Man who nearly killed physical media returns with $60,000 vinyl turntable
- Reference: 1688999527
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/07/10/jony_ive_linn_turntable/
- Source link:
Ive is responsible for guiding the aesthetics behind some of Apple's most successful products, said to have had a hand in Newton models, the iPhone, the iPod, the iPad, the Watch and various iMacs. He worked for the company from 1992 to 2019, when he went solo to start a design agency called LoveFrom, which continues to count Apple as one of its foremost clients.
Linn Products was founded in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1973 and is best known for the Sondek LP12 turntable. A watershed moment in record player tech, the outward appearance of the LP12 has changed little in the intervening decades with some upgrades here or there to improve sound quality.
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Linn survived the CD and digital music eras by being the first to sell studio master quality tracks for download over the internet, later forging a partnership with lossless audio platform TIDAL. It also makes speakers and network music players fit for audiophiles. These days vinyl is also experiencing a significant resurgence among music nerds who like nothing better than thumbing through liner notes on gatefold LPs while their records spin.
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The company, which almost went bust in 2006, is certainly glad to still be around so is partial to an anniversary bash. When it turned 40 in 2013, Linn [4]released a limited edition Sondek LP12 "encased in a beautiful wood plinth, crafted from the solid oak casks used to mature Highland Park's award winning whisky." There were 40 units available for £25,000 and each came with a £900 bottle of 40-year-old Highland Park whisky.
For its 50th anniversary, however, Linn has upped the luxury ante by collaborating with Ive's LoveFrom on another LP12 remix – the [5]Sondek LP12-50 , which starts from £50,000 (how's that for an Apple tax?) with only 250 units made. In the US, it'll set you back $60k, and in the EU it starts at €59,500.
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Linn says of the record player:
Sondek LP12-50 produces the best vinyl playback performance Linn has ever achieved, alongside the immediately recognisable and iconic design language of Sir Jony Ive and his team at LoveFrom, applied in key visual and tactile interfaces.
The sonic improvement comes by way of Linn's all-new Bedrok™ plinth technology; formed of orthogonal layers of beech placed under extreme pressure to create an entirely new, solid and massive material. The consequent ultra-dense wood has negligible resonance and offers a superior isolating housing for the turntable's mechanism.
LoveFrom has applied their design expertise to the new, precision-machined power/speed control button and hinges – providing delightful and precise interaction with the turntable. Further aesthetic refinements to the classic Sondek LP12 form have been made with deep respect for the quality and integrity of the product.
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Linn Sondek LP12-50
While The Register has no doubt there are 250 well-heeled audiophiles and Ive appreciators out there who would leap at the chance to own this admittedly handsome piece of kit, the fact the turntable costs the same as a higher-end car sticks in our throat.
[8]Apple co-founder Steve Jobs memorialized with online archive of emails, guff
[9]Return of the Mac (mechanical): Vissles keyboard for fans of keeping a low profile
[10]Sod Crysis , can the 21-year-old Power Mac G4 Cube run Minecraft ? The answer is yes
[11]COVID-struck holiday rentals firm Airbnb shacks up with ex Apple design honcho Jony Ive in multi-year deal
[12]Here is this vulture's rather more modest home office setup complete with groovy beanbag.
Don't flame us, that turntable's dust is mild in the [13]VentBlockers scheme of things. – Ed *]
Ventblockers – 2023 It has been [14]over a decade since you lot last showed us the dreadful undead insides that lurk within the PCs that once served you, your friends, family, and even users. If you you have taken apart a machine that has literally gone to the dogs, from dust to dust, or suffered from a touch of millennial burnout, please email in your goriest pictures [15]here . Let us know if you would like a hat-tip or prefer to remain unnamed.
Our manual Pro-Jekt Elemental turntable with Cambridge Audio amplifier and preamp shouldn't total more than £500, but Linn kit often costs multiple thousands even without Ive's golden touch. Still, it is kind of nice that someone who has contributed so much to the near-death of physical media has come full circle in this way.
He told [16]Fast Company : "When it's such a broadly recognized and respected icon, and elements of the design are familiar, it doesn't necessarily mean they're optimal. Particularly when you have products that do assume that status of becoming iconic, and have that sort of cultural resonance, it's easy to assume that they are beyond improvement. And this is a particularly challenging design problem to respectfully evaluate the product."
Speaking of overpriced and old-fashioned technology, Japanese outfit Balmuda is attempting to reinvent the toaster with... [17]The Toaster , which actually steams your bread, apparently to lock in moisture while crisping the outside to perfection.
The Toaster boasts a Sandwich Bread Mode, Artisan Bread Mode, Pizza Mode, Pastry Mode and Oven Mode, and will look great next to that second air fryer your other half browbeat you into thinking you needed.
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How much? $299, and it doesn't even connect to the internet. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZKwrJxiFlqWPaxGQEJyE3wAAAwI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZKwrJxiFlqWPaxGQEJyE3wAAAwI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZKwrJxiFlqWPaxGQEJyE3wAAAwI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/123826-linn-s-sondek-lp12-turntable-costs-25-000-but-it-s-made-from-highland-park-whisky-casks/
[5] https://www.linn.co.uk/uk/turntables/lp12-50
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZKwrJxiFlqWPaxGQEJyE3wAAAwI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://regmedia.co.uk/2023/07/10/lp12-50-product_natural_50.jpg
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/09/apple_jobs_archived/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/13/vissles_lp85_keyboard/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2020/12/02/minecraft_power_mac_g4_cube/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/22/airbnb_shacks_up_with_former/
[12] https://regmedia.co.uk/2023/07/10/recordplayer.jpg
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2010/11/26/ventblockers_2/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2013/02/01/ventblockers_3/
[15] mailto:jkarabus@sitpub.com
[16] https://www.fastcompany.com/90919569/jony-ive-first-hardware-project-post-apple
[17] https://us.balmuda.com/collections/toaster
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZKwrJxiFlqWPaxGQEJyE3wAAAwI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Poor design in my opinion
There's really no reason to combine the power and the playback speed into a single button with multiple modes.
