----- Experience in your own room the magical nature of stereo sound -----

Gallery of LXmini constructions and setups

Construction Plans have been sent to:
Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Unknown

Show us your LXmini and how you use it at home or work place in 3 photos or less.
Provide your name, country and an email address or URL, if you allow to be contacted by other LXmini builders.

I have finished LXmini, and was able to hear them (some cosmetics still should be done). What to say? Well, this is what I was searching for many years. It’s exactly how I wish to hear music. A real magic! The most interesting was the program I have recorded in the same room with mid/side microfon configuration. On the right level, it was exactly how I hear it when playing. From another room, I was thinking: who is playing my double bass?

My wife is even more impressed: she thinks, she has never heard so much details in our standard program, it’s almost as we are in concert hall in Luzern. She ask me: how did you do this? Well, I didn’t do anything, Mr. Linkwitz did this.

Some quick pictures are attached, I will send You once outstanding pictures for Your gallery. Your design is strictly followed, only one detail was changed. After thinking about this design, I found it excellent, no need to change. It’s industrial design and it follows Your philosophy: this are transducers, no furniture. By building this LS, I discovered a lot of fine details and every of this details has technical reason why is there. The silhouette for Lxmini from sweet spot is extraordinary. I just wanted to make statement to ‚floating‘ FR driver over the woofer, and have choose thin holder for small pipe. I don’t know if ths change have any impact oft he sound. If yes, I will make a wooden block again ...

Mr. Linkwitz, thanks a lot for sharing Your work, making possible to have real music in our house and lot of joy with this!

Kind Regards - Marijan & Barbara Galijan

p.s. my next project will be LX251!

Ted E

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                 PS: Finished the lxmini. Thanks for the fun project.  Regards, Michael

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Hello Siegfried,  just completed the LX minis to great satisfaction , we were inspired when we visited you 3+ years ago hearing the Plutos ,as it turned out had no opportunity to build them , kinda glad now as these are pretty wonderful, in fact its renewing my passion for the music collection, putting some fun back into it again.  I wanted to retain the Mini 'look' so just put my touch on them.  Thanks for your design your great work and for putting it all in a realm that is available to all who take this very rewarding "plunge". Keep truckin ! Bernie & Varya, Penticton BC Canada

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Hello Siegfried. Many thanks for making this design available for people to build for themselves, a very satisfying project, and I have not heard better speakers than these. As revealing as a pair of high quality monitors, and overall very enjoyable to listen to from anywhere in the room. I was worried that they would not produce enough bass to my liking, but they put out plenty - perfect for my living room (and for listening to mixes after I’m finished with using near field monitors in my home studio). I’m driving the speakers with an Aikido tube preamp, the mini-DSP crossover, and two 125ASX ICEpower D-Class power amps - all housed in a 2U box. The PVC tubes are covered in distressed copper. Sandro Ghiotto, WA, Australia

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Linkwitz Lab LXmini Speaker Build From Kit  by Wayne Myers and described at the HOME THEATER SHACK forum: LXmini Build Thread LXmini Performance Review Final Bill Of Materials LXmini Build Video Series: Part 1 of 4: Introduction, Preparation, and Painting Part 2 of 4: Sub-Assembly Assembly Part 3 of 4: Final Assembly Part 4 of 4: Final Assembly & Paint Job Repairs

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Hi, These are my brand new LX Mini. I live in a 100 year old house in the country so the LX Mini had to fit in the room. I used 150 years old hemlock spruce from a barn to build them. I am quite happy with the result and the sound I get from them. I love them so much!!!!   Thank you, Vincent   (France)

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... Rubber couplers are covered by flower pots for aesthetics concerns. Source (mac mini), DAC (8 channel Buffalo III) and amplifiers (4 x UCD180) are embedded in the white box on the right of first photo. All together is a very enjoyable setup. Thank you for this great design!      VC, France

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From rsalas.blog about his LXmini speakers: ... So I decided to build the LXMini first, and I write this post just a couple of days after I finished them. I set them up in my man cave, which is in itself a room with horrible reverberations and acoustically very harsh. Yet, the same thing I observed at SL’s home I saw here: the speakers just blend in and make the room part of the experience. That’s why you don’t need (and shouldn’t use) room correction software on these speakers. ...

