Linn vs the rest of the world.
- Thread starter StressedRabbit
- Start date
Dealers can’t stock everything. They make decisions based upon what they can sell & stand behind. Many a great product has been brought low by reliability issues. The original post on this is not borne out by any facts I’m aware of.
Bear in mind that most on this forum were probably visiting hi-fi dealers when vinyl was already on the wane. My dealer stopped selling TTs for a good while & it is a tiny part of their market now.
Bear in mind that most on this forum were probably visiting hi-fi dealers when vinyl was already on the wane. My dealer stopped selling TTs for a good while & it is a tiny part of their market now.
Stereo Stereo in Glasgow was the closest Linn dealer to the factory. I met Ivor in the shop a couple of times and most of the guys in the shop were ex-Linn. They stocked Rega from the beginning and We'll Tempered later on. I was in a Linn dealer in Edinburgh a few years ago and they had ProJect and Avid.
Loud and Clear Glasgow stock Rega and if course Rega now sell high-end decks. And of course I had a look at the Salstice a while back but the guys all use LP12s and don't sell much of anything else. They do the dem and most people buy the LP12.
Say what you like, the LP12 is a damn musical and likable turntable. I've heard and owned a few decks over the years but I'm back with the Linn and no intention of changing. I've never heard or seen anything to suggest that Linn don't want the LP12 compared to other decks. I'm not saying they don't do other things you might not like but I think this specific accusation is just a rumour.
Loud and Clear Glasgow stock Rega and if course Rega now sell high-end decks. And of course I had a look at the Salstice a while back but the guys all use LP12s and don't sell much of anything else. They do the dem and most people buy the LP12.
Say what you like, the LP12 is a damn musical and likable turntable. I've heard and owned a few decks over the years but I'm back with the Linn and no intention of changing. I've never heard or seen anything to suggest that Linn don't want the LP12 compared to other decks. I'm not saying they don't do other things you might not like but I think this specific accusation is just a rumour.
Cupuacu
Militis
My experience of Linn started in Glasgow where I lived in the 80s. At the time I found it impossible to hear an LP12 in comparison to a Systemdek III - I suspect aggressive local marketing, and perhaps not replicated anywhere outside of the Glasgow Edinburgh central belt - although it is also possible that Systemdeks (designed in Edinburgh) were only made in very small quantities with even fewer arm boards available, and much harder to find in a serious hifi shop. I ended up buying two Systemdeks and have never regretted it, as I have had to do little or nothing to them since (and they still work today as they were designed to do). They were auditioned in the only "dealership" in Glasgow which was a basement shop run by a young enthusiast who sold record decks, arms, cartridges etc from several makers, but no Linn. And yes, I tried the Music Room in Glasgow, but ended up buying Gale 402's instead! So most likely the general Edinburgh/Glasgow rivalry was the deciding factor that caused this initial selling hiccup, and wasn't replicated anywhere else in the UK. I have never bought any Linn equipment, simply because I have never felt the need to.
sonddek
Trade: SUPATRAC
Radford Hifi? They played Dunlop, Roksan, Dual, Michell, NAD, Rega, Rotel, Pink Triangle and of course Linn. I vaguely recall they may even have had a Technics linear tracker on display. They were fairly Linn/Naim-fanatical, and I ended up buying an LP12/Naim system, followed by many upgrades over the years. It's hard to imagine there were many more Linn-pushing dealers than that, so I'm a bit suspicious of the premise of this thread. It's a free world - you don't have to buy what the salesman is pushing. If you're weak and influenced, well, caveat emptor.
the caretaker
pfm Member
Me? Sensitive? How? Lol..just having a laugh...though I think in future I may have to preface my remarks with " I just being jocular " I think we can be too serious about hifi...its only a hobby..I think with the onset of those smart home speakers..our big heavy inefficient equipment seem like relics? At least we have our forum for salvation lol ( jocular alert)
onlyconnect
pfm Member
Linn vs AR at a shop in Oxford, bought the Linn/Basik against the dealer's advice 
When I upgraded to the much better Ittok the dealer (Chris Thomas?) told me the Linn was badly set up.
A little later I auditioned the Roksan Xerxes with RB300 against the Linn and felt the Xerxes sounded quite a bit better, bought the Xerxes, sold the Linn/Ittok for more than I paid for the Xerxes. Still have the Xerxes today and sounds great, though I did upgrade it to the Artemiz which was another big improvement.
Tim
When I upgraded to the much better Ittok the dealer (Chris Thomas?) told me the Linn was badly set up.
A little later I auditioned the Roksan Xerxes with RB300 against the Linn and felt the Xerxes sounded quite a bit better, bought the Xerxes, sold the Linn/Ittok for more than I paid for the Xerxes. Still have the Xerxes today and sounds great, though I did upgrade it to the Artemiz which was another big improvement.
