How good are Linn products?

[Pearljam5000]

Obviously a well known audiophile brand but not mentioned here a lot (at least not from what I've seen)
What's your opinion about them?

 

[Purité Audio]

Stereophile have measured a number of their loudspeaker designs.
Keith

 

[Torin Krell]

Like most audio brands that have a long history and an at least a somewhat diverse line of products, the perceived quality and value of any Linn product will depend on the specific item(s) considered for purchase. Linn was originally most respected for their high end turntables. Linn's line of speakers was also interesting and sometimes innovative, such as their well implemented isobaric woofer system in some of their speaker models. Linn was never a bargain priced brand and it appears that they have been going further upscale over the last decade or so. Looking to Stereophile (as Keith suggests) and other similarly respected audio reviews using objective data will help you evaluate the quality and value proposition of their current products.

 

[Deleted member 89782]

It‘ll be intersting to see how brands like Linn will manage the step into class-D amplification and still justify their premium price models. Class AB will be niche products in a few years. Big, heavy and energy ineffective.
But I‘m sure they‘ll manage and find their way.

 

[Grimoire]

It‘ll be intersting to see how brands like Linn will manage the step into class-D amplification and still justify their premium price models. Class AB will be niche products in a few years. Big, heavy and energy ineffective.
But I‘m sure they‘ll manage and find their way.

Linn have been using class D for years.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Totally out of my league lol

 

[Deleted member 89782]

Linn have been using class D for years.

Are you referring to the Linn Chakra technology? I‘m not sure if this qualifies as class-D.
But regardless, they‘ll manage.

 

[DavidEdwinAston]

Obviously a well known audiophile brand but not mentioned here a lot (at least not from what I've seen)
What's your opinion about them?

My sondek is 30+ years old and still working.
No idea if it has ever been objectively, perceptively, any better than most other decent turntables!

 

[DSJR]

Obviously a well known audiophile brand but not mentioned here a lot (at least not from what I've seen)
What's your opinion about them?

You don't half like to drop a pebble in the pond and watch how the ripples go...

They've changed a bit over the years and prices now are firmly in the high-end category. *That* turntable may look similar to a 1970s example, but underneath it's transformed, with maybe the pre-stressed top plate being the only really similar item left now as the plinths and everything 'inside' has been changed.

The electronics are again and in my opinion, nothing like the original LK models and like all subjectivist-based products, third party tests of new units not easy or able to find. Amir has tested a couple of twenty? year old models and they're actually okay I believe.

The speakers however, are another can-o-worms entirely, but I suggest Stereophile tests may tell the story of more recent models and old HiFi Choice books (worldradiohistory UK page) that of forty year old models. I'd just add that most of Linn's speakers seemed to be designed as active (aktiv) models, the passive crossovers more as an afterthought, such was the large difference between both ways of operation.

 

[DSJR]

My sondek is 30+ years old and still working.
No idea if it has ever been objectively, perceptively, any better than most other decent turntables!

Objectively, the LP12 'measured' well right across the board I recall, but subjectively, it developed a character when fitted with massier tonearms like their own Ittok (it wasn't called a 'fruitbox' for nothing). Sonically, it's almost unrecognisable today from the top 80s version, but the price is high.

 

[JeffS7444]

They've done interesting stuff with real engineering, but usually costly and sometimes application-specific. Examples include multi-amplified speaker systems in which the matching Linn power amplifiers are fitted with analog crossover modules specific to a particular model of speaker: Great if you own those speakers, otherwise, kind of useless.

Linn's target customer is not a tinkerer, but rather, a person who has the means and desire to let their dealer fuss over the specific bits needed, and configuration thereof. You might get the same sort of functionality at a fraction of the cost via brands like MiniDSP, but MiniDSP's ideal customer likes having control over filter parameters, whereas Linn's ideal customer is happy to pay someone else to deal with the technicalities.

 

[somebodyelse]

Linn have been using class D for years.

And chip amps before that.

 

[Cote Dazur]

I have had a Linn system since 1986, when I started with Linn my main reason was to have a one brand solution with everything “supposed” to be working well together and where I lived we had 3 Linn dealers with nice set up in town, plus the ability to test anything at home. Yes Linn was not cheap but back then and for a long time, “high end” was still affordable. I have not “improved” nor “updated” for many years and I am still enjoying my Linn system daily.
To me, no speaker, or other element of a HiFi system Linn or other wise can justify the pricing, as seen in the post above. It is just ludicrous, except for the 1% super rich for whom money has no value.
2 weeks ago, my second system, also Linn, pre amp LK1/Dirak stopped working, I am having a hard time finding somewhere to know how to fix it. Back in the days, the dealer would have taking care of it while letting me try a newer one during the repair. But the dealers are long gone in my City.

 

[DSJR]

I have had a Linn system since 1986, when I started with Linn my main reason was to have a one brand solution with everything “supposed” to be working well together and where I lived we had 3 Linn dealers with nice set up in town, plus the ability to test anything at home. Yes Linn was not cheap but back then and for a long time, “high end” was still affordable. I have not “improved” nor “updated” for many years and I am still enjoying my Linn system daily.
To me, no speaker, or other element of a HiFi system Linn or other wise can justify the pricing, as seen in the post above. It is just ludicrous, except for the 1% super rich for whom money has no value.
2 weeks ago, my second system, also Linn, pre amp LK1/Dirak stopped working, I am having a hard time finding somewhere to know how to fix it. Back in the days, the dealer would have taking care of it while letting me try a newer one during the repair. But the dealers are long gone in my City.