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dear mr. linkwitz i am one diyer in iran. i assemble lx mini and redesign it. I hope you like it. best regards. mohammad hoseini

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Dear Mr Linkwitz, A note of thanks for sharing the outstanding LXmini plans with the audio community. I have just finished mine and the word that comes to mind when I listen to them is holographic. I had fun building them, and I think even more fun listening to them. I have attached some photos showing my execution of your design. I hope I have done it justice. Thanks again and Best Regards, Francis DeMarco

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Dear Siegfried, I am just finishing my second pair of LXminis. This time the basket covering the Fernco coupler, the fullrange tube, its support and the back grill are all 3D-printed. The music stage is so unbelievable deep and spacious. Thank you Siegfried for this fantastic design. Sven Nyström, Enskede, Sweden

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Here is Yu's DIY project in which a Chinese version of PLUTO has been modified by replacing the PLUTO tweeter and pipe assembly with the fullrange driver top assembly from a Chinese version of LXmini. He also writes: "There are some guys in China who love your designs. We chat everyday over Tecent QQ group (just like Facebook) and would you share the group number 118130806 on your website so any QQ user who interest in Linkwitz project can join us." I like to add that everyone building the LXmini must have purchased construction plans from LINKWITZ LAB. I take it from a Google translation that Yu is happy with the result. Read for yourself: https://www.hifidiy.net/index.php?s=/Home/Article/detail/id/15419.html https://www.hifidiy.net/index.php?s=/Home/Article/detail/id/9547.html

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... Building the speakers resurrected the excitement I had when constructing my first crystal radio eons ago, utilizing a rusty razor blade and safety pin to serve as a tunable detector. Making an esthetic statement to compliment the sonic beauty of these speakers was a worthy challenge. I am very happy with the outcome. The listening enjoyment remains undiminished session after session.  Carpathian elm burl veneer was used to dress the MDF base and the ABS pipe. The very slow drying of the painted rubber coupler was ameliorated to some extent by baking the painted coupler in the oven for several hours at the lowest temperature, at approximately 120F (to the chagrin of my normally sedate wife). After a few months, the end result is a speaker well worth every ounce of my effort.  Thanks again, Siegfried, for reviving a spark of youthful excitement that in these days is difficult to generate for some of us...thankfully, it's still there. Stan Sacramento, CA (USA)

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Dear Dr Brenner, By the way, and as Mr Linkwitz predicts, the LXmini (with PowerBox) has become the reference by which we judge other components, and recordings as well.  After some trial and error with cables, I did at last coax the LXmini and PowerBox to make music for us, and superb music it is. There is no other speaker that I would dare try in front of that wall of glass. Thanks again for your support through my early bungling. I'll be watching your site for further developments. Sincerely, JS Belfast, Maine, USA

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Hi Siegfried Thanks! Having completed the LXmini and with it looking so gorgeously funky and sounding even better, I can only congratulate you for the speakers and thank you for offering it so generously to the public. The speakers are sounding fabulous. I actually used the minidsp PWR-ICE125 amps. I purchased the 2x4 plug in and transcribed the cross over settings into the amps. They appear to be a perfect match to the speakers. The unit has exceeded all my expectations and I am so glad it's of equal quality as your speakers. Best regards, Jay   (New Guinea)

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      LXmini by Wood Artistry

Siegfried: Here are some pictures of the LXmini speakers I completed. I will build the LXmini speakers to order, if someone wants this version.  The boot rings are a nice touch and a bit difficult to implement, but I really like the look. Best regards, Don Naples

Wood Artistry, L.L.C. 419 Tucker St. Healdsburg, CA 95448 Tel. (707) 395-4729

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Siegfried,

This is my second set of LX Minis, unfortunately the originals (see the 5th pix up from the bottom of the gallery as “Ray”) were not accepted very well by the domestic manager. The new ones retain the original design within a 7 inch square housing finished in Tasmanian Blackwood to match other furniture . No measurable difference in response was found between the circular and square construction, the box edges and corners do not seem to have any effect.

Thanks again Siegfried for a great design !

