''There are few HiFi companies that have survived as independently owned businesses or that have not committed to low cost production in the far east. To have achieved this is unique!
Glasgow based company LINN Products Limited celebrated 40 years as a HiFi manufacturer in 2012. The story began with a Glaswegian called Ivor Teifenbrun and his LINN Sondek LP12 turntable which remains in principle unchanged to the present day and is the world's longest continually produced HiFi product ... LINN went on to lead the digital streaming revolution''
Linn was started in 1972 by Glaswegian, Ivor Tiefenbrun. Ivor was passionate about music. He couldn’t find a music system that was good enough to meet his exacting standards. So he decided to make his own.
The result was the Sondek LP12 turntable. This revolutionary product was designed to get more music out of a record. It worked. The LP12 is still produced by Linn and remains the benchmark for turntables worldwide.
From analogue to digital
Today, Linn DS sets the music standard for digital music players and outperforms every other CD or digital player on the market. It embodies everything we’ve learned about music and our passion for creating great music systems which last.
Some things haven’t changed. Linn is based just outside Glasgow and still owned and run by the Tiefenbrun family. Most importantly, the passion for music and commitment to excellence that inspired Ivor back in 1972, still drives Linn today.
The LP12 revolution
The LP12 Revolution
Not only did the Sondek LP12 improve sound quality, it turned the hi-fi industry on its head by proving once and for all that the source of music is the most important link in the chain.
The LP12 revolution
Why we made the DS
We wanted to make a digital music player without compromise — something that combined our passion for music with the latest technologies to make everything you listen to at home sound better.
Why we made the DSQuick facts:
The LINN SONDEK LP12 was, is and probably will continue to be recognised as one of or perhaps as 'the' world's best Vinyl Player!
The LINN SONDEK CD12 was probably the world's best CD player!
The LINN KLIMAX DS is, 'we think', the world's finest Digital Streaming Player!
LINN's aktiv speaker technology provides you, the listener, the best sound reproduction possible.
LINN EXAKT SYSTEM (2014 onward) is revolutionising sound yet again.
MORE QUICK LINN FACTS
Each LINN product is built individually by a single person, assembling all parts, testing at each stage and even packaging the product themselves. That person places their name permanently and visibly on the back of the product ... a symbol of pride and perhaps a kind of ownership, something they built with their own hands.
LINN manufacture products themselves! Cutting of the steel for the chassis, powder coating, making the circuit boards, testing and assembly of the products ... LINN research and develop in house ... the processes, technology and techniques which they develop and own themselves.
LINN do everything themselves! LINN employs individuals for each task they do - marketing & finance, IT, product development and manufacture ... all in house from the same Glasgow factory. The Managing Director Gilad (Ivor's son), Ivor (now Chairman), the general office staff and developers sit in the same room overlooking the production hall. Everybody lunches together, everybody's opinion matters and everybody contributes to the process and the development.
At LINN, developments, testing and decisions are made in real time not only from the same site but from the same room - complete in-house control is hugely important to LINN, integral to their philosophy and a large part of why LINN are best at what they do, Engineering audio!
Products developed have a long life span and are relevant for many years to come.
LINN products come with 5 years guarantee!
MORE ABOUT LINN
From day one Ivor challenged the conventional thought in the HiFi world which suggested that speakers were the most important link in the chain for music playback. He created the phrase ''source-first'' and the simple logical philosophy that the most important thing is to collect as much information from the music format, vinyl or digital, then protect that information through the amplification to the speakers. ''Information lost at the start of the process is lost forever'' so no matter how good the speakers are they can only play the information they receive. ''Garbage In, Garbage Out''!
Ivor proved audibly to his early followers that using a better source product with less expensive speakers sounded better than a lesser source with expensive speakers. This revolutionised the HiFi industry!
By identifying the problem - acoustic feedback - and creating a practical engineered solution he resolved the issue.
LINN evaluates performance of its equipment by comparing the performance against real music.
