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Are Linn Kans and LS3/5As similar?

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ell, there's this, gleaned from another forum...

"The best way to get the grill off is a paint scraper or other big flat blade. Push a piece of thick card in the gap, to protect the wood, then the paint scraper. Just gently prize the grill up. The trick is to do it very slowly. It should lift without damaging the cabinet at all. "

...though there are those who would advocate a large hammer and a chisel. :p

Thank You for the method all done in a proper way.

But is only a half of the problem now I need to get inside the Kans and check what wrong with the speaker so I`ll waitng for the advises.
 
I quite like my Kan V's. :)

Pretty decent mids and highs if a little bright sometimes. I have them 10" off the back wall and the bass is sufficient - however I don't think anyone can expect them to do full scale Opera - they are what they are.

I've never really been blown away by the the Harbeth P3ESR's but they have rave followings.

The mk1 and 2 versions still seem to command quite a price! Not sure I'd pay £500 for a set!! :eek:

The P3ESRs are just plain accurate. They'll faithfully reproduce what's on the source material within the confines of their spec. Best near field monitor I've used. Less that great in larger rooms, obviously.

I've also had Edens and Kans. Edens are voiced a tad too bright for me, but are otherwise very good and a steal S/H. It'd be fun to take out the crossover of a pair and run them off a Linn Aktiv setup where the Treble gain can be tweaked.

Kans can sound bloody amazing in the right room. In most they will sound very thin indeed. I've had a pair from '79 and a pair from '86 and the later pair were by far the better speakers. I haven't heard LS3/5as.
 
What seems to be wrong with the Kans?

Thank you for the feedback. There is no sound from the woofer and I'm trying to findout what is wrong. I think it can be damaged during the transportation. The grill is removed and all drivers in pristine condition so I have to go deep but I don't know how to do it.
 
@Ugly Tuco

If you send to me your e-mail address via 'Start a Conversation' (click user name or avatar on the left), I will forward to you a copy of the Linn Loudspeaker's Service Manual which includes detailed steps as to how to get the bass/mid driver out without damage to either it or the cabinet. There is a lot of other useful troubleshooting and version info contained within as well.

It is a bit light on crossover servicing when it comes to Kan/Kan II, but I can walk you through removal of same and basic troubleshooting should that prove necessary.
 
A few 'pre-surgery' questions/suggestions that come to mind:
  1. Do you have the rear sockets tool that originally came with for the purpose of removal/replacement of the bi-wire link plates? Are all four socket nuts tight?
  2. Can you hear anything rattling/knocking around from within whilst handling the speaker enclosure? Try vigorously shaking it to and fro whilst listening out for noise.
  3. If you gently and evenly push the bass/mid cone straight inward, does it travel freely and return to rest? Without any scraping noise?
  4. If yes to the above, if you gently tap one side edge of the bass/mid cone with the pads of three or four fingers, like on the edge of a bongo drum, do you feel/hear scraping and/or a metallic like tapping sound? Try this test all round the clock, through 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, etc. positions.
 
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What is the best way to get inside the speaker? Should I remove the woofer or should I remove the whole panel?

You will need a claw hammer and a large guage, preferably short, self-tapping screw. Remove woofer screws. Insert the self tapper far enough so that it engages with the driver fixing hole. Place a piece of card or something between the hammer and cabinet, and lever the screw head up. You may have to repeat on the opposite side of the driver.
 
You should remove the woofer, then tweeter and then place them for sale as replacements for LS3/5A's or JR149's. The cabinets can be used for indoor plants.
 
I bought a pair of very old Kans ( with broken tweeters and damaged cabinets ) just for the B110s. The seller wanted the crossovers when I’d finished removing the ‘110s.
Removing the Kef drivers was difficult, to say the least. After removing the retaining bolts the ‘110s wouldn’t move.
I ended up sawing up the cabinets and front baffles, in the process finding the drivers were held in with silicone rubber solution.
I did manage to release the ‘110s from the chipboard and clean off the silicone.
What a process. I vowed never to work on Linn Kans ever again...
 
You will need a claw hammer and a large guage, preferably short, self-tapping screw. Remove woofer screws. Insert the self tapper far enough so that it engages with the driver fixing hole. Place a piece of card or something between the hammer and cabinet, and lever the screw head up. You may have to repeat on the opposite side of the driver.

Thank you for the help. I have done it very carefully with the big screwdriver and the plastic card. There is no damage on the cabinet.
 
I can't speak for other kans but my mk2 were only harsh when used with some Naim amps (42 102 180). With the Onix OA21 they were fine but seriously lacked bass and needed a subwoofer to fill out the low end.

That's true, never worked well with my 42/140, but when converted to active with 4 x 135 clones they were bloody marvelous!
 
The P3ESRs are just plain accurate. They'll faithfully reproduce what's on the source material within the confines of their spec. Best near field monitor I've used. Less that great in larger rooms, obviously.

I've also had Edens and Kans. Edens are voiced a tad too bright for me, but are otherwise very good and a steal S/H. It'd be fun to take out the crossover of a pair and run them off a Linn Aktiv setup where the Treble gain can be tweaked.

Kans can sound bloody amazing in the right room. In most they will sound very thin indeed. I've had a pair from '79 and a pair from '86 and the later pair were by far the better speakers. I haven't heard LS3/5as.

Interesting that you haven’t heard LS3/5as. I have owned Audiomasters, Falcons and Harbeths but prefer the Harbeth P-ESRs and agree with what you say about them.
Having said that, the Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a V2 is very good indeed.
I heard Kans once ( on a well set up Naim system ) and didn’t like them at all.
 
In some ways, yes, but maybe not for the reasons you think! They are used in studios as nearfields mainly for sheer consistency - they are the one thing a visiting engineer, producer, band etc can expect to be there, a point of familiarity in a unknown monitoring environment. They are bass-light and over-bright (I’m convinced they are actually a wall-proximity speaker like the larger NS1000!) and are used to give a good indication how a mix will sound on a compromised domestic audio system. They are not really a quality reference. The LS3/5A is. It was designed for BBC broadcast monitoring in space-constrained locations, outside broadcast vans etc.

PS I’d actually really like to hear a pair of NS10Ms sitting on a good heavy pair of Target R1 stands close to a wall in a good hi-fi system. I bet that response would flatten out very substantially!


Mentioned this before and this came direct from one the people who designed the NS10. They were designed to sit against a wall and be used at low volumes in conjunction with an amplifier's "loudness" button in the active position. It was a specific design aimed at the Japanese market and never really intended for export. Engineers used to descend into virtual fist fights over what was the best "tissue paper" to drape over the treble units and their rise to prominence was almost wholly down to a single person. Had that person been British then, there's a good chance the AR18 would be today revered as the NS10 is, as that was the British equivalent.
 
Mentioned this before and this came direct from one the people who designed the NS10. They were designed to sit against a wall and be used at low volumes in conjunction with an amplifier's "loudness" button in the active position. It was a specific design aimed at the Japanese market and never really intended for export. Engineers used to descend into virtual fist fights over what was the best "tissue paper" to drape over the treble units and their rise to prominence was almost wholly down to a single person. Had that person been British then, there's a good chance the AR18 would be today revered as the NS10 is, as that was the British equivalent.

The NS10 was a colored speaker from the beginning, whatever the make of tissue paper used.
It became a rather revered speaker by some sections of the audio community, whatever its perceived
qualities.
I have no problem with other people’s choices of speaker.
If some like it, no problem...
 


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