OK, I promised to go out and listen to both Naim and Linn systems. I heard a NAIM system whose retail cost is about $11,000 and a Linn one of about the same cost on the same day within minutes of each other with the same music material.
The Naim sounded very much like the "feeling" of live orchestral music. Not the same dynamic range, but the over all tonal balance and character of acoustic instruments in a real space was captured quite well. No spatial or visual ability at all. I believe imaging is not even on the list of goals at Naim.
The Linn system sounded just horrible. Sorry to say this, but it sounded worse than a well set up mid-fi system (second system) I have at home. The Linn system sounded splashy, fatiguing, terribly out of balance with itself, poor bass, confused midrange, etc. I chalk this up to poor room conditions and inattentive setup by the dealer. A much cheaper Musical Fidelity and Dynaudio monitor-based system at the same dealer sounded embarrassingly better. I only report what I heard.
I am sure Linn makes very good gear. I have heard other Linn stuff on other occasions and they did NOT sound as bad. If fact they sounded quite subdued and polite--a la typical English stereotypes.
As for Linn speakers taken out side of a Linn system context, I would like to try them out. There are just so few opportunities to do this.
Back to Naim. I noticed that lots of audio folks get Naim electronics but pair them with non-Naim speakers. If I had to guess, I would say this is so that the listener can get some imaging going with all the Naim musicality thrown in. Naim and Spendor seem to be popular with the Art Dudley - Listener Magazine group.
This recent experience and others in the past lead me right back to where I have been spending most of my efforts: tubed pre- and power-amps, efficient speakers, and an turntable front end. This, to me, represents the cheapest, most direct way to get to the most realistic and gratifying musical experience from reproduced sound.
The Naim sounded very much like the "feeling" of live orchestral music. Not the same dynamic range, but the over all tonal balance and character of acoustic instruments in a real space was captured quite well. No spatial or visual ability at all. I believe imaging is not even on the list of goals at Naim.
The Linn system sounded just horrible. Sorry to say this, but it sounded worse than a well set up mid-fi system (second system) I have at home. The Linn system sounded splashy, fatiguing, terribly out of balance with itself, poor bass, confused midrange, etc. I chalk this up to poor room conditions and inattentive setup by the dealer. A much cheaper Musical Fidelity and Dynaudio monitor-based system at the same dealer sounded embarrassingly better. I only report what I heard.
I am sure Linn makes very good gear. I have heard other Linn stuff on other occasions and they did NOT sound as bad. If fact they sounded quite subdued and polite--a la typical English stereotypes.
As for Linn speakers taken out side of a Linn system context, I would like to try them out. There are just so few opportunities to do this.
Back to Naim. I noticed that lots of audio folks get Naim electronics but pair them with non-Naim speakers. If I had to guess, I would say this is so that the listener can get some imaging going with all the Naim musicality thrown in. Naim and Spendor seem to be popular with the Art Dudley - Listener Magazine group.
This recent experience and others in the past lead me right back to where I have been spending most of my efforts: tubed pre- and power-amps, efficient speakers, and an turntable front end. This, to me, represents the cheapest, most direct way to get to the most realistic and gratifying musical experience from reproduced sound.