Interview with Peter Lyngdorf going through his story

[sigbergaudio]

This is over an hour, but actually a pretty interesting story going back to the 70s and up until today. Some of the brands mentioned and that he has been involved with: DALI, Lyngdorf Audio, Steinway Lyngdorf, NAD, Snell, TacT, Purifi Audio, etc. And of course the Hifi klubben retailer chain here in Europe.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

It’s truly remarkable how much audio innovation has originated from a small country like Denmark. B&O, Dynaudio, Jamo, Scan-Speak, Vifa, Seas, Peerless, Audiovector, Buchardt, Dantax and the list goes on..

 

[Mikig]

It’s truly remarkable how much audio innovation has originated from a small country like Denmark. B&O, Dynaudio, Jamo, Scan-Speak, Vifa, Seas, Peerless, Audiovector, Buchardt, Dantax and the list goes on..

maybe I'm talking nonsense!!
maybe because in those countries so cold and with little light for part of the year you spend more time indoors, and therefore activities to do indoors have developed? actually I don't listen or at least very little, in the summer, because I want to be outdoors... it's an explanation I give myself when I think that many Hi-fi manufacturers are in the northern areas of the planet...

 

[Old_School_Brad]

maybe I'm talking nonsense!!
maybe because in those countries so cold and with little light for part of the year you spend more time indoors, and therefore activities to do indoors have developed? actually I don't listen or at least very little, in the summer, because I want to be outdoors... it's an explanation I give myself when I think that many Hi-fi manufacturers are in the northern areas of the planet...

That’s certainly a familiar explanation that I’ve heard used before.

 

[JanRSmit]

Or it is perhaps an aspect of the danish culture: to innovate in their way to do/develop business , i do not know but it is the impression i have when looking at their history.

 

[smygolf]

Or it is perhaps an aspect of the danish culture: to innovate in their way to do/develop business , i do not know but it is the impression i have when looking at their history.

As a Swede i would say you got it right.
I have worked inDenmark for 8 years, the mentality are miles apart from the Swedish.

 

[Lars Risbo]

Interesting with the DK-SE mentally difference despite being neighbours.

We had Valdemar Poulsen who was a pioneer in audio (movie sound tracks and broadcast). Also Jensen who did the first speaker in 1915. The tech universities have a long tradition for electro acoustics which has fuelled the hearing aids industry (we have 30% market share). B&O and Peerless founded in 1925

 

[restorer-john]

It’s truly remarkable how much audio innovation has originated from a small country like Denmark. B&O, Dynaudio, Jamo, Scan-Speak, Vifa, Seas, Peerless, Audiovector, Buchardt, Dantax and the list goes on..

It certainly is remarkable.

I have a real soft spot for Jamo, always have. Ever since I first encountered their products at an audio show in the early 1980s. Then later, when selling (and buying- LOL) their range. The Concert series, the gorgeous 7.7/5.7s, the 707s, 507as, lots of small and excellent 2 ways (E8xx series). Back in the day, they were the choice for anyone who wanted excellent sound, great design, style and value. I don't recall ever having a failure on any Jamo speaker I ever sold.

I have quite a bit of Jamo collected over the decades, including just the other day picking up a NOS sealed! pair of X870s for a stupid price. They were a range I'd dismissed as being for rock music, but they are actually much better than I remember. Something you don't see everyday, over 20 years old, proper made in Denmark Jamos sealed in their boxes at a thrift store. Complete with a sealed pack of all the accessory feet/spikes. Merry Christmas to me and into my car they went- 23kg each. You can never have too many Jamos I say.

When they moved manufacturing to China, I was sad. That Glyngore factory was huge and I'll bet the entire town was either employed there or supported the workers there. It was state of the art manufacturing and I almost scored a trip to see it, but never got there. When they were absorbed into Klipsch/Voxx I was sad again. Now the brand is gone to one of the Chinese manufacturing partners. All that from a company that started in a chook shed and went on to be the largest manufacturer of loudspeakers in the world at one point.

Just the other day I got on google maps to find the Jamo factory I never saw. I knew it was a long, very long building and situated at Glyngore. I'd only seen it on brochures. It was easy to find as you can see it from space. LOL.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Of course Jamo House is no more. It looks like it's barely used and was derelict for a number of years until partially leased out I guess.