Tim
Bob McC
Living the life of Riley
You heard did you?
Well as someone who was around in the period I can tell your post is unmitigated bollocks.
When I bought my Linn in 84 I compared it against my thorens, a Pink Triangle and others.
messengerman
pfm Member
There was a vacancy posted a couple of months back on the Linn website for what I took to be a regional sales manger .
Reading between the lines (it didn't take much) the job was essentially bullying dealers over sales targets in a variety of ways. It sounded rather heavy handed and intrusive. Making them sign up to Linn authored business plans, various sanctions for target shortfalls, that kind of thing. The successful applicant was also expected to get creative presumably in developing novel ways of their own to apply pressure to dealers.
In short the kind of person whose visit would be about as welcome as an audit from HMRC.
That's one way to run a sales channel. Often twinned with some form of local exclusivity for a dealer to ensure maximum leverage. Of course it's not the only way and the generality of manufacturers ( in the wider consumer electronics market at least) simply allow any dealer to sell their stuff and rely on carrots rather than sticks to push product - marketing and technical support, volume discounts, posh dinners, dealer of the year prizes etc etc.
Reading between the lines (it didn't take much) the job was essentially bullying dealers over sales targets in a variety of ways. It sounded rather heavy handed and intrusive. Making them sign up to Linn authored business plans, various sanctions for target shortfalls, that kind of thing. The successful applicant was also expected to get creative presumably in developing novel ways of their own to apply pressure to dealers.
In short the kind of person whose visit would be about as welcome as an audit from HMRC.
That's one way to run a sales channel. Often twinned with some form of local exclusivity for a dealer to ensure maximum leverage. Of course it's not the only way and the generality of manufacturers ( in the wider consumer electronics market at least) simply allow any dealer to sell their stuff and rely on carrots rather than sticks to push product - marketing and technical support, volume discounts, posh dinners, dealer of the year prizes etc etc.
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
Rushed of my feet, I’m insanely busy at the minute… anyway, although I’ve predominantly had Linn kit, I’ve had all manner of other kit, Rega, Roksan, Exposure, Cyrus, Naim, Quad, Meridian, more than I can list, most of this kit has been carried alongside Linn at one or more dealerships, my local dealership has been in continuous operation since about 1984 and used to carry Manticore, Rega, Revolver and Roksan turntables alongside Linn… they still carry Roksan, Rega and Pro-Ject alongside Linn. Many other dealers will have carried a similar range with other brands such as Pink Triangle and Systemdek alongside Linn.
the caretaker
pfm Member
With my humble Linn, I just listen to the music..no analytical listening..just listening for pleasure..isn't this the best advert for a turntable?
the caretaker
pfm Member
Isn't this bullying dealers over sales figures standard practice for sales managers be it for Linn or Travis Perkins?
the caretaker
pfm Member
Hi Keith, does the guide dog test work for turntables too? Just having a joke with you..not trolling..lol
notevenclose
pfm Member
messengerman
pfm Member
I covered that question in my post. In short not if the retail outlets are independent businesses, no.
Of course if the retailer is small some big manufacturers might try - after all such relationships are ultimately about power. At the other end of the scale (where the boot is firmly on the retailer foot) can you seriously imagine a sales manager for say a yoghurt maker trying to bully a big supermarket over disappointing sales?
Dave J
Übermember
Please post a link, “reading between the lines” can be so misleading, don’t you think? Probably best to give everyone the opportunity to reach a conclusion, positive or negative, by themselves rather than rely upon an interpretation.
notevenclose
pfm Member
Why is it such a problem for you? If you don't like a company and/or its products, don't buy them or do business with them. It is often that simple.
With the benefit of a fair bit of inside knowledge I could name a number (happily quite small) of hifi manufacturers who historically I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire, and whose equipment I wouldn't have in home or shop if I were given it free.
Over the years I've had a number of acquaintances, friends and clients in the hifi trade, and I've met some real gentlemen (gentlepersons?) and some right c***s.* But guess what, that's equally true of every other industry I've worked in.
*And quite a few who could be both, depending on circumstances.
I know who I think the good guys are on my personal list, and those are the people I want to do business with. Can't really be arsed thinking about or fretting over the rest, life's too short.
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messengerman
pfm Member
I was going to do that but on checking the listing had been dropped (presumably job filled). Keep checking though if you can be bothered. It might come back and I expect they'd use the same copy -unless they see this thread
If it helps after a long career in management I'm quite reliable at reading between the lines. Not that this one presented any kind of test - Linn's use of euphemism was light and wholly transparent.