freebie power cords. I have a spare set of Naim MC boards, which Darren also sorted.

My feeling is new speakers, since the Kans are very old, and the rest of the setup is recently fettled. But a further complication is my listening area (open plan) - speakers must be against the wall.

So, what to do?

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You are dedicated! I would get ProAc Tablette 10s if I were you. Same form factor, so you can use the same stands (if you are indeed using the Kan stands). They go well against the wall and sound great with Naim gear.

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What ever you do keep the Linn Kan’s so you can compare when testing other speakers,they are hard to replace…
Longer speaker cables Naim NacA5 over 6 meters is a good upgrade ,gives a much more balanced sound.

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I’d swap the 110 for a 250. It’s what I did in 1983, and you’ll be amazed how the Kans come to life.

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I’m with HH – 32/Snaps/250/Kan MK1 was the system drew me into Naim, an unforgettable experience.

Otherwise a ND5XS2 for streaming, explore new music and buy more LPs is a good choice as well.

And my 2 cents – I would even go back to pre-cirkus bearing as the looser, bigger sound suits Kan, then a Ittok and MC cart.

Karousel may sound too precise and lean for CB and Kan, that keeps you feeling the urge to upgrade.

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Welcome to the diverse divertimenti that is this space.

Think about upgrading SNAPS to HiCap.

Agree 250, Ittok, NACA5.

32.5/SNAPS/90 with NACA5 through Keilidhs sealed my Naim-Fate. But a 250 in any guise is a wonderful thing and exceptional value.

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Linn Kan with Naim active filter and 2x Nap 110
is a fantastic combination ,transforms the Linn Kans into something very very special,
and are better than passive with a Nap 250.

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Another post, another opinion.

I’d swap the Karousel and Mose for a pre-Cirkus bearing and Valhalla (serviced by Class A) and swap the cable for NACA4 or K20.

I find the Linn Adikt a lot more engaging but it is prone to some IGD compared to the 95ML, particularly with an older bearing. Worth a try though especially if you keep the Karousel. Also worth trying the cheaper EN as I also find that more enjoyable than the ML plus it’s not so thin sounding.

If you want a fatter sound from the amps than Julius’ 250 suggestion is the way to go but I get more enjoyment from the unregulated CB amps like the 110 and 160.

What serial number are your Kans?

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Be careful before moving on from Kans.

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The first thing I would do is to ask myself how I feel about the way the current system plays music.

Do you miss something specific and/or would you like to further strengthen something? Every change to your system will result in a different outcome. Improving parts of no or little importance to you might even make things less satisfying than they are now.

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I don’t want to sound like a Parrot (oh yes you do!), but I’d swap the 110 for a 250 (serviced, chrome bumper or Olive) and you’ll be amazed how the Kans come to life :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: :parrot:

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Agree with the above if you can find a way to make it work. Trade in the 110 for a 250. Swap out the Akito for a good Ittok. Linn maintained that the Akito (1) was superior to the Ittok. But the Ittok was out of production and all they had to sell you was the Akito! Guess what… :wink:

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Ittok ceased production in ‘93 so they overlapped about 4 years.

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This. The 110 is a wonderful amp. Keep it.

The Petites sound like a good suggestion.

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I ran mk1 Kan with NAP135s for a while and could happily go back there at some point in the future, it pushes your budget but may be just about feasible……

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Many thanks everyone, all great and inspiring suggestions. Some divergent opinions, but that is very welcome.

From the sound perspective, I like to connect with the music and hear what is going on. I don’t need to feel bass, but I like to hear it. My setup already sounds great to me, although I don’t know what I don’t know - can some changes give me more?

Streaming is interesting, as is CD, for a possible future step, but my focus is on getting the most out of the vinyl. I already stream and play CD via my laptop (as background music).

I had been thinking about a 250 (there’s a clue in my username), but not so sure any more, seems it would trade musicality for grip. Two 110s active is an interesting idea. Would two 135s be too much for the rest of the system?

I would love to go Ittok with MC cart, but I am really reluctant to drive 10 hours each way to an unknown (to me) Linn dealer, and risk undoing the great work done by Peter. I could fit a new cart myself, so an Adikt is interesting. Is an MC cart out of the question for the Akito (1)?

The Karousel upgrade was great for me, much more insight to the music. The Naim setup came after, starting with the 32/110, but the addition of the SNAPS amazed me. Would a HICAP give much more?

I have Kan stands, but can’t use them until some building work is finished. The Kans are S/N 32,215/6 - I guess more than 40 years old, so will they go the distance?

Seems there is a consensus on Naim speaker cables, but NACA4 or A5? New A5 x 6m runs would be £450, a big chunk of budget. I’m inclined towards A4, to be period correct, although black SNAICS were clearly better than grey, so maybe the same with A5.

If new speakers are needed, ProAc is not available here, but Neat, Spendor, and Graham are. Any experience with these? I was contemplating Spendor Classic 4/5.

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72/HiCap would be lovely…

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We’re all different and people experience music differently. Based on some of your comments I feel that we have slightly different preferences.

I’m thinking a serviced 250 is worth trying cos it sounds like you’d appreciate what it brings. But perhaps you should try a NAC 72 first. If you prefer the 72 to the 32 then go the olive route instead, with olive HICAP/250.

Your Kans have the original KEF drive unit which provides more bass than later Kan 1 revisions. They are the same time period as your CB amps.

An MC would provide more meat on the bones and even clearer sound, similar to a 250, but it does seem a bit wayward using an Akito 1 which are also prone to bearing issues over time. It might be worth looking at the TrigB metal body (IPT Audio) and a more expensive AT MM - that route would provide a more punchy/cleaner presentation (similar to an MC) and use the Linn 3-point fixing, so super easy for you to fit. Perhaps @Tenpercenter can comment as he’s done this, albeit on a non-Linn tonearm using RigB.

What iteration of 322 boards are in your NAC 32? The final 322/4 are well worth getting, although it might take you a while to find a pair. Send them to Class A for servicing if they haven’t been done. Another benefit of trying a NAC 72 first would be to get newer MM phono boards, so check what’s fitted. Early Naim MC boards still sound lovely in their own way but I think Naim MM design improved a lot during the 80s.

You should probably check the bearings in your Akito. I think you can do this yourself without removing the arm. Mine started to fail decades ago and I was always very careful with it - only a reputable dealer worked on the deck. If you need to replace your tonearm, then olive 72/HICAP/250 is probably out of reach based on your budget.

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IIRC, yes, because the early Akito was considered suitable for Linn K5 or K9 etc.

Can’t answer your other questions.

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Thanks Murmur for the considered replies, very kind of you.

Not heard of Trig-B before, I will investigate - could be a good route. Not sure of the MM boards beyond 322 - I guess I have to open the box to establish what I have. Good to know on the Kan drivers. I will see if I can check the Akito bearings, I hope they are ok!