Off The Record

The undeniable power of Online Marketing

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:00:23 +0000

Linn owners from around the world converged on our Waterfoot factory this August for the inaugural Linn Forum Event. During its first two years, Linn's online forum has attracted over 6,500 registered users (and at least as many guest users) who participate in enthusiastic dialogue and debate about music and hi-fi. How many hi-fi magazines can honestly boast this level of active readership?

The Linn Forum Event brought members of our online community face-to-face for the first time and we made it very special for them with a packed agenda and the most in-depth tour we have ever offered. Within days many of those who attended are now planning their next upgrade - some have even contacted their dealers already.

The response from those who attended was characterised by this subsequent post on the Linn Forum:

"After visiting the factory, meeting the team, seeing that everything is done 'in house' at the Linn factory (as opposed to buying in modules, chassis or assemblies from third party suppliers), then seeing the quality assurance processes and that every single product is comprehensively commissioned, it becomes immediately obvious just why Linn's products are so far ahead of their competitors" Briain

The web is now the most effective enthusiast destination for gathering information, sharing knowledge and recommendation - proven by the stratospheric growth of social networking and the terminal decline of print advertising. As we have long known, word-of-mouth recommendation is also the most powerful referral mechanism, and these growing online communities stimulate and accelerate referrals faster than ever before.

Our best customers are now more engaged than ever thanks to Linn's open approach and Online Marketing. You can turn this to your advantage.

As our key sales season approaches, now is the time to incorporate more online tactics into your marketing plan. Join the Linn Forum, find out what customers are talking about and take part in the discussion. Make sure your staff are tapped into the issues that really matter to enthusiasts. By participating as a Linn Specialist, you will grow and develop your online influence and by encouraging your best customers to sign up and participate they will become your most powerful advocates for new business.

Read more about what went on at the Linn Forum Event.

Kinsky for Mac unites Apple lovers with Linn quality sound

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:00:39 +0000

KinskyMac is the latest Kinsky control solution that joins Apple and Linn worlds together in perfect harmony. This intuitive new Linn DS control software unifies Linn and Mac compatibility, providing seamless integration of Linn DS for Apple lovers to enjoy music at the finest quality.

Mac compatibility is unified further with the introduction of iTunes library browsing through KinskyMac. With all Apple file formats supported, you can now play all your iTunes music on Linn DS. iTunes library browsing is also available on the latest versions of Kinsky for Windows and PDA.

Developed in-house by Linn software engineers, DS owners can enjoy all of the latest functionality as software upgrades are released. The new KinskyMac application follows huge demand from Apple lovers seeking the best listening experience - only available from Linn DS.

With a multitude of control solutions now available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, iTouch and iTunes, music lovers everywhere can access and enjoy the highest quality music on Linn DS through all of their favourite Apple products.

KinskyMac operates on Mac OS X Snow Leopard with Mono installed and will be available to download free of charge from Linn from mid-September. Be first to hear when it goes live by subscribing to the software release feed.

Limited availability of Maple loudspeakers and farewell to Komponent

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:00:15 +0000

We now have limited availability of some loudspeaker models in Maple finish. These will continue to be supplied on a first-come, first-served basis, only while stocks last. Place customer orders as soon as possible to avoid missing out:

There is limited or no stock of the following models:

Klimax 350 / 350A floorstander - limited stock
Klimax 345 bass extension - limited stock
Akurate 242 floorstander - limited stock
Akurate 226 bass extension - no stock
All Majik loudspeakers - no stock

The remaining models in the Klimax and Akurate loudspeaker ranges in maple continue to be available at this time:

Klimax 320 bookshelf
Klimax 340 centre channel
Akurate 212 bookshelf
Akurate 225 centre channel

All loudspeakers continue to be available in Black Ash, Cherry, Rosenut* and White**.

Komponent Loudspeaker End-of-life
Further to our announcement last month, stock of all Komponent loudspeakers is now finished and we will no longer offer this range.

Unik bookshelf loudspeakers provide an ideal playback partner for Sneaky Music DS owners, or for a more discreet alternative, Custom 2k 106 and 104 in-wall loudspeakers are also available.

