Have Linn Gone Too Far.....
- Thread starter Wild_Bill
- Start date
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
They have over done the K thing so much that it'd seem odd if they stopped.
They make some excellent and innovative products with some erm... interesting names.
Entry price into linn ownership is getting expensive though and I'm a bit dissapointed with their decision to discontinue analogue preamps... Although I have four so not the biggest problem for me 😁.
When the akudorik was announced, there was some concern over the name... People didn't like it, it was a similar story with the komri... Not a pretty name, nice speakers though.
They make some excellent and innovative products with some erm... interesting names.
Entry price into linn ownership is getting expensive though and I'm a bit dissapointed with their decision to discontinue analogue preamps... Although I have four so not the biggest problem for me 😁.
When the akudorik was announced, there was some concern over the name... People didn't like it, it was a similar story with the komri... Not a pretty name, nice speakers though.
That's like saying Bentley isn't a car company.
I miss the symbiotic relationship that Linn had with Naim. Linn concentrated on the electro-mechanical stuff and Naim handled the electronics. A partnership made in heaven.
The early Naim phono input cards were specifically (and perfectly) matched for low output, 100-odd microvolts, Linn MCs and delivered superb results. ;^)
The early Naim phono input cards were specifically (and perfectly) matched for low output, 100-odd microvolts, Linn MCs and delivered superb results. ;^)
It isn't, it now makes expensive, fast living rooms.. want want want..
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
It was about eight years ago. I still really like their kit but I'm sort of with you on this... Some dealers weren't to happy either, know two personally who expressed this view, one dropped them and said they had outpriced themselves in his area, he'd sold tons of LK kit but not the higher end kit so it became unviable for him. The other had to bring in kit to fill that part of the market so brought in exposure and roksan, which sells well and rightly so.
Lord Martell
Active Member
Hello Linn is a better brand today , slightly over priced. But Krell , Audio Research MFA is not so cheap either. Naim 's also over priced brand.
Regards
The Lord
Regards
The Lord
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
Better how? They were always a great brand but used to make products within the reach of mere mortals. I brought my first linn product, a Majik I, new in 2001 when I was 16. It cost me £800, still a lot of money for a 16 year old but reachable.
A classik was £995, it was a great product, you got a CD player, tuner and amp in a compact unit for a great price and it sounded very good.
Lord Martell
Active Member
Linn LP 12 is e.g. maximized in better performance than the Old LP 12 from the 70-90 s. Today's speakers allow themselves to be compared with other brands in the same price range . Previously, their speakers greatly overpriced.
Regards
Lord Martell
Regards
Lord Martell
...and at the cost of a "...Maximised in better performance..." LP 12 you could buy what exactly as an alternative? "World" and "Oyster" are two words that come to mind. There are a few others besides. You don't happen to work for Linn do you Lord Martell?
As for the speakers...Hmmm. Competition is stiff so that's one hell of a claim considering we're not talking "budget" here. I had the opportunity of listening to a pair of new Akurats and would respectfully suggest that for less money, there's plenty of competition that would wipe the floor with them, including Adams Audio Active Column speakers, ATC SCM40A,Dali Rubicons, KEF Ref 203/2, Spendor Classic SP100R2s etc etc.
In that company, they do seem sort of out of their depth (yes, I've heard them all). Bad? No, well not exactly. Better or as good as any above? Not imho, not even close. That's just my opinion though
I am not offering any criticism of Linn as a company as they've had to do what they've decided to do to survive in an increasingly difficult market and seem to be doing very well. Yes, it would be nice in a romanticised version of the world to have them still operating out of glorified sheds in the UK employing skilled men in brown coats, but they obviously took the decision that they wouldn't achieve their target market share doing that. That has little correlation though with what you get for your buck as marketing accountants decide the pricing, not whether they are genuinely as good as or achieve the VFM of the competition which has never been stiffer.
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
I have keltiks, keilidhs, ninkas and katans in my home. I haven't been tempted to swap them for newer linn models, they are all fantastic speakers and pound for pound can't be bettered with linn's newer models (in my opinion, a fair few others would agree too).
The ninkas in particular are a lot of speaker for the money, I'm listening to them now and could happily have them as my main speakers if I moved to somewhere where I couldn't use my keltiks.
I'm not anti linn at all, look at my username
, I just wouldn't say they were a better company now than before.LP12, CD12, KDS, maybe Ittok. Anything else remotely worth having? I think not.
linnfomaniac, the speakers you mention were thought worse than what went before when new, so I'm not sure where that leaves the later stuff.
As for price, trying to afford an LP12 in the late 70s almost makes today's stuff look affordable. Saving up took forever and I still recall the experience.
linnfomaniac, the speakers you mention were thought worse than what went before when new, so I'm not sure where that leaves the later stuff.
As for price, trying to afford an LP12 in the late 70s almost makes today's stuff look affordable. Saving up took forever and I still recall the experience.
Eyebroughty
JohnC
Best speakers Linn made were the Kan, Sara and Isobarik. (notice the Sara does not have a "K")
The LP12 I bought was £230 something early 80's and to say that was expensive, well the SME Series III was around £140 or so, so not really that expensive by todays standards.
If you look at the price of a fully spec'd LP12 today you could buy a brand new car for the same price and a good car at that. In the 80's £230 would not be near what you would have to pay for a new car so 80's prices for LP12's was pretty good I would say.
However I would agree that Linn's prices today put most of their equipment out of reach for most people.
The LP12 I bought was £230 something early 80's and to say that was expensive, well the SME Series III was around £140 or so, so not really that expensive by todays standards.
If you look at the price of a fully spec'd LP12 today you could buy a brand new car for the same price and a good car at that. In the 80's £230 would not be near what you would have to pay for a new car so 80's prices for LP12's was pretty good I would say.
However I would agree that Linn's prices today put most of their equipment out of reach for most people.
cliffpatte
Speed camera anarchist
a modern LP12 has a lot more technology in it particularly if you get the latest power supply and moving coil pre-amp. The Keel is also a lot more metal and harder to manufacture. The original LP12 was like a Mini from the 1960s, the latest LP12 is like a BMW Mini from 2015 - slightly heavier, more solid and with more electronics on board. The price change is probably comparible
narabdela
who?
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
I have never had kans, isobariks or saras (I'm only 31), I have heard kans and isobariks but not for long enough to make a meaningful comparison.
Newer linn speakers are not bad by any means but they are more demanding and need more channels of amplification to take them active, which is where they really start to shine.
The one that I couldn't really get on with was the 242, it's more polished than the keltik but less fun, the bass isn't in the same league. Keltiks have presence, lots of it. Also with keltiks, set up wrong they sound awful but get them right and they are superb.
zippy
pfm Member
You're absolutely right and this coincided with them nearly going bust in 2006 which was the reason they got rid of most of the staff and property.
When the pre-amp in my last All-Linn system failed I tried the obvious thing first, namely contact a Linn dealer and see what they'd recommend as replacement.
In short the dealer wasn't really interested in anything other than selling me a whole new system. Even the dealership was hard to locate in the first place as it seemed to be in a purposely remote location.
So sorry Linn but I sold off the rest of my Linn stuff and went in the Cyrus direction instead.
Aston Martin must have felt the same as they dropped the use of Linn in their cars.