Best standmount speakers you have ever heard?

I have just had a listen to Linn Akurate 212 speakers and found them rather enjoyable and effortless. However I don't know whether they are really worth the price and how they compare vs. the competition.



What is the best bookshelf speaker you've ever heard? I have a list of potential competitors in mind, but may be I am missing some of them

Have you tried the Katans firstly. In my opinion they are better value than those ugly Linn 212s.

Now I have to admit i have yet to hear the 212s however I did have a good listen to the big brother 242s a few weeks back and was rather underwhelmed by the way that they presented the music, I thought they sounded dry as if each note was a little to clinically finished. Maybe the 212s are a better all round sound though but at the current retail I would definatly demo them in your own house alongside a few other options.

Whilst not standmounts

I heard the Linn Akurate 242s on the end of a Akurate CD, Kontrol,and a pair of 2200 today. I have to admit I was very impressed. They were coherent, loads of PRaT, lovely midrange and real controlled but deep bass.

I found the top maybe not as clean as a B&W with diamonds on or JMLabs Berylium. This to me made them more together and more like a single driver set up. The whole frequency range was of the same tonal qualities and timing.

Excellent work, another gem to follow the LP12 and CD12.

I upgraded from active Katans to Akurate 212s, and the difference is stunning - especially when you activate the 212s, but it is a huge leap in cost.

The Katans are OK passive, but really sing when driven active - this is a very worthwhile upgrade and considerably cheaper than passive 212s. When I activated the Katans (with an AV5125 amp), the improvement was so great, I very nearly cancelled my upgrade to the 212s - but the offer was too good to miss

Take a tip from good dealers on choosing speakers!

Draw up a shortlist of your four favorite speakers and arrange a home demo for each of them. Then you can listen to them within the confines of your own system and choose which one fits your own listening requirements.

Its a long haul but well worth it in the end!

Domain is right though, think about potential for going Activ later