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Linn AV 51 System (SGHT Review)

Note: This review appeared in the February 1999 issue of Stereophile Guide to Home Theater (issue number 22) and is appearing here until SGHT completes its own Archives database.

Even before you listen, you can see that the Linn AV 51 has an attitude. It stares back at you with a smirk. It's not a defiant Robert DeNiro "You talkin' to me?" but more of a Jack Nicholson "Wait'll you get a load of this."

Everything about the system's appearance makes a strong, challenging design statement: the flared shape of the seamless, exquisitely veneered speaker cabinets (a rich American…

Linn AV 51 System (SGHT Review) Page 2

Despite its deceptively sparse exterior, the 5103 is an extremely flexible component with sufficient A/V inputs and outputs for most end users (with the exception of S-video connections as noted previously). The software-driven switching system is upgradeable through an RS-232 computer connector on the rear panel, and the unit accepts both analog and digital audio inputs, which can be linked to selected video input signals. In effect, the switching facility is a blank slate waiting for commands, which your dealer will configure to best serve your needs. And thanks to the well-written…

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The power
The 5105 stereo power amp is a wideband (2Hz—50kHz) dual-mono design: two separate amplifiers sharing the same chassis but isolated from each other and from ground. The circuit is direct-coupled and servo-controlled, meaning there are no potentially sound-degrading coupling capacitors in the signal path. A signal-sensing circuit automatically powers the amplifier from Standby mode.

In my review system the three-way 5140 front speakers were triamped, meaning that each woofer, midrange, and tweeter had its own dedicated channel of amplification. Of course, this requires three…

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The proof is in the listening
When the system was finally ready for listening, music came first. I don't remember what I played, but my first reaction was that it sounded rich and rhythmically lithe but dark. Given that most soundtracks are bright, voicing the system to be dark makes sense, but I had been assured the measurements would confirm "flat," not "dark." In any case, due to either break-in or adaptation, I stopped thinking of the sound as being dark almost immediately.

The first DVD I tried was Terminator 2. Thirty seconds into Linda Hamilton's opening narration, I knew I…

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A second opinion
I could go on raving about the sonic performance of the Linn AV 51 system. It does everything better than any other home-theater system I've reviewed. Given how much it costs, it damn well better.

My friend Gregg is a home-theater enthusiast. He's also a skeptic, but one who appreciates the finer things in life. After the Linn system had been installed, Gregg called.

"So, is it worth $27,000?"

"No comment," I said. "Come on over."

He did. He admired the AV 51's looks, but he was dead set against the possibility of its actually being worth the…

Linn AV 51 System (SGHT Review) Specifications

Specifications

AV 5140 front L/R speaker
Drivers: one 200mm rear-mounted doped-paper woofer; one 100mm carbon-loaded polypropylene midrange; one 20mm ceramic-dome tweeter
Enclosure type: front-ported reflex
Frequency response: 30Hz-20kHz, +/-3dB
Nominal impedance: 4 ohms
Sensitivity: 90dB/1W/1m (1kHz)
Minimum amplifier requirements: 60W into 4 ohms
Input connectors: single wiring, biwiring, or triwiring via bare wire or banana plugs
Dimensions: 38" x 9" x12" (HxWxD)
Weight: 47 lbs.
Finishes: black ash or American cherry
Price: $2795 each

…

Linn AV 51 System (SGHT Review) Review System

Review System

A/V Sources
Panasonic A-110 DVD player
Pioneer LD 606 LD player
Display:
ProScan PS32130 32" direct-view
Cables
Linn interconnects
Linn K-20 speaker cables (front channels)
Sumiko OCOS speaker cables (rear channels)
AudioQuest S-video cables
WireWorld Eclipse Gold and Silver digital cable
Miscellaneous
Audio Power Industries Power Wedge 116 line conditioner

Rega Brio integrated amplifier

You can read all about an automobile, check its gear ratios, and ponder the engine's horsepower all you want—but until you put yourself in the driver's seat and take that baby out for a spin, you have no idea whether or not it's going to be fun to drive.

I found that out in the early 1970s when one of my father's drinking buddies rashly decided to let me drive his (then) late-model Corvette unchaperoned. It was heavy, and an automatic (!) to boot, but despite its undeniable power, it just didn't excite me on the curvy Virginia back roads I subjected it to. My roommate's VW…

Rega Brio integrated amplifier Page 2

"It's very much like a valve amplifier: The distortion starts quite early, but it's totally second-harmonic and it happens in a smooth and very controllable manner. Once we discovered that, we worked on the design and managed to make it sound quite a bit better by taking a backwards step in technology: In theory, we should have used a nice little regulated power supply at one stage of the circuit, but we found a simpler diode produced much better sound."

With Spirit
I was expecting the Brio to sound good—I'd already heard it many times at Robert's house, after all—and it never…

Rega Brio integrated amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Solid-state integrated amplifier with phono section. Rated output power (RMS continuous at 1kHz): 30Wpc into 8 ohms, both channels driven (14.8dBW); 35Wpc into 8 ohms, one channel driven (15.4dBW). Line-level input sensitivity: 150mV. Phono input sensitivity: 4.2mV. Power consumption: 100W at maximum output.
Dimensions: 17.2" (437mm) W by 3.5" (89mm) H by 10.5" (267mm) D. Weight: 8 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 19943.
Price: $595 (1998). Approximate number of dealers: 130.
Manufacturer: Rega Research Ltd., 119 Park Street,…