Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

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Charlie1
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Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Charlie1 »

'No' , I've not bought a pair and 'no' I'm not buying a pair 😁

But I read an article on them and wondered what folks thought of them back in the day since it was just slightly before my time.

I didn't realise this was the first model to follow the classic 70s line up, designed by Rod Crawford. Interesting that he favoured infinite baffle design but Linn wanted to follow the trend for ported speakers which were selling well at the time.

What was a typical system to drive them? This was post Naim split so I'm guessing Linn amps of some kind.

Article, if interested:
http://www.legendspeakers.com.au/Backup ... _retro.pdf

More Rod-designed Linn speaker reviews:
http://www.legendspeakers.com.au/reviews/
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by beck »

My first meeting with Linn was a listening session (around 1988) using Intek amp, Index/Helix II/Nexus speakers with a Linn Basik turntable.

I ended up buying the Helix II speakers. They stayed with me for many years while I upgraded my turntable to Axis and finally LP12. Amp changed to Pretek/LK100 from around 1995 and on.

The Helix II gave me what I wanted. Full focus on music. Less focus on hifi.

After many years of service I got the pair of second hand Espeks I use today.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Whatsmynaim »

I got the Nexus speakers back in 1989 when buying my first good stereo system including a Linn Axis turntable and a second hand 220v voltage upgraded Naim Nait 1 (it got a red led), plus 5m K20 speaker cable.
In the demo I compared to the Linn Helix speakers but found myself enjoying Nexus more. A few years ago I read the Nexus aren't that well regarded compared to the rest of Linn's 80s speaker lineup but I'm sure I got the modified and better model. At least they did sound great to me. I wish I still had them, if only to try them out in a modern system with Lejonklou amps etc. To me they're not the ugly duckling soundwise whatsoever and still look almost modern today. The rubber band to keep the fabric speaker grill in place with no risk of rattling must been a first as well and can't see that idea being bettered in any way.

Edit: Should have been more specific; they're smooth, tuneful and with a good drive. What's not to like?!
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by beck »

Whatsmynaim wrote: 2020-07-27 22:36 ................... they're smooth, tuneful and with a good drive. What's not to like?!
👍
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Spannko »

From what I remember, the Nexus were the most musical of the “nice” sounding speakers of the time, but nowhere near as musical as Kans. However, I remember hearing a later pair with a Nait 2 and it was a very pleasant listen.

I never realised they were so successful though (20,000 pairs sold), so from Linns perspective it was a good move.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Charlie1 »

Interesting to read your experiences - thanks all.

I guess the Intek and Pretek/Powertek were likely developed using the "nice" sounding speakers as Spannko calls them.

I had a dem of one of them (probably '89) - think they were Helix II. They were fine but certainly didn't inspire me to part with any cash. Hearing Kan IIs for the first time (at the same dealer a few weeks later) was a very different experience.

Looks like Rod wasn't lead designer on the Keilidh, athough he did do the Tukan. Any idea who led the Keilidh development? Linn don't like to talk about 'who did what' for some reason - they prefer to emphasis everything as being a team effort.

On a separate note, was the Sara one of Ivor's (like Briks) or Martin Dalgleish (Kans) or someone else?
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Spannko »

I don’t know who designed what, but the Helix were more musical than the Nexus with a rougher, less polished sound.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Charlie1 »

Wonder what they all sell for these days. Not that I'm buying them.

Phil Hobbs joined Linn in the early 80s so perhaps he did the Keilidh.

Spoke to someone that thinks Martin did the Sara.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by beck »

Spannko wrote: 2020-07-28 15:07 I don’t know who designed what, but the Helix were more musical than the Nexus with a rougher, less polished sound.
Spannko wrote: 2020-07-28 08:55 From what I remember, the Nexus were the most musical of the “nice” sounding speakers of the time, but nowhere near as musical as Kans.
?
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Spannko »

Phil Hobbs designing the Keilidh rings a bell, but I could be wrong.

Beck,

The Nexus had a “nice” sound to attract people who didn’t like the Linn sound at the time, but they were still more musical than the competition. They were possibly designed to compete with speakers like the ES14 which we’re designed with a 250 and had a similar size and sound.

The Helix were more musical than the Nexus, but didn’t sound as refined.

Neither were as musical as the Kans.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by beck »

Spannko wrote: 2020-07-28 16:58 Phil Hobbs designing the Keilidh rings a bell, but I could be wrong.

Beck,

The Nexus had a “nice” sound to attract people who didn’t like the Linn sound at the time, but they were still more musical than the competition. They were possibly designed to compete with speakers like the ES14 which we’re designed with a 250 and had a similar size and sound.

The Helix were more musical than the Nexus, but didn’t sound as refined.

Neither were as musical as the Kans.
Thank you for clarifying. 👍
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Nexus Biasing

Post by Ron The Mon »

Spannko wrote: 2020-07-28 08:55 From what I remember, the Nexus were the most musical of the “nice” sounding speakers of the time, but nowhere near as musical as Kans. However, I remember hearing a later pair with a Nait 2 and it was a very pleasant listen.

