Attention to detail - differing oppinions

[hcl]

From the record cleaning thread I cut the following lines:

why Linn have kept quiet all these years

Well, they don't sell RCMs.... To remain serious, my impression is that
Linn keeps off issues that could potentially repell an 'ordinary'
customer and give the impression that vinyl and LP12 is a thing for
persons only who fiddle about it all the day over. I remember the
discussion about the Radikal's shelf sensibility was blocked even on
the LP12 factory day. No comment ever on degaussing (they do know).
etc.etc. Perhaps one should not complain too heavily: They produce the
stuff we enjoy.

It seems Linn have chosen this approach on a multitude of matters, especially regarding system optimization which is rather strange considering the huge benefits to be gained comparing a sloppy set-up from a thorough one. I would think that holding on to the immaculate (fanatics) path does not have to repel the ordinary hifi-buyer. It only shows how dedicated they are giving even stronger support for a quality argument (especially as it can be shown that it makes a difference). In a sense I think Lejonklou is showing how it could be done. Keeping an open agenda while never parting from the immaculate quality path is what I would vote for in the long run.

The quality approach should be a requirement on the dealers thus not having to bother the customers at all.

[donuk]

From memory, I seem to recall that Linn write something like "must be installed by an authorised Linn dealer" or similar.
Surely, Linn has given the dealer the responsibility to make sure that a system is optimised for the customer home conditions, tastes, hifi rack, cable choice &c.

My local dealer in York does anyway.

Don

[hcl]

From memory, I seem to recall that Linn write something like "must be installed by an authorised Linn dealer" or similar.
Surely, Linn has given the dealer the responsibility to make sure that a system is optimised for the customer home conditions, tastes, hifi rack, cable choice &c.

My local dealer in York does anyway.

Don

Maybe its only my impression (based on what is written on forums).

[Charlie1]

It would be great to see Linn optimise each unit, ensuring they are all as close as possible together in performance. Even identical klimax kit bought at the same time can vary a lot in performance. I heard Linn used to pay a lot more attention to detail - is that correct or just rumour?

[Music Lover]

Linn has given the dealer the responsibility to make sure that a system is optimised for the customer home conditions, tastes, hifi rack, cable choice &c.

Unfortunately, very few dealers actually do this. Most compete on price and spend too little time guiding the customer.
The focus is maximizing revenue instead on maximizing customer system performance, given the specified budget.

But... of the few that guide customers, few install equipment in the customer living room.

And not many of the dealers that install equipment have the dedication and time to actually TRY to make a proper job.

And to make it even worse, of the ones that actually TRIES, just a few have the SKILL SET to set up the system properly.

It was totally different in the 80s when the dealers were highly dedicated and spent a LOT of time tweaking the systems in their demo rooms and swiftly passed this knowledge to customers. (great business model creating dedicated customers and additional sales)
I'm lucky to have contact with a couple of GREAT dealers (Fredrik included) in Europe and UK.
Professional, easy going, good support even if the distance between us have been long sometimes.

[Tony Tune-age]

I'm fortunate to have a highly skilled and talented Linn dealer, especially since my original Linn dealer retired. Of course I have to travel much farther now days, but it's worth the effort! Getting ready to make another trip soon...

[hcl]

It was totally different in the 80s when the dealers were highly dedicated and spent a LOT of time tweaking the systems in their demo rooms and swiftly passed this knowledge to customers.

I have the same impression, though I do not have as much experience of different Linn dealers, in different countries, as you have.

(great business model creating dedicated customers and additional sales)

I think so too(!), which is why I find the current approach somewhat difficult to understand.

[marmite]

It was totally different in the 80s when the dealers were highly dedicated and spent a LOT of time tweaking the systems in their demo rooms and swiftly passed this knowledge to customers.

I have the same impression, though I do not have as much experience of different Linn dealers, in different countries, as you have.

(great business model creating dedicated customers and additional sales)

I think so too(!), which is why I find the current approach somewhat difficult to understand.

Just trawling through some old threads and this one really struck a chord.
It would be interesting to know what percentage of Linn Klimax sales are to what I would call true music lovers who have upgraded over the years, and what percentage are completely new customers who are struggling to decide what flash toy to spend their money on. I know from speaking to the dealer here that most of the 350A sales are to people who have been living with Sony type systems for years and have bought without even listening. One guy was interested in 4 pairs but sent his PA down to 'look' at them. In the end he bought some B&W's because he preferred the look of them.

There is obviously a need to survive in today's business world, and Linn are probably not willing to alienate potential customers by talking about the effort required to get a decent set up. It's the modern world of "I want it, I want it now, and I don't want any hassles". Unfortunately that's given us dealers that "want it sold, want it sold now, and don't want any hassles". A decent Majik set up will outperform a sloppy Klimax one, but that's no good when there's a designer showroom to pay for!

Thankfully there will always be some dedicated dealers/people we can trust, it's just more likely we'll have to travel further to get to them than in the good old days.

Paul

[lejonklou]

A decent Majik set up will outperform a sloppy Klimax one, but that's no good when there's a designer showroom to pay for!

There's truth in that, but at the same time: A decent Klimax set up will make the customer understand how much more enjoyable it is than a Majik set up. Right?

Thankfully there will always be some dedicated dealers/people we can trust

Yes! The thing to look out for with retailers is passion and knowledge. If they have both qualities, they should be treasured. I know for a fact there are still some dedicated guys out there.

[marmite]

A decent Majik set up will outperform a sloppy Klimax one, but that's no good when there's a designer showroom to pay for!

There's truth in that, but at the same time: A decent Klimax set up will make the customer understand how much more enjoyable it is than a Majik set up. Right?

Thankfully there will always be some dedicated dealers/people we can trust

Yes! The thing to look out for with retailers is passion and knowledge. If they have both qualities, they should be treasured. I know for a fact there are still some dedicated guys out there.

Fredrik, thankfully there are the likes of yourself, Thomas, Peter (Cymbiosis) Etc, that we can trust and turn to for advice. Knowing who to trust is half the battle.

Over a year ago I asked Thomas (on the Linn forum) about torque settings for the ATC 100's. I bought the Cal 36/4, started with Thomas' recommended settings then spent over 4 hours trying different variations before returning to Thomas' figures. I trust that man.

Although I have not had any direct dealings with Fredrik or Peter, I know from their writings that I would trust them with anything regarding hi fi.

Paul