Linn Katan Bookshelf Speakers, Pair — Cherry, Made in Scotland

A pair of Linn Katan bookshelf loudspeakers in cherry, built in Glasgow, Scotland.

Radique’s Take

Mark: “Absolutely gorgeous speakers. They are fantastic — some of my favourite in this form factor.”

A cherry pair of the model that came just before these went home with us last winter to a customer whose name a good many of you would know — bought as a gift, and the report back was that they were thoroughly loved.

Linn is one of those names that does not come up often in used listings on this side of the Atlantic, and when it does the speakers tend to be gone quickly. The Katan is a small two-way that the company designed to work either as an ordinary passive loudspeaker or, if you ever go down that road, as part of a Linn active system. Linn has never made a cheap speaker.

What makes it good

The tweeter is a 19mm dome built around a neodymium magnet, and it is the single biggest reason the Katan is held above the Tukan that came before it — owners who moved between the two consistently describe a cleaner leading edge and better timing. Below it sits a custom 160mm polypropylene bass and midrange driver on a die-cast chassis with dual field-shaping magnets, which is a serious amount of engineering for a cabinet this size.

The result is a speaker that plays well above its dimensions. Reviewers and owners return to the same words: tuneful, uncoloured, quick, with a soundstage far larger than a box this small suggests. It lets a recording sound like itself rather than imposing a character on everything. Placed roughly four inches off the wall the bass tightens up nicely, and these reward careful positioning more than most compact speakers do.

Worth being straight about the character: the Katan is a refined, nuanced speaker rather than a loud one. At high volume it tightens up and would rather you did not. For the listening most people actually do, that is no limitation at all.

The binding posts

These are unusual and worth a look. Rather than conventional screw terminals, the Katan uses Linn’s own recessed socket arrangement, which accepts banana plugs directly. It is a tidier and more secure connection than a binding post, and it is part of how the speaker was designed to be reconfigured for active operation with Linn amplification. Most people will simply plug in and enjoy them, but the capability is built in.

They are also fully magnetically shielded, so they can sit beside a television or a computer without any interference.

Amplification

Linn rates these at a minimum of 30 watts into 8 ohms. At 85 dB sensitivity they are not especially efficient and they do reward a capable amplifier — this is a speaker that gives back what you put in front of it.

Condition

Both cabinets present beautifully and the cherry has held its colour. One is Very Good. The other carries a light mark on the front face and a small light scratch on the top of the cabinet; both have been touched up and neither is prominent — you would have to be looking. We are noting them for the sake of being thorough rather than because they detract from what is a genuinely handsome pair.

A few relevant specifications:

A properly special small speaker from a company that has never made an ordinary one, in a finish that suits it.

Available for pickup in Kanata, or shipped across Canada and internationally — we have sent equipment to fifteen countries in the past year, each piece packed in-house in 275 lb test double-wall boxes. Live shipping rates for your address are calculated at checkout. Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Available for audition by appointment in Kanata.

Linn Katan Specifications

• Two-way bass reflex bookshelf loudspeaker, sold as a pair
• Tweeter: 19mm (0.75″) dome with neodymium magnet
• Bass/midrange: 160mm (6.3″) polypropylene cone, die-cast chassis, dual field-shaping magnets
• Frequency response: 75 Hz to 20 kHz, ±3 dB
• Sensitivity: 85 dB/W/m at 1 kHz
• Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
• Minimum amplifier power: 30 W into 8 ohms, 60 W into 4 ohms
• Fully magnetically shielded
• Recessed banana-socket terminals; factory-ready for Linn active operation
• Finish: cherry
• Made in Glasgow, Scotland
• Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 6.7 x 13.4 x 9.1 inches (170 x 340 x 230 mm)
• Weight: 13.2 lbs (6 kg) each

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