Written By James Harding
Last month Chris and I travelled to the Linn factory in Glasgow, mainly for the corporate entertainment, but also to learn about a new product which we promised to keep secret until today.
The new Klimax Solo 500 builds upon the standard set by the original Klimax Solo back in 1999 by incorporating technologies from the flagship Klimax 800 along with a new and innovative chassis design which gives superb thermal management in a compact product.
Adaptive Bias Control
Without wanting to go into too much detail, traditonally there were two amplifier designs – Class A and Class B. Class A uses a single output transistor giving superb sound quality at low volumes but generates a lot of heat and not much power. Class B uses two output transistors which take it in turns to provide output, each operating for half the waveform, whilst its companion transistor takes a rest. These are more efficient and can play louder than Class A but don’t sound as good due to crossover distortion when the signal is switched between the transistors.
Class AB attempts to offer the best of both worlds by proportioning the amount of current provided by each of the transistors so that instead of switching between the two abruptly like the class B design, the transistors are working continuously but one will be working harder than the other. This reduces the crossover distortion from the Class B design, whilst overcoming the inefficiencies and low power output of Class A but its performance is dependent on how accurately the bias between the transistors is set. With a normal Class AB amplifier this is done once, at the factory. This means that as the amplifier ages, or the ambient temperature changes, the amplifier will not be operating at its optium.
Rather than using just two output transistors like a traditional Class AB, Klimax Solo 500 uses eight. These are switched by Linn’s Adaptive Bias Control. First seen in the Klimax Solo 800, Adaptive Bias Control feeds data to an internal microprocessor which is continuously adjusting the bias current to ensure that the amplifier is always working at its best, regardless of circumstances.
Hybrid Cooling Matrix with intelligent fan management
To keep a high power amplifier running cool enough to be reliable, you either need a large case with a huge heatsink, like the Linn Klimax 800, or a chassis fan, which generates mechanical noise.
The new Klimax Solo 500 has a unique case design where the internal circuit boards are mounted upside-down on a sub-chassis structure comprising an aluminium block and thermal plate. On top of the plate is a network of machined fins. Normally the fins naturally radiate heat upwards and outwards through gills cut into the top of the amplifier.
When the amp is driven loud, pair of fans positioned deep within the amplifier provide active cooling, forcing cool air around the network of channels in the fin matrix. These fans are controlled by a computer system that runs the fans at the lowest possible speed based on the internal temperature of the amplifier and the input signal. This means that you should never hear the fans running.
Klimax Solo 500 features a Utopik Switch Mode Power Supply. This ensures that the amplifier always runs at the optimum voltage, and can recover from transients in the music more quickly than conventional linear supplies. It also runs cooler and is more energy efficient than other designs.
With the new Klimax Solo 500, the THD+N measurements are 85x lower across the power and frequency spectrum than the already superb original model.
Click here for pricing information and technical specification.
We are currently offering a minimum trade in of £3500 to existing Klimax Solo owners when they trade up to a new Klimax Solo 500 or 800.
Customers who require extra of the original Klimax Solo to match their existing system have until the end of August 2025 to place their orders.