Regards, Ray    Australia

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Dear Mr. Siegfried Linkwitz Thank you for a wonderful speaker.                                                               I completed your LXmini!  Upgraded from PLUTO 2.1. Please picture on your site. (Attached 3 images) I joined the 'Fab lab'. I used the Laser cutter.  Woofer driver mounting plate is made of Acrylic. Very truly yours Kentaro Kumagai Yokohama/Japan, https://www.facebook.com/daredevils36kk/notes

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Hi SL. Prior to the LXmini's I had been listening to JBL LSR 6328p active studio monitors. I must say these studio monitors are excellent. However, a platitude like that would not be quite befitting the LXmini's. Let me explain: with other reputable studio monitors, I'd close my eyes and with a bit of concentration, slip into an auditory illusion - of sorts. With the LXminis I have my eyes wide open, and even as I rock my head like a maniac to shake off the stream of auditory cues, the instruments and singers remain anchored in place, bereft of even the slightest smearing, each in their own space. The speakers simply vanish. Audio gear vanishes. Only the most haunting and beautiful music hangs before you. The apt praise for these is that one is transported to a new place where one gets to rediscover just how much one loves music.  Shalin Kochar, Arizona

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Hi Siegfried, I'd like to share photos of my finished LXmini's in black walnut in case you are still adding to the gallery. Your design is an unqualified success, and the LXmini appears to have gained a large and much deserved following. The sound is refreshingly open and airy throughout the listening area. I find that the spatial cues engage my brain, whether I am listening to old favorites or new material. I sympathize with previous commentators about lacking the vocabulary to properly describe this novel experience. Cheers, fissionchips from Canada https://oplug-support.org//memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2800

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Hello Siegfried, attached pics from my finished LXmini speakers with 2 subwoofers from Dave's recommendation on the forum. They sound awesome. I currently drive them with an Emotiva XPA-5 and two Dayton amps for the subs and a minidsp 4x10HD. Assembling the kit from magicLX521 (now LINKWITZ.store) was a piece of cake. I liked the attention to detail, the looks of the HDF material, hidden cable channel and pro connections. I used carbon vinyl to wrap the tubes. My next project is the LX521 for sure.... Thanks US, TX

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Dear Siegfried, It took me a couple of months, but my build is complete. I made only aesthetic modifications, some of which required a different assembly process than the one you outlined, but the structural/conceptual design is the same as yours.  I'm a musician, not an acoustician, but to my ears the speakers sound wonderful. I attached some photos. Thanks for the design! Sam US, MA

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Hi Siegfried,  attached 2 photos of my red version of the LXmini. I used 16cm pipes but limited the volume inside to be compatible to the original design. As DSP I use the Reckhorn DSP-6 and since some days also the FreeDSP programmed with SigmaStudio to have a maximum of flexibility. Power amplifier is a double IRS2092 stereo amp from connexelectronics.  Sound quality is really great (especially for the price tag) but the auditory spaciousness is simply exceptional. Thank you so much for this design!  Best regards, Walter Fehrmann, Germany

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Dear Siegfried, I finally found the time to assemble the LXmini kit provided by magicLX521(now LINKWITZ.store). Frank Brenner was very kind and helpful, as all the other contributors of the Forum. After many years of spending (lots of) money to audibly enhance what now turns out to be only 2nd order aspects of my sound reproduction system and after quite some reading late at night on the very informative reference website that you offer to the community, I must say that I still wasn't prepared for the illuminating audio experience that your ground braking and well documented LXmini speaker design drags the listener immediately into. The sound this speaker system produces has a heart warming immediacy and naturalness, a dynamic explosiveness and delicateness whenever required, loads of detail and a totally holographic immersive 3Dness even in the middle of my unaltered living room, that all other systems that I have had the chance to listen to only vaguely hint at for one or the other aspect. The fact that you offer every curious DIYer the opportunity to build a personal flavor of your reference design involving only a limited budget and technical knowledge leaves me speechless and respectfully thankful. Cheers, Patrick H. (path73 on OPLUG)

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Hi Siegfried, Eight weeks later, with generous help from forum member HPSplunge and advice from John Stone (SEAS), my LXminis are operational and exceeding my wildest expectations. Used Acry-Tech DuraTex roll-on coating for the tubes, the same coating roadies use for speaker cabinets. Associated gear: Emotiva UPA-700 (the last of the batch) Pass Aleph P preamp, Schiit Bifrost Uber DAC, Rotel RDD980 CD transport, OS 10.6.8 2GHz imac. While this is admittedly not the most photogenic listening environment, I might point out that the Emotiva is resting on a PizzaQue® pizza baking stone with built-in thermometer in the base, which should serve to confuse visitors and family members nicely. D. Abelson, Illinois, USA

