Linn 360 PWAB Loudspeakers

The 360 Passive with Active Bass splits the loudspeaker into two parts. The tweeter, midrange and upper bass (the 360 Array) are fed through a three-way analog passive crossover from three pairs of binding posts, so you can single-wire from one stereo amplifier or tri-amp with six channels. The two bass drivers remain active: the signal is taken from the upper-bass terminals or a balanced XLR input, selectable by a rear switch, digitized, and fed to Linn's Power DAC, which combines DAC and amplifier in a single stage and applies the feed-forward correction the bass system is designed around. That is why the bass cannot be driven from an external amplifier. The cabinet is the same formed 3D ply laminate structure as the Exakt Integrated, and since 2026 the upper-bass and bass drivers have been Linn's own Pistonik designs, with a long-stroke motor held in magnetic saturation for very wide linear excursion and low distortion.

Published reviews cover the fully active 360, which shares the PWAB's cabinet, drive units and bass system, so their observations about imaging and bass carry over, while the character of the top three drivers will depend on your amplifier. Alan Sircom in Hi-Fi+ described an "honest, neutral, dynamic and detailed sounding loudspeaker" with "excellent imaging for more than one listener," and Tom Martin in The Absolute Sound heard a stable, spacious image and bass that reaches "into the 30 Hz or below range effortlessly." Linn's published sensitivity for the PWAB is 87 dB, so the 360 Array wants a capable amplifier.

The PWAB is the right 360 if you already own serious amplification or want to build in stages. Linn's own Klimax Solo 500 and Klimax Solo 800 monoblocks are the natural partners; one pair drives the Array single-wired, three pairs tri-amp it. Any Linn DSM adds Space Optimisation room correction through its analog outputs. When you are ready to go fully active, a six-channel Klimax Exaktbox takes over the crossover for both 360 Arrays with your amplifiers downstream, while the bass sections connect by Exakt Link to their own Exakt engines; the speakers themselves need no modification. It suits medium to large rooms.

In Linn's range the PWAB sits beside the 360 Exakt Integrated, which has Exakt, Organik DACs and Adaptive Bias Control amplification built in and connects to a Linn DSM by a single cable; the step up buys that integration and a fully corrected crossover, at the cost of choosing your own power amplifiers. Below it come the 343 compact reference, the 150 floorstander and the 119 bookshelf. The PWAB is offered in the same seven finishes as the Exakt Integrated, with silver or black machined trim. Our listing covers the Classic Collection finishes; Glasgow, Signature and custom colors are available to order.