Place orders for Linn loudspeakers now by contacting the Linn Order Processing Team on tel: +44 (0) 141 303 5177, fax: +44 (0) 141 644 4262, or email: orders@linn.co.uk

* Akurate and Klimax range
** Majik range

Linn Radio exceeds 25k listener mark

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:00:26 +0000

Linn Radio has attracted over 25,000 individual listeners since its inception only 3 months ago, indicating great demand from music lovers for high quality broadcast radio.

In July 2010 alone almost 13,000 listeners tuned in from 108 countries worldwide to enjoy the wide variety of music from a range of genres and artists, offered by Linn at a constant, uninterrupted 320kbps stream - the highest quality internet radio available. Many listeners are tuning in via a Linn DS player, ensuring the finest possible listening experience.

Recent albums added to the Linn Radio playlist cover a wide selection of genres, including the following Alternative, Rock / Pop, Indie and Classical titles:

Admiral Fallow

Boots Met My Face

An album of open-hearted, foot-stomping and beautifully precocious indie-rock love songs.

Aidan Moffat & The Best-Ofs

How To Get To Heaven From Scotland

A beautifully produced record of gritty lyrical contrasts from the ex-Arab Strap frontman.

Various Artists

Ballads Of The Book

Scotland's finest writers and musicans collaborate: from plaintive folk and scuffed pop to epic rock and rattling lo-fi.

Emma Pollock

The Law Of Large Numbers

Irresistible indie-pop from ex-Delgados founder: complex, intelligent and hugely compelling.

Zoey Van Goey

The Cage Was Unlocked All Along

Songs that sparkle and fizz with intelligence and power from the band hailed as the new Belle & Sebastian.

Canty

Carmina Celtica

An astonishing album of world-premiere recordings in unrivalled 192 kHz 24-bit Studio Master quality.

Pamela Thorby

The Nightingale and the Butterfly

Pamela Thorby teams up with renowned lutenist Elizabeth Kenny for a sparkling exploration of French Baroque music.

The Avison Ensemble

Handel Concerti Grossi Opus 6

Award-winning 24-bit Studio Master of Handel's greatest instrumental compositions.

All albums are available to download at Studio Master quality using your trade account at http://www.linnrecords.com

Make sure you can showcase the best sounding internet radio to customers in your shop by having Linn DS and Linn Radio on demonstration.

Love Your Linn: Ask the experts

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:36:05 +0000

On Wednesday 28th July from 7pm BST, we’ll be hosting an online Q&A with Linn engineers on hand to answer questions about our Aktiv and Dynamik upgrades which are free during the Love Your Linn promotion.

Phillip Budd, Senior Acoustic Engineer, will be available for all queries relating to our Aktiv playback technology while Senior Hardware Design Engineer, Trevor Stacey will answer any Dynamik questions on the evening.

If your customers are still deciding which upgrade to go for, why not encourage them to join in the session?

The Love Your Linn promotion, which runs until Tuesday 17th August, gives all customers purchasing from the Klimax, Akurate or Majik ranges* the option to transform their existing Linn system with a free upgrade:

Aktiv - enjoy the best sound from your Linn playback system
or
Dynamik - hear even more of what matters with our most advanced power supply.

Please tell your customers about this session so they can join us for what promises to be an informative and insightful discussion www.linn.co.uk/love_linn_live.

*Terms and conditions apply.

Limited availability of Komponent loudspeakers

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0000

We have very limited stock of some models in the Komponent loudspeaker range. These will continue to be offered only while stocks last.

Place customer orders as soon as possible to avoid missing out - products will be supplied on a first-come, first-served basis while stock lasts.