Loudspeakers followed the turntable, then amplifiers, radios - a complete music system
LINN did not rush to produce a CD player on the release of the amazing new Silver Disk. They tested the new digital solution with their trusted method, listening ... quickly realising it was inferior musically to vinyl, something now commonly acknowledged but at the time extremely controversial. It was many years before LINN's excellence in engineering produced a CD player worthy of the same name as their beloved vinyl player, SONDEK.
The SONDEK CD12, the worlds finest CD player, was introduced in 1998 and discontinued in 2007 to be replaced by LINN's new technology, digital streaming, with the LINN KLIMAX DS.
The Japanese thought LINN had gone mad and tried to purchase the last 60 CD12 players for production to an astonishing worth of around 9 million Swedish. LINN distributed the remaining players fairly to their network.
The KLIMAX DS not only sounded better with the same CD format than the worlds best CD player but it could also play 24 Studio Master, the level used at in the recording process and the highest available quality available even today. There was no reason to continue with CD format and in 2009 LINN announced the end to its CD player production which created such a storm that it was printed in daily newspaper press worldwide. Some 5 years later after LINN released their player 'Digital Streaming' is the new thing and every large commercial manufacturer is rushing to release one.
''I read a recent report from a Swedish HiFi magazine that LINN Akurate DS, LINN's second best DS, was the best digital player they had heard and their new REFERENCE beating all the other competition. It's going to be fun reading what they write when they have tested LINN's best player and worlds best player, the LINN KLIMAX DS!''
LINN of course make not only source products but complete systems including amplifiers and speakers and with each product they use their own theory to produce products and one by one prove, using the listening test that their products sound better than the competition. As a system where each component in the chain is made to work with the next i.e. a LINN system, they are untouchable.
''Just a few days ago a customer enquired about a LINN Majik DSi, a fantastic one box solution integrating digital streaming, patented LINN CHAKRA amplification with Majik Level pre-amplifier with digital, analogue and vinyl inputs. It's a great solution I told him and he was extremely impressed when I played it with small Majik 109 bookshelf speakers. That sounds just great but I will buy the just released, new B&W speakers, double the price of the M109's but they sound great. Ok, please can you borrow a pair and we can compare A vs B on the same system. He said the B&W were hard to drive so I swapped to more powerful amps while he left and borrowed a pair of the new speakers, just arrived! A dangerous test I thought to my self but you have to keep an open mind. We plugged in the B&W and quickly tuned them for the optimal sound and played two tracks, CD quality bas rich diva music and an acoustic singer songwriter with guitar 24 Bit studio master. On the studio master it was just fine but already I heard which speaker would prevail! On the second track, the base was just all over the place, quantity not quality! We swapped to the LINN speakers and started with 24 Bit. Much cleaner and so much easier to follow the melody, involving and emotional ... I could listen all day! Then to the second track with the heavy bas! Ah those bas lines were actually not monotone but you could clearly follow the scale. The customer totally agreed but we swapped back to B&W, remember twice the price! We simultaneously agreed just by listening that it was clear, by enhancing the bas to give quantity from a small speaker, B&W were not only unable to maintain quality on the low end but negatively effected the other frequencies to the point it was difficult to follow tune, notes or individual instruments than on the LINN soeakers. By NOT enhancing anything, the LINN speaker played just beautifully and most importantly as the artist intended! Musically superior!''
B&W have and probably do make great speakers but their model in my opinion is completely flawed! CUSTOMER: Hi I'd like some speakers please, really good ones! DEALER: Buy these B&W, they are great, look at the reviews! CUSTOMER: Great! What amplifier should I buy? DEALER: Anything you like, 500 watts should be just great!
The B&W (or any other manufacturer working on single products in the chain) speaker crossover must be designed to be on average ''good'' for all sorts of different amplification a customer may chose. The LINN designer knows exactly what amplification is used and can design the ''best possible'' crossover that matches just perfectly to work in harmony with a system designed as a whole! Do you see the difference? I can let you hear it!
That's all for now folks! // Martin