What all-in-1 is better than a Linn Classik?

[Van Dessel]

Hi all,

I used to have the Gen 1 Classik back in 2003 for 3-4 years which I sold when I moved house.

Looking at new options like the Denon RCD-M41 I wonder if Hi-fi has moved on in the last 17 years that this would be a slam-dunk winner or if the Linn still has the class in 2021?

My sources are CD and radio and maybe a MM record player if I ever buy one.

I'm not adverse to separates but I really want a remote and I'd like to keep it below £1000.

Thanks in advance for any views or suggestions!

[Nick Pappagiorgio]

I can only probably help a little bit. I had a demo of a Classik thru some Kan speakers in around 2001 and was blown away, however I've stuck with a haphazard separates system since then. Have also been a bit annoyed by Linn dumping CD so soon so I'd never returned to thinking of an all-in-one

However I'd spotted this Technics all-in-one a couple of weeks back...
https://www.richersounds.com/technics-sc-c70mk2.ht...
...which seems to tick all the boxes and feels like what the Classik would be doing if it was still on the market. Is £800 normally but has a £200 cashback deal on at the mo

[JimPD]

Have a look at the Ruark R5.

https://www.richersounds.com/ruark-r5-walnut.html

I would highly recommend and seems to fit your needs.


See also this thread:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Edited by JimPD on Sunday 19th December 12:02

Edited by JimPD on Sunday 19th December 12:07

[Crackie]

Van Dessel said:

Hi all,

I used to have the Gen 1 Classik back in 2003 for 3-4 years which I sold when I moved house.

Looking at new options like the Denon RCD-M41 I wonder if Hi-fi has moved on in the last 17 years that this would be a slam-dunk winner or if the Linn still has the class in 2021?

My sources are CD and radio and maybe a MM record player if I ever buy one.

I'm not adverse to separates but I really want a remote and I'd like to keep it below £1000.

Thanks in advance for any views or suggestions!

Not an all in one but you mentioned not being adverse to separates. I think the best route to a genuine performance upgrade relative to the the Linn would be to go active.

These are now £300; when they were reviewed at £358 they were felt to be "a speaker that compares well with many of the more costly alternatives." https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/adam-t7v

To control the speakers, one of these https://www.richersounds.com/yamaha-network-stereo... Incredible spec for the money, flexible with the ability to accept analogue, digital, bluetooth, control network streaming and also be a multiroom hub too

It's always best to try and hear for yourself but in my experience it's hard to go wrong with Yamaha gear. Paired with the Adam TV7s, which have a huge number of glowing public and press reviews online, I think you'd be onto a real winner whilst still leaving over £400 to add the CD and radio sources.

I did have a quick look for an all in one analogue 'source' with a variable output i.e. CD / Radio / Preamp but ran out of time. Will have another look later.

Edited by Crackie on Tuesday 21st December 14:06

[Honk]

Would recommend Ruark too.

[Van Dessel]

Thanks all, very kind.

Ruark looks great and they have a superbe name in the business but at 52/53 cms wide it might be a deal-breaker for where I want to put it. Wife doesn't appreciate anything too technical or large in the kitchen (well except a huge stainless box with a E61 grouphead sticking out of it :-D)

I love those active speakers - I was actually very interested in ribbon speakers like the Quad S1/S2s, Blue Aura, Dynadio all for circa £499 - 699 but active means my source can just be a source and not amplification as well.

Cheers, that's good food for thought. Of course Adam make a TV8 as well a the 7 so that's even more "evaluation" to enjoy... :-D

I just wish there was somewhere to audition all of this at the moment..

[Dicky Knee]

I have one of these:

https://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-50831-...

Attached to these:

https://www.richersounds.com/dali-oberon-3-black.h...

Very happy with the set up. We mainly use it for streaming Spotify and for CDs.

Edited to add, looks like Richer Sounds have some packages such as:

https://www.richersounds.com/denon-ceol-rcd-n11-da...

Edited by Dicky Knee on Monday 20th December 15:54

[Crackie]

Van Dessel said:

Thanks all, very kind.

Ruark looks great and they have a superbe name in the business but at 52/53 cms wide it might be a deal-breaker for where I want to put it. Wife doesn't appreciate anything too technical or large in the kitchen (well except a huge stainless box with a E61 grouphead sticking out of it :-D)

I love those active speakers - I was actually very interested in ribbon speakers like the Quad S1/S2s, Blue Aura, Dynadio all for circa £499 - 699 but active means my source can just be a source and not amplification as well.

Cheers, that's good food for thought. Of course Adam make a TV8 as well a the 7 so that's even more "evaluation" to enjoy... :-D

I just wish there was somewhere to audition all of this at the moment..

The T8V is even better; I've suggested that model on a different PH thread previously. I just thought that the budget for the CD and radio sources might be a little tight compared to the T7V.

Here's a link to the reviews and measurement section on Adam's site. https://www.adam-audio.com/en/t-series/t7v/

Here's a link, and excerpt, from Sound on Sound's 8V review. The Event Opals, that the tester uses himself and compares the T8V favourably to, are currently £2700 a pair.

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/adam-audio-t8...

"Sonically these speakers give a very good account of themselves, especially given their position in the market, coming over as punchy, detailed and revealing, with no unforgivable vices. They also present a credible stereo image with a usefully wide sweet spot. In a slightly unfair comparison, my Event Opals produced a slightly tighter, more solid bass end and smoother highs — but they are also far more expensive. Importantly though, such technical imperfections as they do exhibit won't get in the way of their ability to help you produce a reliable mix. As with any monitor, you just need to take some time to get used to them. In context then, these are impressive little monitors that sit comfortably within ADAM's sonic orbit, and given their low price, they don't sacrifice nearly as much as you might imagine. There's also a two year warranty that extends to five years when you register your speakers with ADAM Audio."

[Kamkhgh]

Hello, I still own my Linn Classik that was previously paired with a pair of Linn Kans which unfortunately my younger children poked out the tweeters. They of course have grown up and recently I blew the dust off the old Linn Classik linking it up to a pair of Kef Q150 that I bought for a relative bargain price just before Christmas 2021 after the long Covid restrictions I wanted to hear my music loud at home rather than through my very capable Sony earphones.
The speakers took a fair amount of time running in and I have to say the sound from my Linn through the now well run in Kef Q150 is smooth, clear, 3 dimensional with a wide soundstage with plenty of detail perhaps not as bright or firward as the Linn Kans I previously had but the bass is taught and overall soundstage is impressive and all through Spotify on my Samsung Dolby Atmos phone played via Bluetooth to a BluHD receiver linked up via phono cables to the Linn.
The CD section on the Linn is another world stage of articulate detail and dynamics that the little Linn hasn't lost - still very impressive. I would need to spend perhaps £2k+ to get a similar sounding Amplifier such as the Cambridge CXA81 mated with the Cambridge AC35 CD player at £550 plus £250 interconnects totaling around £1900 this set up is pretty close and in some respects better in able to segregate the different frequencies and instruments but not by a significant amount which illustrates what British engineers and designers were capable of and also manufacturing it all at that time (mid to late nineties) in the UK.
When you open up the cover and see the quality of the components and the quality of layout it still blows away current designs despite the technology leap.
The Linn via the Kef Q150 is very musical and enjoyable to listen to and after owning it for 24 years that speaks louder than words at least for my ears.