Kan I ask a question?

My bet is that the hicap will greatly improve bass in your setup, even though the Ruarks "can't" do any more bass. If it doesn't, I'd suspect that some of the electronics need repair.

Phil

quote:

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and the Kans with stands were £350.

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So 15 years later the Kan is the equivalent of an £800 small loudspeaker.

If you treat it as such then you cannot go too wrong.

Paul

My stands look very much like the stands in Tony's picture except the front legs are sloped towards the bottom front. Does anyone know which brand they might be? Are they the same manufacturer as the Kan stand (whoever they might be). I failed to ask at the Linn dealer when I get my Tukans.

Thanks,

Dan

quote:

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My stands look very much like the stands in Tony's picture except the front legs are sloped towards the bottom front.

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They sound like the Sound Org ones - are they fully welded in construction? If you post a pic I would probably be able to identify them. I've never heard the Sound Org ones directly against Kan II stands, but I have certainly heard them sound good under Kytes.

Tony.

Hi Dan,

I guess you have Sound-Factory stands.
I had the same stands some years ago. They are also not welded, and look and sound very similar to Kan stands.

Greetings,
Alco

Alco,

That's them! Cool picture! Mine are not welded.

-Dan

FWIW I too have a pair of (black) Kans and I've always liked their sound - fast, punchy and verrrry rhythmic - great for parties unless you want shitloads of bass. They used to be my party speakers, in fact, until one of the drivers suffered one night, so now they're high up on the kitchen wall on wall brackets (purpose made for Kans but don't ask me who made 'em).

My Kans have always been happy on the end of my 32.5/160 which may in some gloriously extra-pecuniary possible future get hi-capped.

The new party speakers are Rega Juras which IMHO have quite a bit in Kan-common sound-wise plus a bit more to-boot-bass. Mind you I managed to blow both of their bass drivers at the second party after I gottem, so now it's nothing less than a 250 issuing the orders.

Rockin'-on Jim

quote:

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Originally posted by Jim Ashton:
wall brackets (purpose made for Kans but don't ask me who made 'em)

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Sound Organisation or Heybrook. The Heybrook ones were very slightly bigger as they were meant for HB2s, IIRC. Almost identical construction.

Best;

Mark

(an imperfect
forum environment is
better than none)

Hi Paul,

I also think they're a little overpriced, but imho it sure was worth it.
Most speakers work well on heavy (sand- or leadshot filled stands) but those kinda stands (like Atacama SE24's) will destroy the Kan's capabilities.

When I first got my Kan's I used some heavyweight (sandfilled) Target HR stands. It looks a lot better then the dedicated Kan stands, but...I wasn't prepaired for the (pleasant)shock that de Kan stands gave me.
On their own dedicated stand Kan's really come alive. They sound more open and much faster then on usual heavy stands.

btw: Also Pro-ject makes open-frame stands like the Kan stand, for 50% less, although their topplate doen't measure the exact Kan size.

So, personally... I would go for the real thing and get the Kan stands. (they come flatpacked and are easy to assemble)

Good luck.

Greetings,
Alco

Quote:

"There are a lot seriously good & expensive Naim systems out there that are connected to relatively cheap speakers. Like 52/SC/250/135 combo's playing through Kans and alike."

Yes, for the moment I'm using my 24 years old LS3/5A (Kan alike), bought for £140 in 1978, at the end of my source first Naim system.

Both me and my neighbours are happy!

JohanR

Well said. I also think the lack of ruthlessly revealing speakers on the market has more than a little to do with the prevalence of CD these days.

Regards
Steve

quote:

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Surely I have no problem with people who love Kans. So many people, so many tastes. But don't talk about "the unvarnished truth". There is no such thing in music reproduction.

---

I think this thread now actually has far more to do with system building than the specific components. I had a look at Richard’s profile as I was beginning to seriously question a lot of his points. Interestingly enough his system design is exactly the polar opposite of mine.