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"J-P, les jours passent et le plaisir à l'écoute des LX mini reste.... Qu'en à te «décrire» ce que «donnent» les LX mini, je suis bien dépourvu et je ressemble à un simple amateur de vin à qui on demanderait son avis sur un grand cru! Les mots qui me viennent sont assez pauvres car ils ne permettent que de situer une sensation sonore et ses effets sur ma sensibilité. Les voici donc : «présence», on est tellement proche du son émis par l'instrument du moins pour le piano et le son réel que j'ai connu quand enfant j'ai dû en jouer ; «spectre sonore», tu sais comme j'aime la musique de chambre. Avec les LX j'ai l'impression d'être au plus près de chacun des interprètes et de suivre leur lignes mélodiques respectives, cela rend l'écoute tellement «vivante»; «ambiance sonore», au delà de la précision de la ligne musicale de chaque interprète, on est dans une sorte de mégabulle sonore où toutes les sections distinctes d'instruments (quand c'est un orchestre évidemment), se fondent en un tout comme on peut le ressentir dans une bonne salle de concert,...Que dire de plus, si ce n'est que même les silences sont présents....Voilà, ce sont mes impressions et j'ai dû me torturer les méninges pour trouver des mots qui s'approchent de ce que les LX me donnent à vivre.....J"   "As the days go by the pleasure of listening to the LXmini remain... To try and describe the effect of the LXmini is difficult for me. I resemble the wine amateur who is asked to review a gran cru vintage and lacks words. My vocabulary is poor in the sense that I struggle to describe the sound and it's effect on me. Still, here is my attempt: presence, the sound is so close to the real sound from a live instrument, at least for the piano, such as I remember it when I practiced piano as a child. The sonic spectrum, I love chamber music, the LXmini gives me the impression of being close to the musicians and able to follow the melodic line for each of them. This brings the music very real including the acoustics of the room, beyond the mere precision of the rendition, the listener is immersed in a sonic mega bubble that reminds me of the concert hall... What more to say other that even the silences are present... Those are my impressions and I had a hard time putting words that approach what the LXmini are allowing me to experience... Jacques." To me, as a son, to be able to offer the LXminis to my dad as a gift and see his reaction is very special. Best wishes to you and your family for the holiday season. Sincerely, JP Schroeder, Canada

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jean-pascal_schroeder/15888817207/in/photostream/

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Hello Siegfried, I finished building my LXminis and I’m now the proud owner of a pair of “LXplutos” in which I faithfully followed the plans for the mounting of the woofer and full range, but where I kept the base with the electronics and the tweeter tube (for purely decoration reasons) from my former Pluto build. The sound of the LXminis is excellent, both the bass and the mids/highs are superb, and the soundstage is just as impressive as the Plutos’. Another great design on your part! Martin Coté, Quebec, Canada

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Dear Siegfried: I’ve attached a few photos of my recently completed LXminis. I’ve uploaded some construction photos to the users group too. The sound is simply amazing! Thanks for sharing this excellent design. - Jim Brown, Golden, CO

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Dear Siegfried,  I completed my LXminis about two weeks ago and am extremely pleased with the sound. As you can see from the pictures, I used a wood top similar to the Pluto wood top design and modified the base, (Octagonal instead of circular), to be more compatible with the tops. My Plutos now belong to my son, making us both happy. Paul Schelin, Minneapolis, MN

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".....The LXmini are driven by two identical class A amplifiers. The result is very impressive. The improvements over the Pluto's are in realism and detail. Female voices in particular strike me as very natural. I have no regret in moving away from the electrostatic/electronic crossover/subwoofer system I was running prior. And the small footprint of the speakers blend well in the living room.  Thanks again for developing and sharing your ideas and this design. I can't believe what is achieved in sound reproduction for a fraction of the cost of my previous set-up. The LXmini are a remarkable improvement over the Pluto's! Sincerely, JP Schroeder", Montreal, Canada - (more Pictures)

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Thank you SL, As a happy Pluto owner, I hardly could believe a better concept was possible. I built the Minis from scratch and used some of the existing material. Based on your plans and some inspiration of the Pluto and LX-mini scene. The coupler is not available in the Netherlands, so I replaced it with a PVC flowerpot with a Mdf ring glued to it. Modified your C1 to 12 mm Mdf. Placed 3 tube spacers for holding the upper tube. The middle one act as cable duct. The units are driven by two Tripath based amplifiers. After many hours of happy listening, I’am stunned. So fantastic music stage is formed and so spacious. I hear details I have never noticed before.  Voorhout, The Netherlands I can be contacted through the OPLUG forum (Hoshin).