There is limited or no stock of the following models:
Komponent 104 bookshelf in silver finish - no stock
Komponent 104 bookshelf in graphite finish - limited stock
Komponent 110 floorstander in graphite finish - limited stock
Komponent 120 subwoofer in graphite finish - limited stock

The remaining models in the Komponent range continue to be available at this time:
Komponent 106 LCR in silver finish
Komponent 106 LCR in graphite finish
Komponent 110 floorstander in silver finish
Komponent 120 subwoofer in silver finish

For customers seeking a suitable partner for their Sneaky Music DS, why not offer the Komponent 106 LCR (available in Silver and Graphite) or Unik bookshelf loudspeakers (available in White). For a more discreet alternative, Custom 2k 106 and 104 in-wall loudspeakers are also available.

Place orders now by contacting the Linn Order Processing Team on tel: +44 (0) 141 303 5177, fax: +44 (0) 141 644 4262, or email: orders@linn.co.uk

Worldwide acclaim for Uphorik

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:27:12 +0000

Reviewers around the world have been extremely positive about our latest turntable phono stage, Uphorik. These reviews are a useful sales tool, offering customers unbiased opinions of our products.

We’ve included some of their comments below. You will find a full list of product reviews here.

UK
Jimmy Hughes, HiFi Choice - July issue
‘it goes without saying that Linn’s Uphorik phono stage will have plenty of appeal to serious vinyl enthusiasts’

‘the Uphorik is an outstanding phono stage to make you fall in love with vinyl’

A copy of the full review is available on the Techradar site.

David Price, HiFi World - August issue
David awarded Uphorik full marks in his review, saying ‘the clever thing is not just that this phono stage can distil down all the good things from the song and deliver them straight to you, but that it does so with such finesse.’

Martin Colloms, HiFi Critic - April-June issue
‘the designers seem to have left nothing to chance, and the comprehensive facilities are worthy of far more costly alternatives’

‘You could not ask for more from this tidy and firmly recommended package.’

Germany
Dalibor Beric, Stereoplay - May issue
Having rated Uphorik best in class, Dalibor said it was ‘the perfect phono stage’

‘not only highly flexible, the Linn Uphorik is also well balanced, natural and intriguingly musical, delivering an impressive, elegant and utterly pointed performance.’

Matthias Bode, Stereo - June issue
‘...one of the best phono stages for years to come... Upgrading from lesser phono stages to Uphorik gives you an exhilarating feeling of hearing your turntable like never before.’

‘Excels in dynamics and arresting musicality...immaculate lab performance...’

Stereo gave Uphorik a sound rating of 97 out of 100 and said it was outstanding value for money.

Audio - July issue
"SOUND TO REVEL....Full bass, silky highs, very detailed, spacious imaging: Uphorik's superiority compared to most of its competitors - including Linto - is distinct and beyond individual preferences.’

‘One of the most noise-free preamps available and hard to beat. Vanishingly low distortion, perfectly balanced frequency response.’

Spain
Luis Llana, Cine en Casa - No.78 May
‘a new and formidable music-making machine which will give new life to a record collection.’

‘it will bring light on the hidden qualities of many turntable/cartridge combinations.’

Netherlands
Kilian Bakker, hifi.nl - April
‘The Uphorik is a phonostage of pure delicacy… It was refreshing to encounter this kind of reproduction’

‘The Uphorik has proven its use outside of analogue Linn territory; not only can it fulfill widely differing loading demands, it does not rely upon the sonic character of the source. In short: what the turntable wants goes and that's how it should be with a truly universal phonostage.’

The full review is available online at hifi.nl.

Why not share some of these comments with your turntable customers in your next newsletter or whenever they’re next in store? Encourage them to audition Uphorik and let the results speak for themselves.

Signpost your shop as a destination for Linn

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:00:20 +0000

Stereo Stereo has defined itself as the Glasgow destination for Linn with new Linn-branded window displays. Located on a busy city centre road in Glasgow’s financial district, Stereo Stereo is now easily identified by drivers and passers by.

With our increasing presence in the lifestyle media, why not signpost your shop as a destination to experience Linn? The Linn marketing team can help you to tailor options specific to your needs. Working with you to highlight your demonstration stock, we can create a look that complements your brand image.

To take advantage of this opportunity to turn your shop into a Linn landmark email the marketing team or call 0141 303 5028.