Late reply. I bought a non-working LK1 very cheaply to see if it could function as a cheap MC stage, taking the output from the tape-out sockets after making up a couple of cables one for each channel and wired into the XLR plugs accordingly. The fault on mine (a mid period one) was the memory battery on the control board on the front panel, the original battery having leaked all over its area and all but ruining the multi-layer board itself (Quad aren't immune either if horror stories concerning the similar age 34 preamp are anything to go by). I've got it running, but it hates being left unpowered for more than a few weeks, the 'Christmas Tree Light' effect coming full force for ten minutes until the thing has acclimatised itself into use, upon which it's fine! The LK1 with any of the three LK2 amps (2, 2-75, 280), does add a bottleneck to the total performance, yet both pre and poweramp, can 'sound' great with different units to partner them -

I'm not supposed to admit this here or anywhere else, but I can tell you from current experience, that the actually simple Kolektor preamp works extremely well with an LK2 style power amp and the phono stage, while being MM only, is highly satisfactory too. Said Kolektor always sounded 'cleaner' to me than the grainy Wakonda preamp and more 'transparent' perhaps than the last issue Kairn, but of course, the common-or-garden all-in-one stereo TDA 7439 chip at the sonic heart of it, isn't especially 'HiFi' in specs and no doubt the subjectivists in the Linn fold would deride it for cost reasons alone, as some did on a popular UK forum once. The Kolektor does seem reliable, however, the 'explosions' of the tin can and rectangular Brilliant power supplies not seeming to happen to the simple smps inside on the main board. Nice condition boxed Kolektors can be got for £300 or so still.

The thing is, Linn don't support any of their older electronics now, so if the control board on my LK1 fails, it's little more than parts or scrap to be honest. Got to say I had an about-turn on the Lk280/Spark I have here, bought cheap mainly for the SPARK's high current 55-0- -55V DC dual-mono supply. used with a modern preamp it's subjectively excellent in a 'quietly powerful' kind of way.

I have no idea on the more recent electronics with fancier cases, but I'd be careful to check if they can be serviced before laying out large sums of money on them used.

 

[whereisbrian]

I owned an LK1 preamp pair with its Dirak power supply and an LK280 power amp for five years.

These components are in need of serious servicing, particularly, as mentioned above, replacing the battery on the preamp, which, incidentally, has an excellent phono input, and for the amp, checking the solder joints and capacitors.

As an aside, the preamp and amp connections are XLR.

Otherwise, I was satisfied with this equipment.

I've since upgraded to Class D

 

[Jimshoe]

In its early days Linn did have some notable qualities - engineering quality (particularly bearings) and implementing bolder design ideas (isobaric loading) etc. The commitment to continuously updating the LP12 (and making improvements retrofittable) was also good. It's expectation of dealers to have an evangelical dedication to its equipment and ethos was likely the genesis of the 'flat earth' approach to audio in the UK in the 80's and 90's. Over time (and following the death of its founder) Linn (like Naim) have become simply a brand cashing in on previous glories and selling equipment that is imho wildly overpriced and not remotely forward thinking.

 

[Purité Audio]

Stereophile have measured a number of their speakers…

Linn Majik 109 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com

Sidebar 3: Measurements The Linn Majik 109's voltage sensitivity is specified as 88dB/W/m at a single frequency, 1kHz. I prefer a broadband figure, as the sensitivity at one specific frequency can be misleading. My estimate of the Linn's B-weighted sensitivity was significantly lower than the...

www.stereophile.com

Keith

 

[Linnie]

I own the Majik DSM Mk 3 streaming amplifier. Though Armir's measurements of Gen 1 weren't so hot, I like its functionality. It has a ton of digital inputs of all kinds, analog inputs and outputs. Everything is in a box, phono pre, streamer, multiroom, headphone out (which I don't use often but nice to have), seperatable pre and power amplifier, LAN connectivity but sadly no USB.
Everything works fine in everyday use. No problems with reliability after some years, so I can't tell about servicing. Some years ago they still would have repaired an old Axis turntable from the eighties, but for big money.
Downs: configuration is easy but getting there is a mess (you need an internet connection and a Linn account). Also, the pricing of course.

 

[goat76]

I own the Majik DSM Mk 3 streaming amplifier. Though Armir's measurements of Gen 1 weren't so hot, I like its functionality. It has a ton of digital inputs of all kinds, analog inputs and outputs. Everything is in a box, phono pre, streamer, multiroom, headphone out (which I don't use often but nice to have), seperatable pre and power amplifier, LAN connectivity but sadly no USB.
Everything works fine in everyday use. No problems with reliability after some years, so I can't tell about servicing. Some years ago they still would have repaired an old Axis turntable from the eighties, but for big money.
Downs: configuration is easy but getting there is a mess (you need an internet connection and a Linn account). Also, the pricing of course.

I use a Linn Akurate DSM as the "heart" of my system, and before that, I used an older Akurate DS for many years before upgrading it to the DSM. It sounds great, has all the types of connections, all the functionality I need, and great support with software upgrades. It's quite impressive how Linn still supports their older models, and I think you still get the same functionality even if your streamer is 19 years old (as their first streamers from 2007). Many other manufacturers would have stopped supporting their older hardware long before that.

But with that said, this is likely my last Linn product if I don't stumble over a somewhat cheap unit on the used market, as their prices have shot through the roof completely over the last 10 years or so.

 

[Soniclife]

Stereophile have measured a number of their speakers…

Linn Majik 109 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com

Sidebar 3: Measurements The Linn Majik 109's voltage sensitivity is specified as 88dB/W/m at a single frequency, 1kHz. I prefer a broadband figure, as the sensitivity at one specific frequency can be misleading. My estimate of the Linn's B-weighted sensitivity was significantly lower than the...

www.stereophile.com

Keith

That's worse than I would have guessed, and I didn't have high expectations.