I walked the google pegman all around that massive deserted factory- pretty much all the roads around the perimeter. It looks like a beautiful little town. I had to go back in time (2017) to see some signage, but there was no evidence of anything going on. Maybe a showroom, perhaps. Such a waste and it made me sad once again.

This is a 1985 brochure (back page). The factory looks new and not complete.

This from about '97.

Best quote: "The philosophy from making money from spare parts is wrong." Nice philosophy, but tell that to the distributor that came after Scan- they ripped off anyone wanting spare parts.

I keep a pair of 507as in my listening room to this day.

I sincerely hope the Chinese company respects the legacy of the Jamo brand and doesn't plaster it all over cheap garbage as is so often the case.

 

[Lars Risbo]

JAMO was a great company. I visited them in 1998. it was out in the middle of nowhere and then you had this fancy building. Jes Mosgaard who was CEO of Lyngdorf Audio for a while came from JAMO. Same with Henrik who is the chief acoustician at Steinway Lyngdorf.

 

[restorer-john]

JAMO was a great company. I visited them in 1998.

Incredible, you must have visited Jamo at their peak.

In my 1998 dealer/range Oceania catalogue, there were 102 different speaker products (not including colour variation skus, stands, brackets or accessories).

A 24 page catalogue for a speaker brand...

I bet you got to hear the Oriels? I never saw a pair here, sadly.

They were $23,811 a pair here.

 

[Mikig]

I have Dynaudio that I love and a pair of small but honest Jamo Alto Signature. Too bad that the TW of one of the speakers crackles slightly. I still have to find the time to take it apart and check it. It's a shame because they sound good.

 

[Svend P]

After having huge success with the hifi retail chain HIFI-Klubben in Denmark, where he introduced huge discounts compared to the established stores, Peter tried to do the same with bicycles. (As far as I remember, he is a mountain biker as well.) However that adventure was not as successful, and doesn't exist today. But it ignite a fire in me for designer bikes, when I saw this Klein in the first brochure.

 

[Mikig]

After having huge success with the hifi retail chain HIFI-Klubben in Denmark, where he introduced huge discounts compared to the established stores, Peter tried to do the same with bicycles. (As far as I remember, he is a mountain biker as well.) However that adventure was not as successful, and doesn't exist today. But it ignite a fire in me for designer bikes, when I saw this Klein in the first brochure.
View attachment 418547

The three-spoke wheels remind me of Saab ones!!!!

 

[Svend P]

Another thing that is very telling of Peter (and the Danish mentality). I saw him in his car from time to time - he lives 2 km from me - and at that time he drove a VW Phaeton, which is the least flashy expensive luxury car you can buy. With Danish taxes in today's money it would be a 450.000$ car, but in Denmark we don't like to show too much wealth, and to the unsuspecting it looks like a 50.000$ VW Passat, so I am sure that is why he choose that particular car.

 

[Lars Risbo]

Jamo:yes probably ar their peak. Jes was designing the Cinemaster system with intensive use of DSP and Lars Buur had designed a 1kW class D woofer amp. Lars is also with Lyngdorf today he designed the 3kW supply for the MX8400 8ch amp

 

[smygolf]

Another thing that is very telling of Peter (and the Danish mentality). I saw him in his car from time to time - he lives 2 km from me - and at that time he drove a VW Phaeton, which is the least flashy expensive luxury car you can buy. With Danish taxes in today's money it would be a 450.000$ car, but in Denmark we don't like to show too much wealth, and to the unsuspecting it looks like a 50.000$ VW Passat, so I am sure that is why he choose that particular car.

Danish tax laws on cars is wat it is - Strange !!

 

[Old_School_Brad]

It certainly is remarkable.

I have a real soft spot for Jamo, always have. Ever since I first encountered their products at an audio show in the early 1980s. Then later, when selling (and buying- LOL) their range. The Concert series, the gorgeous 7.7/5.7s, the 707s, 507as, lots of small and excellent 2 ways (E8xx series). Back in the day, they were the choice for anyone who wanted excellent sound, great design, style and value. I don't recall ever having a failure on any Jamo speaker I ever sold.