I never realized they were so successful though (20,000 pairs sold), so from Linns' perspective it was a good move.
19,700 pairs of the 20,000 sold went to Germany. That is why most on this forum have never heard or seen them, new or used. The article Charlie1 linked to above is the most un-researched hi-fi article I may have ever read. It reads like David Price interviewed fired sourpuss Rod Crawford only. What hacks.

Linn needed money fast to finance their new facility. Charlie Brennan thought a new speaker line that ran alongside the existing models made for export markets would succeed. Notice the Nexus has two names; an alpha/numeric moniker worked better in non-English speaking markets.

I believe Crawford was contract hired for three or four years with no intention of keeping him on. He disliked all the previous Linn speakers. He told Martin Dalgleish his Sara and DMS designs sounded good because the bass drivers were so close together, magnetically joining them in tandem and had nothing to do with "isobaric loading" pressure.

He ruined the Kan, making the Kan II. He ruined the Index Plus (a fantastic speaker), making the Index II. He ruined the Isobarik, making the Keltik. He foisted bi-wiring and passive bi-amping on all Linn speakers. His team was responsible for the later Isobarik outboard crossover; ironically to support tri-wiring and building only one model (PMS), but created a better sounding Isobarik. He invented and put Kustone into every speaker; was it really better sounding than the fill Linn had been using?

The good news is Linn's finances were injected with a lot of cash, making them a solvent company with a much enlarged facility. I believe the idea of Linn's current location was chosen by Martin as well. He thought a location with the lowest vibrations would improve machining standards. Linn's headquarters have the lowest seismic reading of anywhere in the UK.

Hiring Crawford removed Martin Dalgleish from the speaker department to designing the Troika and improving his Ittok into the Ekos. The Troika sold more units in it's first year than all other moving coil cartridges combined over $500.; an amazing statistic. This also injected a serious amount of capital. Somewhere I have a photograph of thousands of Troikas on a bench being built in Scotland. Per square foot, the profit must have been 10K a month for several years!

Why is there even an article about Rod Crawford? He is an asterisk at Linn and a nobody in the hi-fi world. Martin Dalgleish was at Linn 34 years and designed the Isobarik DMS, SARA, Kan, Index, ASAK, Karma, Asaka, Troika, Ittok, Ekos, Basik tonearms, Axis, K9, K5, & K18. He upgraded the LP12 with numerous ongoing improvements; Nirvana, Valhalla, glued sub-chassis, Cirkus, etc. His teams built the Karik/Numerik and invented digital streaming. I remember Ivor telling me in 1988 Martin had a credit card sized solid-state medium that sounded far better than CD. Martin believed streaming was far better sounding than CD and is the reason Linn didn't jump into the CD format.

I'll give you one guess who discovered the importance of, and established tune-dem. Many at Linn kept hearing how those who had an LP12 and Isobariks used their hi-fi every night (it later became a funny slogan). Someone started noticing the equipment common denominators and listened. It turns out, hi-fi equipment that played the "tune" better resulted in more musical satisfaction and less listener fatigue.

I'll give you one hint who that person was; not David Price or Rod Crawford.

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Re: Nexus Biasing

Post by beck »

Great post Ron!
Ron The Mon wrote: 2020-09-23 04:43
I'll give you one guess who discovered the importance of, and established tune-dem. Many at Linn kept hearing how those who had an LP12 and Isobariks used their hi-fi every night (it later became a funny slogan). Someone started noticing the equipment common denominators and listened. It turns out, hi-fi equipment that played the "tune" better resulted in more musical satisfaction and less listener fatigue.
......and that is what we want and why we are here.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by El Mero Mero »

Very interesting Ron! Thank you!
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Charlie1 »

Facinating post Ron! Thanks for contributing.

I would say 'brilliant post' but... :D
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by Whatsmynaim »

The Nexus was sold as being the better speaker compared to the Helix and that's what I remember hearing in the demo as well.
..however I don't know if I would agree today with the impressions I had back in 1989.
Then there's the stories of different editions to confuse things further.

Edit: Thanks Ron for the deep research.
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Last edited by Whatsmynaim on 2020-09-23 11:47, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by V.A.MKD »

No words, no words to describe ...

Thank you Ron and one big

Respect.
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Re: Nexus Biasing

Post by V.A.MKD »

beck wrote: 2020-09-23 06:29 Great post Ron!
Ron The Mon wrote: 2020-09-23 04:43
I'll give you one guess who discovered the importance of, and established tune-dem. Many at Linn kept hearing how those who had an LP12 and Isobariks used their hi-fi every night (it later became a funny slogan). Someone started noticing the equipment common denominators and listened. It turns out, hi-fi equipment that played the "tune" better resulted in more musical satisfaction and less listener fatigue.
......and that is what we want and why we are here.
+1 and you are really only several on this world ...
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A Big Oops

Post by Ron The Mon »

Ron The Mon wrote: 2020-09-23 04:43 Ron The Mon
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I failed to add “Kan-Freak”; how did I forget I have three sets of Kans?
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by lejonklou »

That was a joy to read, Ron. Thanks!

I've always been bored by Rod Crawford's stories from his years at Linn. That he doesn't understand Tune Dem or what Linn were originally about is just too obvious. He's a typical loudspeaker engineer who thinks the frequency response is a key parameter, while for musicality it's not.

