What Hifi component should be the first priority?

[Jasonovich]

Linn didn't design the Sondek LP-12 anyway (adapted it, yes) but were great at managing expectations & myth - not cynicism in my book.
"Conspiracy theory is another word for Educated" I'll remember that. The level of general intelligence in society is rather worrying.

Yes I believe Linn were commissioned by Italian manufacturer Ariston, to produce turntable components for them.

What was that phrase Steve Jobs coined?

“Good artists copy; great artists steal”

I would say the Linn Sondek is the exact copy of their turntable, no it was theft!!! - see below.

 

[RJW232]

My 2 cents: room acoustics, speaker/amp combination, source. In this order of priority. Sources are now so good that the "garbage in-garbage out" idea from the past is no longer valid. Of course a better source will improve the sound quality, but this is a minor impact compared to the other factors.

 

[busb]

Yes I believe Linn were commissioned by Italian manufacturer Ariston, to produce turntable components for them.

What was that phrase Steve Jobs coined?

“Good artists copy; great artists steal”

I would say the Linn Sondek is the exact copy of their turntable, no it was theft!!! - see below.

View attachment 9039

There's an interesting thread "In another place" (Audio Karma) regarding the spat between Castle Engineering (Linn) & Ariston. Linn certainly refined the design.

 

[manicm]

"Garbage in garbage out!" was the propaganda from Linn. There's several approaches:
1. Reduce the impact of the weakest link.
2. A real bargain may need careful planning so as not to unbalance a system but is still too good to ignore.
3. if one component has supremacy - I'd say the speakers do because if they don't match the room...
4. If starting from scratch: consider an active system!
5. Not only get the right speakers but get their position right & just as importantly - get the main listening position optimised - a chair or sofa against a wall tends to reinforce bass (the level of bass can vary considerably by moving only a few feet).
6. be very sure that spending huge amounts on cables will not give anything but marginal gains!

In the 70s I'd say Linn was correct to propogate sources - as much more attention was being paid to speakers and amplifiers by both the imdustry and customers.

Technics should also be credited with their direct drive turntables - again putting some needed emphasis on the source.

 

[matthewpianist]

Yes I believe Linn were commissioned by Italian manufacturer Ariston, to produce turntable components for them.

What was that phrase Steve Jobs coined?

“Good artists copy; great artists steal”

I would say the Linn Sondek is the exact copy of their turntable, no it was theft!!! - see below.

View attachment 9039

Not to forget the huge influence of the Thorens TD-150.

 

[davidf]

The cynicism in me, would say Linn and the publication had hatched the narrative, which became defacto among the Hifi community.
Was this purely to promote Linns profile and give credence to WHF?

Who's to say?
Conspiracy theory is another word for Educated 🙂

I'm sure Linn gained from the mantra, but it's true. Same as a system only being as strong as its weakest point.

 

[Jasonovich]

Not to forget the huge influence of the Thorens TD-150.

Yes, true.

 

[Al ears]

I'm sure Linn gained from the mantra, but it's true. Same as a system only being as strong as its weakest point.

These days it would seem the weakest point is the quality of the mastering of the music that the system is being fed rather than the equipment itself....
And I believe that has always applied and will continue to do so.
Over the years I have heard some dire LPs, some dire overcompressed CDs and some dire digital streams and none of this was down to the equipment used for playback.

 

[Jasonovich]

These days it would seem the weakest point is the quality of the mastering of the music that the system is being fed rather than the equipment itself....
And I believe that has always applied and will continue to do so.
Over the years I have heard some dire LPs, some dire overcompressed CDs and some dire digital streams and none of this was down to the equipment used for playback.

Some laid back analogue systems can sugar coat the harsh or poor mastering, but is this true to the integrity of the recording or high fidelity?
It's really down to personal preference, do you want honesty or do you want listen to music and just switch off and enjoy? 🙂

 

[Revolutions]

As always, any binary/linear classification is a huge oversimplification & not representative of real life. When it comes from someone selling a product, always a good sign to take it with a pinch of salt.

All elements of hifi are interdependent & interactive, so one item alone cannot be more important than any other.

‘What should I spend most on?’ ‘What should I upgrade next?’ Those questions get the same answer I give all my clients: “it depends.”

 

[Friesiansam]

All elements of hifi are interdependent & interactive, so one item alone cannot be more important than any other.

Best comment of the thread.

 

[Al ears]

Best comment of the thread.

I would agree up to a point.....

 

[davidf]

These days it would seem the weakest point is the quality of the mastering of the music that the system is being fed rather than the equipment itself....
And I believe that has always applied and will continue to do so.
Over the years I have heard some dire LPs, some dire overcompressed CDs and some dire digital streams and none of this was down to the equipment used for playback.

Agreed. The loudness wars has seen to it that any system isn't off to a good start - no system can make up for squashed dynamics, or e generally poor master.

 

[davidf]

Some laid back analogue systems can sugar coat the harsh or poor mastering, but is this true to the integrity of the recording or high fidelity?

Its true that some systems deal with harsh recordings (for example) pretty well, making them more listenable, but whatever it does and however it does it can also be applied to everything else.

 

[busb]

In the 70s I'd say Linn was correct to propogate sources - as much more attention was being paid to speakers and amplifiers by both the imdustry and customers.

Technics should also be credited with their direct drive turntables - again putting some needed emphasis on the source.

Back in 1974, my 1st stereo comprised a Technics DD turntable (an SL-110 with an SME 3009 & Shure V15MkIII). The SQ wasn't spectacular. I had both Technics rather tiny bookshelf speakers & a very basic technics amp.
I thought back then & now that Linn were spinning what suited their many revenue source at the time because it suited them - Linn were always good at marketing! So I did at that point put most into the source anyway.