Opinions needed 62/140 vs Linn wakonda/LK85

Go for a 72 and 140 much better!

But if you complaint about the top end then you may think about changing your cdp form a Naim one!

Bernard Paquet

Go for the best Naim amp you can afford. If this is the 62/140 you will have a fine amplifier. Anything more will be even better.

I have yet to hear a Linn amp I would be happy purchasing. I believe they lost the plot many years ago and their recent products are dissapointing to say the least.


Regards

NB

Can any one comment on the performance of high end and more demandingdynamic passages vereses the NAIT.

I agree the 72 may be better, but man, all of the NAIM dealers in Ontario have dropped the line. So I really can't compare. I have seen a 72 for $400 US (about $700 CAN delivered). But the 62/140 will be a set.

I certainly like the idea of the hicap over the extra 1000 for the LINN gear but the Naim gear that might be available, will only be available because the guy bought LINN as an upgrade.

I will be able to audition both in my home for a short period like over night but probably not both at the same time.

maybe if the set is the right price I can dump the 62 for a 72? What is an approximate price for this equipment in perfect shape and all boxes/manuals with Grey interconnects in North america?

Thanks a million for all your posts it certainly gives me more confidence in the NAIM over LINN debate.

To be blunt, before upgrading your amps you should be looking at better front ends. I've no idea what your speakers are.

Take the polarised opinions about Linn amps expressed here with a huge pinch of salt. Or try asking the same question on the linn@topica.com list...

Anyway you should be able to demo the suggested Linn combo against your existing Nait and see what you like/don't like. Try throwing a Linn Genki/Naim CD5 into the mix if possible, and perhaps the current new Naim equivalent (102/150?)

You won't find NAC62/NAC72 in dealers except as trade-ins because they're out of production, and have been for some time. This isn't a bad thing since it makes them excellent value for money.

Of course, you knew in advance that you'd get a biased answer from the Forum members! So, no surprise our recommendations are tending towards the Naim side of things.

However--

It is not clear to me if any of those who have responded on this thread have actually done the comparison and listened for themselves. Have you done the demo? What did you think? You say you think the 62/140 is a bit harsh on top. Fair enough. Can you add in a hicap and repeat the demo? This would put the two systems on more of an equal footing, money-wise, and be more fair...

So, while I would also counsel the 72/140 (or, I suppose 62/140) I have to admit I've not been able to do a direct comparison, in fact, have not heard Linn amps in years. The ones I did hear years ago I found boring enough that I, in effect, turned that page and moved on. The fact that I am so biased would seem to weigh heavily on discounting my opinion, so it might to those others posted above...

Listening for yourself is the only answer...


Markus

Ken,

Look on audiogon, there is another Candian selling a 72... you can bargain with him, i'm sure

Bernard Paquet

I need to clarify that I have not heard any of the equipment.

I will be able to hear them before I buy but I want to be a bit informed before bargaining.

I have Meadowlark Kestrel Hot rod speakers. I believe they have modified VIFA drivers.

These pieces are through a dealer who originaly sold them but he is not a NAIM dealer any more, only LINN noww, so not much to compare until they come in as a trade.

My problem is that the NAIT is not that clear on demanding passages and percussion such as a cymbal crash. Would a 62/140 be a lot cleaner in that specific circumstance? I kind of feeal that $1200 canadian would be a good deal but $1500.00 may be too high.

The 62/140 will only be sold as a set so a 72 is not in the short term an option.

I don't really know the Naits, but I never warmed up to either the 2 or the 3. My first Naim was a 62 (in a 42.5 box)/140, and it was GREAT!

One day I was captivated by a cj PV10 and Premier 11 (3x the cost of the 62/140). I thought I'd be disappointed when I got home. Nope. The 62/140 sounded great at home.

But a hicap will definitely provide more dynamics. BTW, my experience waith a 72/140 was that loud complex passages were unlistenable except with the best source material. A 62/140 was far more listenable IMO. The 72/hi/140, however, is in a completely different league than a 62/140 or 62/hi/140.

The 62/140 is also in a different league than the Linn amps I heard - music vs. hifi.

Let us know what you choose. If you choose the Linn, I'll question your ears and your taste, but not your humanity. :-)

But this is all opinion....

Regards.

Phil

Ken,

I think you need to look to your sources, at least have a demo of various better CDPs before upgrading your amp. Possibly also confirm by competitive demonstration tha tyour speakers are as good as they sound.

(I know your amp is good, I've no idea about the speakers, 'source first' assumes an essential goodness at the delivery end)

Paul

Comparing a 92/140 to a 72/hi/140, I believe you will experience:

deeper, tighter, more tuneful bass
cleaner mids and highs
better coherence across the frequency band
better dynamics
less congestion in loud complex passages
and a whole bunch of other stuff that adds up to
... much better music.

But a 42-62-92/140 is really good.

Phil

Well I wasn't prepared for the difference in the sound from compared to the NAIT2. Detail and bass to die for. But it seems a bit too much on the top.

It's either bright or lacks coherency or maybe focus is the word, except on really well made recordings on which it is beatiful and wonderful sound. It has some balls/punch too but without loosing clarity.