I guess the reason why his comments keep surfacing is that nobody else will speak about their time with Linn. All the old heroes have left the company, but none of them seem to want to share any stories.
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Team Work

Post by Ron The Mon »

lejonklou wrote: 2020-09-23 17:39 I guess the reason why [Rod Crawford's] comments keep surfacing is that nobody else will speak about their time with Linn. All the old heroes have left the company, but none of them seem to want to share any stories
Fredrik,
It is very common for companies to have non-disclosure agreements as part of their separation contracts that are tied to a larger compensation. This prevents disparaging comments or giving away company secrets.

This also may not be the case at all.

Linn has always been a team effort. Back in the '80s, I always heard Charlie Brennan, Ivor, Bill Miller, Martin Dalgleish, etc. talk about other's projects; everyone listened to everyone elses designs. It reminds me of the "Playground" here. Often, there is a close call on sound quality and a consensous is taken. Sometimes one gets so caught up and invested in a project, it is difficult to be objective. It also allows continuity in a development.

I think you're being unfair to David Williamson, and others still at Linn. David designed the Radikal and turned the LP12 into a SuperDeck. I still find it amazing a Radikal LP12 with Basik tonearm into a $34 cartridge blows away the best spec LP12 from the '90s with Lingo/Ekos/Troika, and costs less. Was it David who designed the Keel and Ekos/SE? If not, he at least did the Ekos/SE1 and Kore. What about the Kandid and Krystal? Williamson is standing on the shoulders of Tiefenbrun and Dalgleish but the absolute quality and tune-dem standard of musical reproduction is stunning from a current LP12.

I just did a DuckDuckGo search and found Martin Dalgleish on Linkedin. He retired 19 months ago and is looking for a project to challenge him. Introduce yourself. He may have helped design your favorite Bose headphones. I think a Dalgleish/Lejonklou speaker could be amazing. He may also be your link to a proper Lejonklou streamer....or budget amp... or cartridge... or...?

He says he doesn't want a job, so that means you can't afford not to hire him.

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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by ThomasOK »

Very interesting article, Ron. I wasn't even aware of all that Linn history. I agree about David Williamson and he did indeed create the Kandid and the Krystal. I believe the Keel and Ekos SE as well since he has been with Linn since 2000 and the "SE upgrades" came out in 2007.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by FairPlayMotty »

Scotland is in many ways a village.

Lots of Scots know people who work or worked at Linn. Many of us have met Ivor. I have never met Rod Crawford. When Crawford worked at Linn I was working in the City of London.

I find some of the ad hominem attacks on Rod Crawford distasteful (some are on the cusp of being legally problematic if untrue). You can't have it both ways with the attacks on Rod Crawford but the descriptions of how Linn worked then. Either Linn was (during that period) into teamwork or it wasn't. If, as alleged, it was into teamwork then Rod Crawford can't be personally held responsible for supposedly ruining Linn's speakers. The idea that one man could achieve that degree of damage while working for Ivor is, at best, highly unlikely.

You may not like that era of Linn speakers - I bought my loudspeakers from other manufacturers at the time. But to blame almost all of the apparent dislike on one man seems peculiar.

To further say Rod Crawford is a nobody in the HiFi world is unnecessary. And judging by some of the positive reviews of his Legend loudspeakers, it's unfair. In one review Crawford cites experience of isobaric design from his Linn days. He's not consistently negative about his time at Linn. Or about Ivor.

I have been unable to find a timeline for Linn's introduction of TuneDem but I do know Linn existed in the PRAT world for some time prior to TuneDem.

Probably nobody on here knows exactly what happened within Linn during Crawford's tenure.
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Re: Linn Nexus LS250 Revisted

Post by FairPlayMotty »

Charlie1 wrote: 2020-07-27 20:00 'No' , I've not bought a pair and 'no' I'm not buying a pair 😁

But I read an article on them and wondered what folks thought of them back in the day since it was just slightly before my time.

I didn't realise this was the first model to follow the classic 70s line up, designed by Rod Crawford. Interesting that he favoured infinite baffle design but Linn wanted to follow the trend for ported speakers which were selling well at the time.

What was a typical system to drive them? This was post Naim split so I'm guessing Linn amps of some kind.

Article, if interested:
http://www.legendspeakers.com.au/Backup ... _retro.pdf

More Rod-designed Linn speaker reviews:
http://www.legendspeakers.com.au/reviews/
Charlie1, did you read the Ken Kessler review of the Tukan? It brought back memories for me - I hadn't realised how anti Linn Kessler was. But he did like the Tukan. Reading the UK HiFi reviews of that period are a blast from the past.
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Re: Nexus Biasing

Post by FairPlayMotty »

Ron The Mon wrote: 2020-09-23 04:43 Linn's headquarters have the lowest seismic reading of anywhere in the UK.
Linn's headquarters are around thirty miles from my home.

According to the British Geographical Survey, the West of Scotland and West Wales have the highest seismic readings in the UK. The lowest readings in the UK are in Northern Ireland and North East Scotland.
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