ChorusDS simplifies Mac control points

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:08:00 +0000

A new third party control software for Linn DS is now available for Mac, iPhone/iTouch and iPad users.

ChorusDS, which has been designed to be simple to use, was developed by Sean Harding and tested on his wife and kids to ensure it met this objective. It is a practical choice for even the most inexperienced Apple user.

Free for the Mac and £9.99 through iTunes App store for mobile devices, ChorusDS opens instantly on your device and automatically finds your Linn DS and stored music. The intuitive controls allow you to easily search the music library and save, edit or create new playlists.

The software is suitable for customers enjoying the new Radio DS feature with ChorusDS displaying a complete listing of the stations available on your presets. The Mac and iPad applications allow you to multi-task, for example continue to listen to the radio while setting up a new playlist from your stored music.

Download ChorusDS and test it for yourselves. It’s one of the most comprehensive pieces of Mac software available for Linn DS and well worth making available for customers to test when demonstrating the players and their ease of use.

You can find out more about ChorusDS on Sean’s website or check out the various threads on the Linn Forum to find out what other users are saying.

This is just one of a range of third party applications available for Linn DS. A full list can be found on Linn’s website.

Sekrit IW10 loudspeakers launch

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:12:53 +0000

Linn’s new flagship in-wall loudspeaker, Sekrit IW10, is now available to order. As part of Linn’s dedicated custom range, the Sekrit IW10 offers a serious high performance alternative to free-standing loudspeakers, particularly where a discreet solution is required.

Performance is achieved through a combination of high quality drive units and class-leading crossover design in a compact, sealed enclosure that is easy to install. Designed for the music lover, the Sekrit IW10 can be easily configured to fully Aktiv to release the full potential of the loudspeakers.

Where surround sound is desired, the Sekrit IW10 can also be installed in an LCR set-up with the option to partner it with the Sekrit BR27 bass reinforcement speaker.

The Sekrit range comprises a collection of audio components created to meet the needs of the custom installer. Sekrit products provide a hidden solution for bespoke systems allowing you differentiate your business with the highest quality custom offering.

Find out more about the product specifications on Linn’s Custom portal. Pricing information is available on Linfo (requires login).

New software released for Linn DS

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:35:07 +0000

The latest software update for all Linn DS players, Cara 7, has been released today.

Cara 7 offers a number of improvements, including greater compatibility for Mac users, access to even more internet radio stations and improved DS discovery over wireless.

The update means Linn DS players will now support 24-bit ALAC (up to 96kHz) allowing Mac users to easily enjoy their high resolution tracks in the same format on both their Mac device and Linn DS players.

An even greater choice of internet radio stations is also now available with the introduction of AAC+ decoding which will allow all stations broadcasting in AAC to be played through Linn DS players.

Upgrade your Linn DS demonstration stock with Cara 7 today via Konfig to ensure your customers can see these new improvements.

Subscribe to the software release feed to get all the details about future updates as they’re released.

Radio DS creative available now

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:41:16 +0000

A range of eye-catching Radio DS point-of-sale creative and materials is now available to make it even easier for you promote this exciting new Linn DS upgrade to your customers.

Download web banners and pop-ups from Linn’s ftp server:

ftp://artwork:ginormous@ftp.linn.co.uk/Creative/Radio_DS_expires_Apr11.

Use this creative to link to a suitable page on your website or link to Linn’s Radio DS news story.

An e-mail header for use in your email campaigns is also available. For examples of Radio DS e-mails, view Linn’s mailers to DS owners and all other Linn contacts.

If you have Linn DS on demonstration you will shortly receive a Radio DS poster to display in your shop. The creative for these posters is also available in the above artwork folder on the ftp server, should you wish to translate and/or print these locally.

Please ensure your DS demonstration stock has been updated with the Cara 6 software and the poster is displayed in a prominent position in your shop to encourage customers to audition Radio DS. For the ultimate listening experience, demonstrate Radio DS with Linn Radio to showcase the highest quality internet radio on Linn DS.

Please note: this creative can be displayed until 30 April 2011, after which time it must be removed from in-store and online.