Linn 360 System Guide: Source, Amplification and Setup

Planning a Linn 360 system begins with a decision that does not arise with most loudspeakers: where do you want the rest of the hi-fi system to live?

Choose 360 Exakt Integrated and much of it lives inside the speakers.

Choose 360 Passive with Aktiv Bass and the upper array remains part of a more traditional external amplification system.

That single decision shapes almost everything that follows.

Linn 360 system guide: choose the architecture first

The two main routes are:

360 Exakt Integrated

This is Linn’s fully integrated flagship architecture.

The loudspeakers contain:

• Exakt crossover processing
• Organik DAC conversion for the 360 Array
• dedicated upper-array amplification
• Adaptive Bias Control
• Power DAC lower-bass amplification.

A suitable Linn DSM/System Hub then provides source, control and Exakt communication.

360 Passive with Aktiv Bass

PWAB retains powered lower bass but leaves the tweeter, midrange and upper-bass array to external amplification through its passive crossover.

This suits a more traditional separates system and can also form the basis of an external Exakt architecture.

The simplest Linn 360 system

Counter-intuitively, Linn’s most sophisticated loudspeaker can create one of its physically simplest systems.

With Exakt Integrated, the broad architecture can be:

1. Linn System Hub
2. left 360 Exakt Integrated
3. right 360 Exakt Integrated.

No separate power amplifiers are needed for the loudspeakers.

No conventional analogue line-level connection is required between the source and speakers.

Linn specifically positions Klimax DSM: System Hub as the natural flagship partner for this architecture.

Should you use Klimax DSM or a System Hub?

This depends on the wider architecture.

In a fully Exakt speaker system, analogue outputs from the source component may not be necessary because the signal remains digital through Exakt Link.

A System Hub is therefore particularly logical where its role is source, control and digital system management.

If you need conventional analogue outputs elsewhere in the system, the decision may change.

This is why the DSM should be specified around the entire system rather than purchased before the loudspeaker architecture has been decided.

Explore Rococo’s Linn network music players for the broader DSM context.

How is the Integrated version connected?

Current 360 specifications identify Exakt Link connections on the Integrated version.

The loudspeakers also require mains power because processing, DAC and amplification happen inside them.

This means an installation needs to consider both:

• digital/system cabling
• safe and practical mains provision near each loudspeaker.

Cable routes should be planned before the 70 kg cabinets reach their final positions.

How do you build a 360 PWAB system?

PWAB is more familiar to someone coming from traditional high-end separates.

The upper 360 Array can be driven by external amplification, while the lower bass uses the loudspeaker’s internal active system.

A simple PWAB architecture might therefore contain:

1. source / preamplifier
2. external power amplifiers
3. 360 PWAB loudspeakers.

There is also the option of moving into external Exakt processing through appropriate Linn hardware such as Klimax Exaktbox.

How much external amplification does PWAB need?

The exact requirement depends on how the upper array is being driven.

This should be planned with the chosen amplifiers rather than reduced to a generic wattage recommendation.

Factors include:

• passive versus external Exakt operation
• amplifier capability
• room size
• listening distance
• normal listening level
• how many amplifier channels the chosen architecture requires.

Rococo’s Linn power amplifier range is one route where an external Linn amplification system is being planned.

What if you already own non-Linn amplification?

This is one of the reasons PWAB exists.

Linn explicitly positions the version for systems where owners may wish to drive the upper array using amplification of their choice.

That means moving to 360 does not automatically require replacing every amplifier you already own.

The better question is whether those amplifiers still represent the system you want at 360 level.

Where does Organik sit in the system?

For 360 Exakt Integrated, Organik DAC conversion is inside the loudspeaker architecture rather than in a conventional standalone DAC between source and amplifier.

Linn Japan describes three Organik DACs serving the 360 Array.

This has an important implication.

When building the Integrated system, do not duplicate DAC functionality elsewhere simply because conventional hi-fi diagrams normally contain a DAC box.

The system should be designed around where conversion actually happens.

Can an LP12 form part of a Linn 360 system?

Yes.

