Briks Again

I'll try to send you some photos I have collected, but as for living harmoniously (at least in looks) forget it, they are HUGE, a bit like small telephone kiosks, with a WAF in the minus.

ZOb
So a comparing them in the same room would prove to be messy ! Could you give more detail

Paul,
I agree that they may seem less intrusive back against the wall. Is there anything on the rear stopping them going all the way back to the wall ?

Mick will be too polite and embarassed to give his opinion unless I press him to do so.

Mick (and Mrs Mick) listened to my circa 1980 PMS Bariks last weekend and were both very disappointed. (I wasn't selling them, so there was no pressure). Mick rang me afterwards to say he MUCH prefered his SBLs for a wide variety of reasons. He even, very kindly, suggested I try my Briks in his system (which we had previously planned to do)just to make sure it is the Briks, and not my black boxes that are at fault.

The Bariks did also sound lifeless to me as well as to Mick and it could be that 20 year old briks are just worn out. 'Buyer beware'.

Hopefully Mick will give his own views if he feels they will add value to this thread.

Cheers

Don

Ray

As Don said, Mrs Mick and I were invited to Don's house to listen to his Brik's because my son is forever ranting that they lack bass.

To put things into perspective, my son's idea of good music is for the windows to be blown out of their frames every time the drummer hits his stuff.

I listened to Don's system which is similar to mine and found the sound flat and lacking in detail.

On returning to my place, I played the same music and to paraphrase the ever eloquent Zob, the SBL's p****d over the bricks. He really should enroll in a charm school.

I suspect that these bricks which are 20 yrs of age are wearing out.

Don has been invited around to my place so as to connect up the bricks to my system to establish whether its the Briks that are knacked or if he has a defective black box.

I suspect it is the Bricks because his Wilson speakers sound good.

I must admit since the visit, I really do appreciate the SBL's because of their clarity and realistic bass. Mrs Mick also agrees that the SBL's are superb

I think Don summed things up with Caveat Emptor...let the buyer beware.

I bekieve, but not totally sure, that Linn no longer manufacture replacement parts for Briks, so if they go, you may have problems.

Regards

Mick

Describing the effect is difficult,but,think along the lines of what you feel like,when your system is "on-song" and you've had a couple of drinks,that feeling of physical and mental "exhuberance" that can get you "groovin' round the room" or playing Air-guitar solo's and the like.

It is like having this kind of feeling,without needing the alcoholic enhansement.

It's that involving !

Regards

Chris

(Please note,that these are only the second set of Bricks that I have ever heard,the only other examples were heard at the Last drop Village hi-fi show many years ago.)- They also sounded good.

