Here’s another AXPONA exhibit room where YG Acoustics made its presence known–in the Linn and YG room. While listening to YG speakers in another room, Duncan Taylor asked me if I’d heard the set-up in the Linn room. I hadn’t, and I then asked Linn? He said IKR and we had that moment where we talk about how much we love Linn LP-12s and maybe some of the older two-way monitors, but the rest of the gear over the years has been on the bright and analytical side.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
Duncan told me no, these new Linn amps sound absolutely fantastic. When I entered the Linn and YG room, I almost didn’t recognize the amps–this is not the icy, sleek Linn style I’ve come to know. This was the US debut of the Linn Klimax Solo 800 monoblocks ($90K/pair), and while I’d think about changing the name, I wouldn’t change anything else. The sound was natural, clear and full of texture.
The system in the Linn and YG room was deceptively simple. The YG Acoustics Sonja 3.2 speakers ($99,000/pair) are exactly the same models I have in my review system right now. (I can vouch for their ability to do it all, and do it well.) Aside from the new Linn Klimax Solo monoblocks, the only other component in the room was the Linn Klimax DSM ($42,000), which does everything else. The DSM is a network streamer and DAC and preamplifier–Linn calls it an integrated preamplifier.
The Linn and YG system excelled at deep, powerful bass–yes, the same low frequencies I’m currently enjoying in my reference system, but I noticed something new with this system. The Linn and YG room had a large sweet spot, which is what happens when you use computer modeling and state of the art CNC machines to design waveguides, not to mention every other square inch of the product. I enjoy that sizable sweet spot at home, but not to this extent. I was impressed with the sound of the Linn and YG room, from nearly every spot in the room, and that’s when I knew Duncan was absolutely right about the Linn Klimax Solo 800s.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2024, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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