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Thread: Linkwitz LXmini

  1. #1
    Join Date: Sep 2011

    Location: County Durham, UK

    Posts: 151
    I'm Gordon.

    Default Linkwitz LXmini

    I've finally got around to building some Linkwitz LX Mini's.

    I was originally going to build them from scratch, but found that getting the US size Schedule40 pipe was quite expensive in the UK due to minimum length requirements. Buying the kit from MagicLX in Germany was almost the same price so I opted for that. It's a nice kit with everything cut very precisely. I decided to go with a modern hi-tech look and wrapped the white plastic with 3M carbon fibre vinyl, mimicking the woven upper driver. 3M carbon fibre vinyl is pressure sensitive, so fairly easy to position before fastening down. Micro holes help to ensure that any bubbles are easy to remove. MagicLX's spacers hold the upper drive in place, rather than the screws used in Siegfried Linkwitz's original plans and make for a neater build. They also groove the base so all driver wires are hidden. A single Neutrik SpeakON connector fits neatly into the base. Like all Linkwitz's speakers they are active so I use Canare 4S11 star quad cable.

    So, how do they sound - like all of Linkwitz's designs they major on imaging. They're an interesting design with a polar pattern that starts off in the lower frequencies as an omni, becoming cardioid through the crossover region and dipole at the top end. Useful output down to 45Hz. They can also be used with the bass modules from my LX521s to become LX Mini Studios. This frees up the small upward firing woofer, increasing dynamics and enabling them to play much louder. They are very similar tonally to the LX521.

    What Siegfried Linkwitz has done with a pair of inexpensive drivers and a couple of pieces of plastic tube is amazing. They are quite special.








  2. #2
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Wow, what a funny old world. Just before I bought my speaker, I was looking at these. Tom Christiansen of Neurochrome demoed his 686 amps with a set of these. They did have meaty subs to help them out a bit though.

    Great build, love the carbon look. Well done.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: West Sūžsēaxe

    Posts: 2,015
    I'm Edward.

    Default

    These look very interesting Gordon. Top class build.

    How are you managing the crossover given that these speakers are active? Is it electronically via JRiver (as we discussed ages ago) or some other method? What amp(s) are you using to drive these?

    Edward
    Current: [P20] Roon/Tidal > Custom PC> Chevron Paradox NDF16 > Phast Pre > Neuro. 686 > Tannoy Berkley (RFC tweaks)


  4. #4
    Join Date: Sep 2011

    Location: County Durham, UK

    Posts: 151
    I'm Gordon.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bigman80 View Post
    Wow, what a funny old world. Just before I bought my speaker, I was looking at these. Tom Christiansen of Neurochrome demoed his 686 amps with a set of these. They did have meaty subs to help them out a bit though.

    Great build, love the carbon look. Well done.
    Yes, I was aware that TC has a pair...in fact he has been contributing refinements to a new active x-over configuration for the LXmini on the OPLUG (Linkwitz) forum. It puts less stress on the two drivers, although the cardiod response in the crossover region is now shorter....trade offs as usual in this hobby. Still, it enables them to go louder and still retain that magical imaging. But as you say to maximise what they can do a good sub is required. I do prefer them with the LX521 bass units, although any good sealed sub (or two) would work fine I think.

    TC is a brilliant designer and you have got yourself a very fine amp there.

  5. #5
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Halfway Tree View Post
    Yes, I was aware that TC has a pair...in fact he has been contributing refinements to a new active x-over configuration for the LXmini on the OPLUG (Linkwitz) forum. It puts less stress on the two drivers, although the cardiod response in the crossover region is now shorter....trade offs as usual in this hobby. Still, it enables them to go louder and still retain that magical imaging. But as you say to maximise what they can do a good sub is required. I do prefer them with the LX521 bass units, although any good sealed sub (or two) would work fine I think.

    TC is a brilliant designer and you have got yourself a very fine amp there.
    Thank you, and I agree lol.

    Yes, he's a very Knowledgeable bloke and the results of his work are here for anyone that would like to hear it.

    Stunningly good. Pre and power

  6. #6
    Join Date: Sep 2011

    Location: County Durham, UK

    Posts: 151
    I'm Gordon.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Edward View Post
    These look very interesting Gordon. Top class build.

    How are you managing the crossover given that these speakers are active? Is it electronically via JRiver (as we discussed ages ago) or some other method? What amp(s) are you using to drive these?

    Edward
    Thanks, Edward.

    I'm using my old MiniDSP 2x8 at the moment (same board as their current 4x10HD) as configuration files for the LXmini are available for that DSP unit. That's feeding my Nakamichi AVP1s (a couple of channels on each amp). This leaves the other channels on the Nakamichi's for my Maggie 2.5R's so no cable swapping.

    I have built the required eq and x-overs in JRiver's DSP and they sound fine, but I haven't done any measurements in REW yet to verify that the transfer function is identical to the MiniDSP configuration. Unfortunately MiniDSP and JRiver do not use the same definition for Q so you can't just copy the same settings from one DSP to the other. Sounds more complex that it really is and there are a couple of online algebra calculators to do the heavy maths.

    Using JRiver's DSP I send everything through my Mytek 8 channel DAC and then to my Apollon NC8350 8 channel amp

    However, for people that might want to stay in the analogue domain Nelson Pass has developed a really nice analogue active x-over for the LXmini.

  7. #7
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: West Sūžsēaxe

    Posts: 2,015
    I'm Edward.

    Default

    Phew, massive amount of useful info there Gordon. As you know I played around with electronic crossovers (using Roon), your setup is definitely a direction worth exploring further.

    Would love to hear your setup some day.

    §
    Current: [P20] Roon/Tidal > Custom PC> Chevron Paradox NDF16 > Phast Pre > Neuro. 686 > Tannoy Berkley (RFC tweaks)


  8. #8
    Join Date: Dec 2018

    Location: London

    Posts: 182
    I'm Greg.

    Default

    They look really cool!

  9. #9
    Join Date: Sep 2011

    Location: County Durham, UK

    Posts: 151
    I'm Gordon.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gregje View Post
    They look really cool!
    Thank you!

    They sound even better than they look, but then I'm a bit biased towards Linkwitz' designs.

    Here's what Herb Reichert from Stereophile had to say at the RMAF Show in 2014.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Dec 2018

    Location: London

    Posts: 182
    I'm Greg.

    Default

    I've been tempted sometimes by these. But I wouldn't want to splash out money without hearing them somewhere.
    Again yours look superb!

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