Author: tf
Subject: Making the most of (and maintaining) your Briks

Being a Brik owner (and someone who has invested a lot of time and energy in
getting them to cream anything else I've listened to) I feel confident in
saying that Isobariks are still the finest of Linn's speakers (and that
includes the Keltiks). Briks are legendary, they have over the years garnered
a lot of fans and several pros I meet use them in preference to speakers
costing vastly more (and if they can afford to spend £8K-£10K on supports
they can afford more expensive speakers!). They are efficient too --
certainly that NAP180 will be fine with it. Linn Saras are a different
matter, but Briks are actually quite easy to drive with Naim Power amps --
despite the 12 drivers they use in a pair.
I prefer Isobariks *vastly* over all other new Linn speakers and I feel that
Naim's SBLs are just not in the same ballpark either, but it boils down to
how much effort you want to put into them to make the perform at their very
best. The downside is that Briks generate a lot of very low LF energy which
means it needs the use of proper supports.
The three types of official Linn Isobarik stand I have tried hamper the
Isobarik's performance (it's literally like driving with the handbrake on).
While they do a job - of sorts - Linn's stands are ultimately not good enough
and therefore Isobariks benefit from Custom Mana supports moreso than any
other component I know (next to possibly the LP12). Mana's supports are
approx £450 and they are money well spent - even if you got your s/h Briks
for less than that!
If you ever need new speaker drivers, Wilmslow Audio
(http://www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk) supplies replacement Hiquophon (older) and
ScanSpeak (newer) tweeters and bass drivers for the Isobariks. Other users
here recommend Naim specified ScanSpeaks (which have a modded rear panel and
are used in the SBL). They are slightly more expensive, but I have not
bothered since I have fitted new ScanSpeaks now and I like the sound to much
to dick about with another set -- maybe in a decade when these new tweeters
get shagged to bits.
Wilmslow now have a "near replacement" for the midranges too that should in
theory be better than the originals, but theory and practice rarely match up,
but I might try a few at some point). If the foam grilles are a bit rotten
now (they do tend to crumble away with age -- like the original IBL and old
old SBL grilles) you can get new Isobarik foam grilles from Wilmslow too
although I replaced all mine with a wooden frame and stretched some
"Lycra"-like material that Linn supplied over the frame... (The urge to use
"Zebra" and "Leopard" patterned Lycra was almost too great but in the end
Black prevailed!)
Custom Mana supports take the Isobarik into new realms of power and clarity.
They make Isobariks sound Active and they make active Isobariks sound like
what people were hoping for when they made them active in the first place!
Cable choice is always Naim NACA5 (I've tried others -- don't bother looking
its a fool's errand) and if your Briks use the 3-pin XLR sockets, try them
with and without the XLR sleeves... you may like the difference.
I find Briks are best placed right up against a wall, this is at odds with
Linn's suggestion of "a few inches away", but bass boom is too much of a
problem when pulling out (a room issue associated with using Linn supports
I'll grant you -- things operate by different rules when Mana Supports are
under them). Additional levels of Sound Stages under the Brik stands makes
them faster and more responsive. Phase 7 supports (Six Mana Sound Stages and
a Mana Isobarik Stand) under each Speaker will create a soundstage and
responsiveness (aka "speed") that you will not have dreamed possible.
Isobariks almost always don't like being right next to a wall... Close to the
back wall is fine, but side walls are a no no -- solution to this is to hang
curtains at the sides for a thrird (or a quarter of the total length of the
side wall)
If the treble is too harsh (if you have a bright room or if the briks are up
right up against plaster then a single square of tissue over the top tweeters
"softens" the upward impact of the treble before it diffuses off the rear
plaster wall... I recommend the more visually pleasing effect of hanging a
rug or tapestry behind the Briks - just above and slightly behind/below the
top of the Isobarik enclosure.
[Would you like to know more?]
The Mana forum at http://www.mana.co.uk/forum has quite a few users there
that have a lot of experience of using Isobariks on and off Mana supports.
Good choice BTW.
(http://conference.realwebsite.com/Forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=53587)

Hope this is helps!

As for best vintage, have a look at the earlier thread 'Best Briks'- lots of comments from owners, but my feeling is that the ones produced from '88 but before Dec '91 would be the ones I would go for, all other things being equal, but they are so hard to get hold of it may be worth buying older ones and replacing the drivers. The really old ones can sound tired. The brik stands from mana would be your next purchase according to almost everyone.

Two points really.

Both Don and I commented that the Briks seemed lifeless and that is more than likely due to their age. If indeed, this particular pair of Briks are tired, then I need to listen to another pair of Bricks for a true comparison. Hence Don's remarks, about buyer beware, there must be a lot of tired Briks out there.

Secondly, Pogs system must be in the top 1% of those on the planet and lets be honest, he could probably make it sound even better it he swapped the Briks for something else. I am not saying it would, but it is very probable.

I think the main thing is that most SBL's are in fairly good nick, mine are 1988 but with new drivers which are still available. You may find it harder to find a really good pair of Bricks.

There are loads of £500.00 pairs out there, which may or may not, be a bargin.

Visually I found the bricks ok but my listening room is 21ft x 13ft so is big enough to loose them.

I must admit I am more in love with the SBL's than ever before and I will concentrate my energies/time/money on boosting my power amps and possibly invest in a Fraim.