Ihave only listened to 2 songs on the NAIT and need to asses the comparison more. It is a tough decision whether to keep the 62/140 or look at a vecteur, Mystral se or maybe a UNICO which I heard a great demo of. The mystral is purely on hearsay at this time.

I also can run a separate mains for the set up but it may be a few days before I get to it. Something about turning all the power off at night and still seeing what I am doing.

Maybe a power supply would work but that I would need to source used in the future.

Thanks

Ken

From a strict source first perspective this may imply that the Linn kit is better and showing up the deficiencies of your source...

Paul

Well I have demoed the Linn Wakonda/LK85 and initially I thought it was really good but after a while I found the base particularly soft making it sound sloww but it was really the initial attack being soft. It had better weight than the naim 62/140 and good voices with a smooth open presentation tht was very tempting. I will even say if you play louder than it is definately better than e naim.

I have ugraded my mains supply since the first demo of the 62/140 and that made a huge difference on my nait2 and the 62/140. Smoother and more open without loss of speed or detail.

As a side comment,dedicated mains, is an absolute must do or you just waisted your money. Yep, that good more detail smoother sound and the cymbals really shimmer now.

So I took the Linn back even though it was very enjoyable and relaxing and now I am finding the naim much better overall except for playing loud which I dont do often but 70's rock just begs to be played loud.

Any way, it seems that I can spend the savings on other upgrades like black snaic, interconects and a power supply Which one I don't quuite know.

I might still try a vecteur integrated at home because I can and also a unico. I wish I could try the mistral integrated but no dealers in Canada. Any thoughts on those products?

BTW I find that a parasound phono is much better than the 62's built in phono.

OK bed time now see you all later.

Ken

Ken--

Get the 62/140, add a Hicap, a black SNAIC, and forget about everything for a while. With a Hicap the 62/140 will play louder much more cleanly, which will show the Linn combo a clean pair of heels. And the Hicap will transform the phono section of the 62--make sure you have the correct cards.

I wouldn't bother with a Mistral--it's OK, but your Nait is already better. And you will want to look at upgrading your sources. . .

Best,

Bob

The phono card is what ever came in 1988/89 when the pre-amp was made.

I must admit for the money, the parasound phono is a great purchase. I am very happy with the sound. I originaly tried this out of desperation because my LP's using the NAIT had no life. I mean really dull sounding. The 62 phono is better by far but still not as dynamic and sweet as the parasound.

Thanks for all your help,

Ken

FWIW, I believe you made the right choice vs the Linn gear. The Wakonda was a very disappointing bit of kit. The later Kolector is much more musical for just over half the price of the Wakonda.

From what you've written, it seems to me that the Nait2 is having a hard time driving the speakers. If it sounds great at low volume but gets confused and harsh when you turn it up, this is a classic symptom of a Naim amp finding it tough going. The 140, with half again the power, is capable of handling the load more easily and so it takes more abuse to make it shriek at you.

Going forward, in my view, you'd be better off staying with the grey lead and saving for a hicap. If you really have £200 burning a hole in your pocket at the moment, you should check the age of the 140. If it's 10 years old (check with Naim), you'd be better off sending it to Naim for recapping than getting a black lead in my view.

The effect a hicap has is really quite astounding. The 140 will not be powering the preamp. This will give it more reserves to control the speakers. Also, the preamp will have much better regulation since the hicap provides such a good supply to the preamp. This has benefits in terms of lower noise floor, cleaner signal, better grip and better timing. You may find that the Parasound still sounds better, but you may not! It may still have the better resolution, but the 62's boards may turn out to be more fun - worth a check.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Finally decided to keep the 62/140. I will be looking for a hi-cap now and deciding if I should keep the NAIT2 for my bedroom or computer. Or, just sell it to finance the Hi-Cap.

How much are black snaics? Also, hw much are real NAIM interconnects?

Ken

Hi Ken,

congratulations on joining the club!

Is it a chrome-bumper or a later olive-green setup? I actually have a combination, my 62 & 110 are both chrome-bumper, and my hicap is of the olive variety.

I upgraded to black snaics a few months ago - IIRC the price was around £60 per lead, I needed both a 4pin and 5pin to connect my 62 - hicap-110.

I did try to go back to the grey ones a couple of weeks ago, and was horrified at how constricted and harsh the music became!

A friend of mine just got himself a 62 - 90. I loaned him my hicap (just for an afternoon - I can't bear to be separated from it for very long ) - he couldn't believe the difference.

The hicap makes all the signs of stress and strain (particularly at higher volumes) vanish, leaving it sweet and clean, dynamics are also improved - I guess this is all due to the pre-amp supply just not being degraded/polluted by the much higher current demands of the poweramp stages.

So based on my experiences - I'd highly recommend both the black snaics and the hicap - if you also go on to 'do' the mains stuff (dedicated spurs etc. as discussed all over this forum!) you will experience a real transformation, the dynamics, sweetness etc will 'perk up' amazingly...

It's what 'sistems' are all about...

good hunting!
Chris

Linn amps are good, but I found them a less engaging listen than Naim Amps.

As regards to a hicap, that would be a wise move as it will bring out the best in the 62.

I use a 72/hicap/140 combination in my second system and I'm very happy with it.