Tower Speaker Reviews

Subwoofer: Akurate 221
Connections: Line-level in/out
Enclosure Type: Sealed
Woofer (size in inches, type): 8, servo-controlled sandwich cone
Power Rating (watts): 500
Crossover Bypass: Yes
Available Finishes: Cherry, Black Ash, Maple, Rosenut
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 12.8 x 12.8 x 12.8
Weight (pounds): 38
Price: $3,750
These listings are based on the manufacturer's stated specs; the HT Labs box below indicates the gear's performance on our test bench.

Speaker: Akurate 242
Type: Five-way, tower
Super Tweeter (size in inches, type) 0.5, soft dome
Tweeter (size in inches, type): 1, soft dome
Midrange (size in inches, type): 3, soft dome
Woofer (size in inches, type): 6.5, sandwich cone (2)
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 8 (passive)
Recommended Amp Power (watts): N/A
Available Finishes: Cherry, Black Ash Maple, Rosenut Maple
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 39.5 x 8.5 x 15
Weight (pounds): 71
Price: $9,495/pair

Speaker: Akurate 225
Type: Five-way, center
Super Tweeter (size in inches, type) 0.5, soft dome
Tweeter (size in inches, type): 1, soft dome
Midrange (size in inches, type): 3, soft dome
Woofer (size in inches, type): 6.5, sandwich cone (2)
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 8 (passive)
Recommended Amp Power (watts): N/A
Available Finishes: Cherry, Black Ash, Maple, Rosenut
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 9.9 x 23.8 x 12
Weight (pounds): 47
Price: $3,750 (stand $450)

Speaker: Akurate 212
Type: Four-way, monitor
Super Tweeter (size in inches, type) 0.5, soft dome
Tweeter (size in inches, type):1, soft dome
Midrange (size in inches, type): 3, soft dome
Woofer (size in inches, type): 6.5, sandwich cone
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 8 (passive)
Recommended Amp Power (watts): N/A
Available Finishes: Cherry, Black Ash, Maple, Rosenut
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches):14 x 8.8 x 12
Weight (pounds): 27
Price: $5,750/pair (stand $900/pair)

Ratings

Linn Akurate Speaker System

Build Quality: 94
More braces than a junior high lunchroom
Clever integrated stands with top-notch hardware
Twenty-six pairs of high-quality binding posts

Value: 84
Once you start counting drivers, the sticker shock starts to dissipate a bit
If you go Aktiv, the speakers become the cheap part

Features: 95
The 3K Array keeps the top three drivers close together
Passive, active, single, bi, tri, quad, or quint wiring—you decide
The subwoofer has flexible crossover options

Performance: 96
Even with all those drivers, the sound still hangs together
Highly refined sound with no nasties
Tight and tuneful, rather than thunderous, bass

Ergonomics: 91
Clever spike design makes positioning easy
The separate sub amp's placement flexibility is a big plus
Digital subwoofer controls are a bit confusing at first

Overall Rating: 92
The Akurate system takes Linn's traditional strengths of pitch accuracy and tunefulness and adds exceptional coherency and imaging capability to create a superb all-rounder. Most Linn speakers tend to end up in an all-Linn system, which is fine, but the Akurates deserve the consideration of anyone looking for something that's really quite special.

General information
Akurate 242 Tower Speaker, $9,495/pair
Akurate 225 Center-Channel Speaker, $3,750
Akurate 212 Monitor Speaker, $5,750/pair
Akurate 221 Subwoofer, $3,750
Linn, Inc., (904) 645-5242
www.linninc.com
Dealer Locator Code LNN