Richard has a CDX, mid level Naim amplification and very expensive Sonus Faber speakers (connected with a very expensive speaker cable!). I run a LP12 / home made PSU / Ittok / MC25FL / Microgroove into a Nait and Kans (with A5!). Until recently I owned a CDX, so am very aware of just how inferior it is to my current source. I would love to put these two systems up against each other! My money would firmly be placed on the LP12 based system. The more expensive speakers and amp simply can’t put back what is not there in the first place.

Tony.

quote:

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When I started taking this sickness, sorry, hobby more serious CD was already there and I simply never started with vinyl. To much of a hassle, to flimsy and to little software for it that is to hard to get

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I fully agree with you on this one, Richard.
Personally I love the sound of vinyl on a good deck and also I like the way some TT's look compared to most CD-players. (Incl: CDX)
(like the nice afromosia/cherry veneer on some LP12's)

But...the downside of vinyl is (at least here in Holland) that there's just too little new titels coming out! I don't like being forced to buy albums I normally (probably) wouldn't have bought on CD. (for the music)
I admit there's plenty of vinyl to find on the s/h market, but that's mainly old stuff(titels). Don't get me wrong, good music is timeless(!), but I don't like the idea of being forced to only buy albums that are more then about 10years old.
Just like the past 4 weeks, they had a (VERY) small LP/CD market in my town, but.....On a Wednesday (for Christ sake!)so I had to work that day!
I can buy new CD's wherever and whenever I want 24/7! Try that with vinyl.

Imho CD's are too expensice but I found out most new titels that come out on vinyl are even 100% more expensice then the same titel on CD!

So, I like the vinyl revival, and I love turntables and LP's, and maybe one day I will even buy a TT again and live with the downsides of TT's and LP's, but at this point, the music I like is more important to me than on what medium it is being reproduced...

Greetings,
Alco

[This message was edited by Alco on THURSDAY 15 August 2002 at 14:57.]

Alco,

You'll just have to move !

Being more serious, I don't have any problems getting new stuff on vinyl in Utrecht, in fact the selection of both new and second-hand vinyl is one of the best I have seen anywhere, including London.

Also in general second hand vinyl is considerably cheaper in the Netherlands than the UK.

Simon

quote:

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Also in general second hand vinyl is considerably cheaper in the Netherlands than the UK.

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O, I didn't knew that. I must admit the prices for s/h vinyl in Holland is very fair.

quote:

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I don't have any problems getting new stuff on vinyl in Utrecht, in fact the selection of both new and second-hand vinyl is one of the best I have seen anywhere, including London.

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In Utrecht that won't be that much of a Problem, but I live in Assen, where vinyl seems like something unknown from outer space!

I visit a Dutch audio Forum on a regular basis, and many forum-members there are also into vinyl, and they often tell me that there's still plenty of vinyl coming out.
They are right, but only if the music itself is less important. What I mean is: I did my homework and checked out somey WWW-sites where new LP's can be ordered.
Surely there are still "many" LP's coming out, but what the use if many of it isn't my taste ?!
(mainly dance,house,yazz,alt.pop,top-40)

So, if I wanna buy a (new) album, I'd like to get it wherever and whenever I want, and not constantly be dissapointed by the fact that (in 90%) it's not available on my choice of medium.

Same goes for SACD actually. There's only a handfull of SACD's available, So why would one bother to already buy a SACD-player.

I must admit that for vinyl lovers, Utrecht is one of the coolest places in Holland to live, when the Mega LP/CD market (biggest in Europe/World!) is organized!

Greetings,
Alco

Alco,

Yes your right about Utrecht, it really is a vinyl lovers paradise. I'm looking forward to the next big fair, it's in November I think. Going to be very dangerous to my bank balance though.

I get your point, if the music you want is only available on one format, then the availabilty of other formats becomes a complete irrelevance.

Simon