Regards

Mick

quote:

---

now if the rest of the household would get up I could put some records on

---

Amen to that! I am usually up around 5am, and have to fill the time on this forum, or playing Quake. Today I've done all that and have resorted to cleaning the house (just having a smoke and a coffee before I venture into the bathroom)It's especially irksome today as I have some warmed up shahinians on home loan that I'm itching to get aquainted with.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Don Atkinson:
The Bariks did also sound lifeless to me as well as to Mick and it could be that 20 year old briks are just worn out. 'Buyer beware'.

---

I'm told that the mid, and even the bass drivers are less likely to wear out than the tweeters. Replacing these (probably with Scanspeaks, since these are much cheaper than Hiquphons) could give a huge boost. Worked well on my 1987 pair (I used SBL ones). Treble still does not have the projection of the SBL or NBL, but it's pretty good.

Also, as has been said elsewhere, they can be a pig to get right. Took me a long time, and I've had to do a lot of tweaking (and especially having the kit serviced). I wouldn't have persevered through five years of pain (!) if I hadn't lucked into a superb setup when I first went active.

When they don't work, they can sound dull & lifeless one second, harsh at the next. Slow, thick bass. Superficial.

I still have a few bass problems, but a really well driven pair can be lyrical, powerful, rich, subtle. Still pretty flat-earth, though.

Thing is, they are horribly revealing of every deficiency in the driving system. Sorting out room problems may also be necessary.

I suspect that any 250-based system that extracts an excellent (tight, clean, powerful) performance from SBLs could do the same for Isobariks.

cheers, Martin

quote:

---

Originally posted by Martin Payne:
Replacing these (probably with Scanspeaks) ... I used SBL ones

---

Note - I would use stock Scans for speakers of this vintage, especially if using them passive.

quote:

---

I wouldn't have persevered through five years of pain (!) if I hadn't lucked into a superb setup when I first went active.

---

Just to clarify - I lucked into a great sound when I first went active 10 years or more ago.

Because of this, I knew that I just had to get things working well after we moved twice in three years, both times to difficuly rooms.

Servicing helped a lot, but there were many other issues also to be resolved, some of which were not possible in a rented house.

cheers, Martin

I brought the briks out of hibernation about a week before Mick listened to them but I didn't play them continuously for that week.

Perhaps they need more 'waking up'. Perhaps they need new tweeters. Perhaps the x-overs need servicing (eg are there any electolytic capacitors in there?).

Over 18 years, I found the best position for the briks in my room wer about 11 inches off the wall and 3 feet from the side walls and ever so slightly toed-in. Room size is 24 feet by 16 feet by 8 feet.

I would be interested in 'restoring' them. Do you know a trusty 'ear' that could identify what most likely needs to be done (this saves me replacing the four tweeters first, then the four mid-range units, then the four bass units, then the x-overs, then the wiring, then the cabinets - if you see what I mean!!! I recently changed the grills, so they should be ok)

Also, is the work reasonable straightforward. I understood that that the older Bariks were a devil to seal/reseal?

Any advice greatfully recieved

Cheers

Don

quote:

---

Originally posted by Don Atkinson:
Perhaps they need new tweeters. Perhaps the x-overs need servicing (eg are there any electolytic capacitors in there?).I would be interested in 'restoring' them.

---

I have suggested to a friend that he replaces the tweeters on his 19-year old pair. They do sound like they need it.

Brand-new Isobarik crossovers are still available for older variants (scan tweeters)! See Falcon Acoustics.

quote:

---

Do you know a trusty 'ear' that could identify what most likely needs to be done (this saves me replacing the four tweeters first, then the four mid-range units, then the four bass units, then the x-overs, then the wiring, then the cabinets - if you see what I mean!!! I recently changed the grills, so they should be ok)

---

Well, I guess the cabinets should be OK! I presume wiring would only need doing if you've replaced drivers so many times that they've become too short?

New bass & mid drivers are not directly available. Falcon reckon a Focal mid-unit may be OK. IIRC, Linn have told me that the B139 look-alike driver from the Keltic will work OK as a replacement. You'd have to check this with them.

Sorry, I can't point you to an Isobarik expert. Anyone else?

quote:

---

Also, is the work reasonable straightforward. I understood that that the older Bariks were a devil to seal/reseal?

---

I don't know how difficult it is to do, but apparently it is pretty crucial.

cheers, Martin