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Thank you SL,  Thoroughly enjoying the brilliant LX Mini-fied Plutos! Superior transparency, imaging and sweeter midrange coupled to more dynamic sound, but then you know that already. Everything is better, the upgrade is easy and a no brainer. The bass is beautifully balanced even with the existing 28.5 inch Pluto 2.1 bass tubes (slightly raised coupler, raised mounting ring and stuffed as per LX Mini/Pluto 2.1 plans) no EQ modification yet applied. I can be contacted through the OPLUG forum (popeye). UK

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The LX-mini sounds clear and spacious for such a small speaker. They are quite a bargain for what they cost to build. Pete Reiter, Fremont, CA

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Dear SL, Now these two LXminis are playing in Stockholm, Sweden. So far I have run them with my MiniDSP 4x10 and four of the channels of a Hypex DIY amplifier, normally connected to my LX521. Amazing image clarity and natural sound. Thanks!  Instead of the rubber coupler, which I could not get hold of in Sweden, I used a food storage jar from IKEA (LJUST). The bottom was sawed out with a hole saw and the inside lined with 3 mm bitumen sheet. Regards, Sven Nyström, Stockholm, Sweden

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Dear Mr. Linkwitz, enclosed I send you some photos of my interpretation of your LXmini. Primarily I need a desktop-speaker, but would not like to miss the advantages of your design for relaxed listening to music. That's why I used as tube B1 a shorter HT160 and come so close to the volume of your design. The bass equalizing was adapted using a Linkwitz filter at 35 Hz Qtc = 0.71. This works well, because I almost hear at a small to medium level.  The sound can, even on the desktop, only be described as fantastic. Many thanks for your design. With best regards, Michael Uibel,  Bruchsal/Germany (I can be contacted through the OPLUG forum)

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Siegfried, Another LX Mini from Australia, these are fitted with a cover pipe to hide the rubber coupling, all internal dimensions are as in the original design. The satin chrome bracket support is part of a handle for a kitchen drawer. The drive amplifier is a home design and constructed set of LM3886 amps. Speakon connectors are used for connections. They stand up without a base section however I intend to add one to give better stability. I can’t hear the speakers, but the room filling sound they produce is superb. Thanks for an incredible design and performance at such a low cost. My contact is Ray, Australia

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Hi Siegfried, I finished my slightly modified set of LXmini speakers here in Australia a week ago and have been enjoying listening to them at every opportunity since. To me, the most outstanding feature of the LXminis is their ability to produce such a detailed stereo image in front of the listener. They also have that wonderful ability to bring out details from recordings that I had not known were there. I enjoyed the build, which was quite straightforward, thanks to your detailed plans. Thank you so much for designing the LXmini and for sharing your design with others. Graham, Sydney, Australia.  (I can be contacted through the OPLUG forum).

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Hi Siegfried, Here are pictures of the finished LXmini's. I have the luxury of owning both a set of Pluto's and LXmini's, so I can also compare them side by side. I was happy with the sound quality of the Pluto's but compared to the LXmini the Pluto's seems to miss midrange and voices sound raspy, low end seems identical. The LXmini is an amazing speaker that handles all material with amazing ease and clarity and on live recordings it shines brilliantly. Compared to them it seems that all other speakers are covered with a blanket...I was planning to keep my Pluto's but I cannot go back and will upgrade them to a second set of LXmini's for demonstrations. Thanks for sharing the design of this great speaker with us! Please put the pictures on your website. I am located in the Netherlands and people that want advise or just listen are welcome. My email is: Steven O. Best regards, Steven

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Hello Siegfried: After some foolish and silly mistakes, mostly due to impatience, I finally built your LXmini as they were "meant to be". It is an excellent loudspeaker, whose value and finesse just keep growing on you. Thank you for another superlative design. Please post this email in your gallery. I welcome visitors. Regards, Charles Port USA, MD, Annapolis

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Martin Mäklin, Finland 
Reworked PLUTO. "The minis are driven by a pair of 50 W Quad 306 amplifiers, a Quad 34 preamp and MiniDSP, quite enough power for our living space."

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