Linkwitz Orion 3.3 Complete Active System – Very Good Condition – R45,000
The late Siegfried Linkwitz, co-inventor of the Linkwitz-Riley crossover, designed the Orion as his statement loudspeaker. It’s an open-baffle (dipole) design that disappears into the room and leaves the music hanging in space. This is the complete system just as Linkwitz specified it, so all you need to add is a preamp.
“I have never listened to a loudspeaker that sounded as musically convincing, in stereo, as the Orion.” (The Audio Critic, Peter Aczel)
“The Orions are in a league by themselves.” (The Sensible Sound)
Included:
- Orion 3.3 speakers, each with two 10″ Peerless woofers, an 8″ Seas Excel midrange and two tweeters (front and rear-firing) for open, room-filling treble
- The Orion active crossover/equaliser: a 3-way design with LR4 filters, tuned precisely to the drivers
- An ATI AT6012 12-channel power amplifier (60W per channel), the amp Linkwitz himself used and recommended
- All the speaker cables, ready to connect
Every driver section has its own amplifier channel, with no passive crossover in the way. The result is grip, effortless dynamics, deep bass down to about 20Hz and startling 3D imaging.
Modern, not vintage: The Orion is a 21st-century active design, refined by Linkwitz through several revisions. You get current-generation engineering without the ageing parts and restoration worries that come with classic speakers.
Value: In 2010, this complete system (speakers, crossover, ATI amplifier and cables) started at US$9,200 new, about R152,000 at today’s rates. The later Orion-4 was reported at US$14,750, about R244,000. At R45,000, you get the entire system, speakers and amplification, for less than a third of the 2010 price, with no shipping or import costs.
Viewing and demo in Johannesburg. Collection preferred, because the amplifier alone weighs 33kg.