I have quite a bit of Jamo collected over the decades, including just the other day picking up a NOS sealed! pair of X870s for a stupid price. They were a range I'd dismissed as being for rock music, but they are actually much better than I remember. Something you don't see everyday, over 20 years old, proper made in Denmark Jamos sealed in their boxes at a thrift store. Complete with a sealed pack of all the accessory feet/spikes. Merry Christmas to me and into my car they went- 23kg each. You can never have too many Jamos I say.

When they moved manufacturing to China, I was sad. That Glyngore factory was huge and I'll bet the entire town was either employed there or supported the workers there. It was state of the art manufacturing and I almost scored a trip to see it, but never got there. When they were absorbed into Klipsch/Voxx I was sad again. Now the brand is gone to one of the Chinese manufacturing partners. All that from a company that started in a chook shed and went on to be the largest manufacturer of loudspeakers in the world at one point.

Just the other day I got on google maps to find the Jamo factory I never saw. I knew it was a long, very long building and situated at Glyngore. I'd only seen it on brochures. It was easy to find as you can see it from space. LOL.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

View attachment 418497

Of course Jamo House is no more. It looks like it's barely used and was derelict for a number of years until partially leased out I guess.

View attachment 418500

View attachment 418499

I walked the google pegman all around that massive deserted factory- pretty much all the roads around the perimeter. It looks like a beautiful little town. I had to go back in time (2017) to see some signage, but there was no evidence of anything going on. Maybe a showroom, perhaps. Such a waste and it made me sad once again.

This is a 1985 brochure (back page). The factory looks new and not complete.

View attachment 418505

This from about '97.

View attachment 418511

View attachment 418514

Best quote: "The philosophy from making money from spare parts is wrong." Nice philosophy, but tell that to the distributor that came after Scan- they ripped off anyone wanting spare parts.

View attachment 418512



View attachment 418513

I keep a pair of 507as in my listening room to this day.

I sincerely hope the Chinese company respects the legacy of the Jamo brand and doesn't plaster it all over cheap garbage as is so often the case.

I can see you’re truly passionate about this.

I grew up with the Power models, competing with my close friend to see who could get the largest models. As I got older, I transitioned to the Studio models 160 and 180. Over the years, I owned the early iteration of the 707, as well as the Concert 7, 8, and 11. I remember the 7 for its surprisingly deep bass, while the 8 and 11 felt a too shrill for my taste, though the build quality was exceptional! The 11 is, in my opinion, the best-looking speaker I've ever owned -possibly the best-looking speaker ever made. I also have a fondness for the newer open baffle R909, even though I’ve never had the chance to hear it.
They made speakers for all types of users, which I believe played a key role in their success.

Spoiler: Jamo Power

Spoiler: Jamo Studio

Spoiler: Jamo Concert 11

Spoiler: Jamo R909

 

[kharan]

maybe I'm talking nonsense!!
maybe because in those countries so cold and with little light for part of the year you spend more time indoors, and therefore activities to do indoors have developed? actually I don't listen or at least very little, in the summer, because I want to be outdoors... it's an explanation I give myself when I think that many Hi-fi manufacturers are in the northern areas of the planet...

Copenhagen is further north than Edmonton, Canada. It is in fact the same latitude as Moscow.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Copenhagen is further north than Edmonton, Canada. It is in fact the same latitude as Moscow.

And Glasgow.

 

[MingChops]

That was a very interesting watch, a very engineering focussed history - a couple of questions spring to my mind as a result.

Why then do the TDAi amps measure poorly here? (which I believe are a continuation of the Millenium/Equabit? amps)
And given I did not realise NAD was at one time linked to Peter Lyngdorf, I wonder why NAD have elected to use Dirac and not Room Perfect? Obviously that connection is not as it once was, but you still think it might have been a logical move given that previous relationship that existed.

As someone considering a NAD M10 v3 for DLBC (when it eventually releases!), I’m now questioning if I should put a TDAi-1120 on the list - but I wonder if perhaps a new series with Purifi amps might not be on Lyngdorf’s near horizon?