A digital loudspeaker architecture does not prevent analogue sources from being used.

The LP12 signal first needs suitable phono amplification and then enters the Linn system through the appropriate analogue path.

From there, the system can process the signal according to the selected architecture.

If vinyl is central to your listening, the LP12 and phono-stage decisions should therefore be made alongside the 360 system rather than treated as an accessory afterwards.

What about television sound?

A DSM-based 360 system can also be planned around television audio where the chosen hub provides the appropriate HDMI functionality.

This can make the flagship system surprisingly usable in a main living room rather than creating a separate music-only installation.

Decide this before installation so HDMI and network cable routes can be planned properly.

How important is the network?

Very.

A Linn DSM is a network music player and Exakt configuration sits within Linn’s networked digital system architecture.

The installation should therefore include reliable home-network access rather than treating connectivity as a final software detail.

For a permanent flagship installation, wired infrastructure can be worth planning at the same time as power and signal cabling.

Space Optimisation should be planned from the beginning

360 Exakt Integrated supports Space Optimisation+.

But the optimisation should be calculated around the final speaker positions, not the temporary locations used while unpacking.

The correct order is:

1. understand the room
2. establish suitable speaker positions
3. install and level the loudspeakers
4. configure the system
5. enter accurate room and placement information
6. apply Space Optimisation
7. listen and verify.

This is why professional Linn installation and setup is particularly relevant to 360.

Think about access before delivery

Each 360 weighs around 70 kg.

That makes a pre-installation survey more than a luxury.

Consider:

• front-door width
• internal doorways
• stairs
• tight corners
• lift dimensions
• final floor surface
• safe handling
• packaging storage if future transport is likely.

The system cannot sound particularly magnificent from the hallway because the speakers would not fit through the next door.

Where should the speakers sit?

Exact positioning is room-specific.

360’s substantial bass capability and physical depth mean the relationship with boundaries deserves particular attention.

Do not assume the old loudspeaker position is automatically correct.

Likewise, do not use Space Optimisation as permission to place the speakers arbitrarily.

Start physically, optimise digitally.

What about custom finishes?

360 is available in established Linn finishes and current information also identifies custom colour possibilities.

This is worth deciding alongside the room rather than independently.

At more than a metre high, a pair of 360s has significant visual presence.

The finish is therefore part of the installation rather than a tiny cosmetic detail.

Should you build the whole system at once?

With Exakt Integrated, there is a strong argument for planning the architecture as one complete project.

The loudspeakers already contain the amplification and conversion technology they need.

The source/hub, room, cabling and setup can therefore be considered together.

PWAB offers more scope for gradual evolution because external amplification remains part of the equation.

Can PWAB later become a different system?

Yes.

Linn describes PWAB as capable of moving into an all-external Exakt architecture using Klimax Exaktbox and separate amplification.

This is useful for somebody who wants 360 now but does not want to commit immediately to a completely new electronics architecture.

Which Linn 360 system should you build?

Choose Exakt Integrated if…

• you want Linn’s complete flagship architecture
• you want a low external box count
• you want Exakt, Organik and dedicated amplification integrated from the beginning
• you are happy to build around a Linn digital hub.

Choose PWAB if…

• you want 360 with external amplification
• you already own amplifiers you want to retain
• you prefer a separates architecture
• you may want to move towards external Exakt later.

Plan the Linn 360 system before buying the pieces

The most important lesson from a Linn 360 system is that component-by-component shopping becomes less useful as the architecture becomes more sophisticated.

With Integrated 360, DAC and amplification decisions are already embedded within the loudspeaker. With PWAB, those choices move back into the external system.

The correct source, network, power provision, room placement and Space Optimisation setup then follow from that first decision.

Rococo Systems can plan flagship Linn systems through our London Showroom and Epping Demonstration Facility, located between Ongar and Epping.

Explore complete Linn systems, learn about Linn installation and setup or book a demonstration to start with the architecture rather than the shopping list.

With 360, that planning is not administrative detail. It is part of the product.

Written by Rococo Systems

Our team shares expert Linn advice, product guidance and practical insight for getting more from your music system.