Duplicating a very good thing makes another very good thing. Lilac baffles with silver Alpair cones out. Charcoal baffles with copper-gold cones in. €200 saved. Lindemann's cabs were bigger than those of the outgoing MonAcoustics so cubic volume followed on. Perhaps it's why still on the desktop, the German LF felt more complete than the Koreans had when it was their turn 2+ year ago¹? No matter now. With an active crossover playing hi/lo-pass traffic cop at 70Hz/4th-order, bass came from the force-cancelling dual 9½" woofers of the Dynaudio sub. This equalized the down-low performance to a 't'. The only difference I actually heard was in the upper midrange and lower treble. There the Lindemänner struck me as more suave possibly because their widebander rolls off sooner than it does in my residents.
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¹ I understand that the SuperMon Mini 2024 Edition has retuned its bass alignment to offer stronger LF than my earlier pair.
Signal path right to left: FiiO R7 SD card transport ⇒ Soundaware D300Ref USB bridge ⇒ COS D1 DAC with analog volume ⇒ Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box xover ⇒ Kinki Studio EX-M7 stereo amp.
When a friend heard the Mon a year ago, he immediately bought a pair upon his return home. In this 2.1 setup, they're no more and no less than the space wants to really sing. As much as their compact size allows, the Lindemänner offer a different aesthetic than the aluminium SuperMon whose more tenaciously tiny form factor makes them cuter still. That may not matter to guys but if it's a discussion with significant others, the Koreans would win. Sounding so very similar, the guys would, too. Which means what, exactly? Wall-to-wall soundstaging with depth into the front yard. The desktop's extreme immediacy steps down a click due to room involvement and distance losses. Overall scale notches up quite a few clicks since we're playing bigger space at higher SPL. Once the latter grow robust, we'd also notice superior dynamic linearity and resolution since we reduce excursion and voice-coil heat by offboarding the bass. We essentially bolt on a 'way' to our 1½-way Mini to become a quasi 2½-way. This pays ever larger dividends as rooms and SPL grow. Eventually we'd want more midrange surface to carry across greater distances. In my smaller room alas, anything bigger loses out on speed and resolution to these aspirated 4-inchers. My 5¼" and 6½" alternatives know all about that. If we want free-space HeadFi at a very high level, these uncut small Mark Audio cones have our private number.
Even with a 2.5MHz DC-coupled amp preceding them, tone didn't desiccate. It just wasn't quite as juicy as it had been with the stablemate Combo on the desktop. With only digital inputs, the Combo simply wouldn't sleeve into this signal path with analog active crossover. Just so, it'd be my preferred driver on the desktop which doesn't need sub augmentation. To drop more names as should be de rigueur in comparative reviews, in my office park €9K+ Albedo Audio Aptica, €6.2K Zu Soul 6, €18.7K Cube Nenuphar v2, €16.5K Audio Physic Codex. Whilst the latter two are too big for this room, the former two work just fine. Been there, done that to know that the MonAcoustic or Lindemann Minis plus €1.3K Dynaudio sub offer a lither, quicker more illuminated read with superior imaging and broader bandwidth. That either 2.1 version also saves scratch is a nice bonus. This assessment sits at the tail end of a reviewing career over more than 23 years which was preceded by work in hifi retail and manufacturing. Keen realsizing takes experience. Such experience invariably includes lessons in excess. It's how we learn what's possible vs what we think is needed to make it so. With ongoing curiosity and investigation, assumptions correct, expenses lower, complexity simplifies, sonics improve.
Unless we've done the full scenic tour already—or trust someone who has—it's simply unlikely that newbies chance upon a fully winning ticket without suffering doubt. The lure of what-if tied to deeper wallets intrudes. So do misunderstandings and uninspected beliefs. All this by way of stressing that yes, the above/below photos of my second system honestly represent my 2024 version of audiophile sobriety after 2+ decades on the what-if beat. That's how good the Lindemann Move Mini is!
With included QED speaker cables. Stands on Hifistay isolators.
