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Submitted by
ThreeDogNight
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: July 17, 2012
Bottom Line: I bought a used Linbrook Signature set of speakers about two years ago due to the reviews I read. It is now time to give my review back to the community. The Signatures have 5 drivers instead of 3 drivers in the system II (2@8", 2@7" and tweeter all made by Seas). I must say that I have been very impressed with the overall sound of these speakers. At an audio show recently, I heard a 68 K set of Tidal speakers hooked up to about at least 100 K of electronic equipment (the dealer said the tape deck was 20K!) and while they were better sounding, it was not by a lot. By the way, I almost fell over when the sales guy said with a stright face that the speakers cost between 54-68 K depending on finish. I thought when I was listening maybe 20K-30K would be the price, in line with Revels and B&Ws, which I have also demoed finding both very good, but I found them both to be shall we say analytical. There are speakers out there for everyone's budget and individual taste preference. The highs of the Tidal speakers were a little cleaner, the lows were slightly tighter and faster, they had a warm natural feel and the finish was finer than the Ty's speakers. Was the difference in sound because of the electronics or the speakers? Having said that, the price difference between the two sets speakers is 48-62 grand (if the Signatures were new), which is a nice new BMW or a down payment on a large home these days! Of the 28 rooms at the show, only 2 rooms clearly had better sound than Signatures and 3 rooms had speakers with similar sound just with a different overall voice, in addition, all rooms that I liked had speakers which were more costly than the Linbrook's are new. If you are not a member of the top half of 1% and will spend any amount of money for minor improvements in sound, then the Linbrooks are great value for the money new or used. The finish on the Tylers is good, but not as good as some of the finishes on the more expensive known brands. The Linbrook's are very musical with a great sound stage that gets you a sound that is very close to the best speakers at any price with the right electronics. My rig is Oppo 95 Blu-ray, Anthem D2v, Plinius SA-103 and Audio Art cables, XLR patch cables all were bought as demo or used, except the Oppo. I used to have the Linbrooks hooked up to a NAD pre-amp and amp (370 series) and a Pioneer mid-priced CD/Dvd player. While the NAD's sound was good, it did not have the same super high end feel as with the Oppo, Anthem pre and Plinius amp, ie now the highs sparkle the right way, the bass is deeper and faster and midrange is silky smooth. This was a costly upgrade even used, but I now feel the cost was well worth it. I stared this quest as an A/V Ethusiast using my rig primarily to watch TV and movies. I have ended up a Audio Enthusiast spending more and more of my time listening to all types of music. Ty's speakers sent me down this path.
Used product for: More than 1 year
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2004
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
samzx12
a AudioPhileDate Reviewed: July 15, 2011
Bottom Line: I have to question Hitesh's review of the System 2's. I owned these speakers for about 7 years and loved them. In fact, they were the 1st speaker of this model Ty built and I KNOW he improved on them. If Hitesh's speakers arrived and sounded that horrible did Ty make it right? I know he bends over backwards for his customers and would not let his speakers go out finished as you describe so I question your review. I mean come on the System 2's sounded worse than a low-life $500 pair of JBL's....LMAO. Please dude I don't buy this review for one second as I KNOW he has one of the highest reviews and customer satisfaction ratings on Audiogon.
Used product for: More than 1 year
Duration Product Used: AudioPhile
Product model year: 2003
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Hitesh
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: August 29, 2010
Bottom Line: In one sentence "Not Worth the Money & the Hype".
I bought it used from Ty, at what appeared to be at a phenomenal bargain price. I also bought matching Center to go with it in Burlwood finish. Before sending, Ty tested them out & even went ahead & replaced the Mids. My calls were responded immediately & Ty seems to be an honest, down-to-earth gentleman.
And that's where all the positive ends. When I opened the boxes, I noticed black powder coming out of 1-2 boxes. It looked more like a black toner ink from laser printer!!! I'm still guessing why. Second, my jaw dropped (out of shock) when I looked & felt the burlwood finish. It appeared as if somebody has covered it with a Matt finish paper. Does not feel like wood at all. And the vineer (if that's what it really is) is joined in the front of the speakers, making it very visible.
I thought for a while, what's there in the look. Let's hook them-up, right? To my disappointment, the sound coming out of the speaker was very very mediocare. It lacked any kind of richness or warmth you would expect from a speaker at this price point. In fact, they sounded worse then my aging 10 year old, low-life, $500/ pair JBL S312 speakers it replaced.
I'm shocked & speechless. I bought them after almost 5 years (off & on) market research, reading plenty of reviews. I wanted something better from my initial setup & ended up spending twice for a 3 speaker setup then what I'd originally intended for a 5.1.
My wife was quite upset when she realized the amount of money I spent. But I thought, itmight be worth it. I still have not developed the courage to tell her how I really feel about the speakers. She would kill me. Overall, I am extremely disappointed. I would strongly urge others not to go by any reviews on the internet (including mine) & listen to them first before shelling out your hard earned money.
Used product for: 1 to 3 months
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2008
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
cdc2
a AudioPhileDate Reviewed: January 18, 2006
Bottom Line: I got the first pair of these from Ty after living with a pair of his Reference Monitors for a year. These speakers are some of the finest made. I've had a local speaker builder tell me he wouldn't sell them for less than $10k.
Their fast, image like champs and sound just right. You won't find a better speaker for the money.
Used product for: More than 1 year
Duration Product Used: AudioPhile
Product model year: 2005
Price Paid:
$2500.00
Purchased At: direct from Ty
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