Re: Poor design in my opinion
When Linn made CD players, their top of the range one, the Sondek CD12https://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/86/index.html * did not have any actual buttons. The CD tray was the control. When empty, you tapped it to get it to extend to receive a CD. When extended you tapped it to get it to retract. With a CD installed various taps and prods controlled the device (or so I believe, I couldn't afford one). Of course there was a remote control available, but why spoil the fun?
*"The drawer is of chrome-plated aluminum alloy, and locks solidly in place when closed. The drawer is also the only means (other than the remote, of course) of controlling the player, as there's nary a knob or button on the CD12's face—optical sensors detect "nudges" against the drawer. The machine understands a hard shove to mean Open or Close, while a gentle nudge is interpreted as Play—or, if a CD is already playing, as Next Track. A nudge will also stop play—but only after you've become sensitized to the control system. It takes a few tries to learn the differences between a Next nudge, a Stop nudge, and an Open shove. Pause is handled solely through the remote." (from page 2 of the review.)
Re: Poor design in my opinion
What happened if you tapped SOS in Morse? High speed assault level eject of the CD?
Saw the headline, not in the least surprised on finding out who the company was.
That's a decent enough home office setup..
Though I'd look at a better cart for the Pro-ject (I'm partial to AT-115 carts on free vintage dual I've got in my home office).
Re: That's a decent enough home office setup..
I'd actually upgrade the entire Essential. I never did like the bare-bones design of that turntable!
Mind you, my upgraded Debut II is probably not a lot better (although it's sporting my vintage Ortofon VMS20E-II on a Debut-III arm with an add-on acrylic platter to compensate for the lower body height - sounds sublime)
Rather than looking for Cambridge Audio amp, I'm still happy with a rebuilt NAD 7020, although I have a C-A CD player and DAC.
What I can't get over nowadays is how expensive Pro-Ject decks are. When originally bought, my Debut II cost £108 (I came across the receipt recently). Current Pro-Ject turntables seem to start at north of £350.
Looking at the Linn, I think I preferred the looks of the original squared-off corners. Rounded corners (yes, really) don't look right on a Sondek!
Re: That's a decent enough home office setup..
I had the debut carbon with an acrylic platter. Replaced the ortofon cartridge with an AT.
Now I've got an SL-1200 Mk7 and ported the cart over. £800-ish in silver from Richer Sounds. Enjoying it much more. Don't need the DJ stuff, but the non-DJ versions were going £1K+
Speakers, Castle Durham 900 bookshelf. Nice rich sound for not much cash on ebay. (£70 in 2016)
Balmuda toaster
For the price I'd expect it to hold dialogues on the virtues of various bread based delights and to suggest bagels as the solution to all of humanities problems.
Re: Balmuda toaster
The Balmuda toaster isn't new- Techmoan did [1]a video on it a couple of years ago, and IIRC he wasn't that impressed.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-nNEUBCvds
The best vinyl playback performance Linn has ever achieved
So, still rather worse than the first generation of CD players, then?
Mind you, not all old technology is rubbish. If I'm ever in the market for a pricey toaster, I'm getting one of [1]these . If I can.
[1] http://www.automaticbeyondbelief.org/
In pondering the question of whether it's worth *that* much, I keep getting annoyingly distracted by the vague recollection of a 1950s quiz show whose name I can't quite remember.
I'm pretty sure it's "Double Your Money".
Make sure you also purchase £5000 gold-plated, low-O2, directional audio cables, with the arrows pointing to the direction of electrons flowing (towards the speakers, of course, to be converted into sound waves).
And don't forget your £3,500 Acrolink mains lead...
Mains? No, no, no... it needs to come with a portable fusion powered generator with a dedicated super smooth electricity supply. None of this sharing of mains with your cheap and nasty fridge!
Maybe not.
If I were ever to return to vinyl it would be with a Technics SL200MK II if I can get hold of an original one in good nick. Its direct drive was one of the better designs out there, stable by design and so much oompf that it got up to speed in at most 120º of a turn. Belt drives tend to demand a serious table mass to camouflage irregulaties in drive spindle, belt wheel or the belt itself.
That said, it had many imitations so it may be possible to pick up a more recent incarnation at a sane price..
.. but I'm quite happy with CDs :).
Plywood
Also known as "Orthogonal layers of beech placed under extreme pressure" by certain kind of suckers.
Lack of internet connection is a premium feature
$299, and it doesn't even connect to the internet.
The internet connected version only costs £199, but it only works if it can monitor your internet activity continuously. When its motion sensor detects you it shouts 'relevant' adverts at you which you can shut off for £9.99/month - until the price goes up.
Obligatory joke
Q. What do you call a belt-drive turntable fitted with a crystal cartridge?
A. A waste of a good crystal cartridge.
Worth more in the wrapper
Probably worth £60k in 20 years time if left in the wrapper.