Linn 360 Exakt Integrated & Passive with Aktiv Bass Loudspeakers

Linn's 360 loudspeaker is available in two flavours - Exakt Integrated and Passive with Aktiv Bass (PWAB) - and promises "unprecedented clarity and realism absent from sonic colouration" thanks to innovative drive units and amplifier technologies resulting in what Linn claims are their lowest-ever levels of audible distortion.

We're told that the new curvaceous cabinets are partnered with meticulously matched drive units to deliver the cleanest possible dispersion characteristics from this 4-way design. Meanwhile, Linn states that cutting-edge material science has apparently eliminated audible distortion, benefitting the drive units' development and subsequent integration with the Glasgow-based firm's latest amplifier tech in the Bass System and the new 360 Array.

Linn says that when these acoustic and electronic innovations are deployed alongside the company's loudspeaker technologies – Exakt and Space Optimisation – 360 becomes audibly invisible, leaving vocals suspended in space and a presentation with true-to-life scale and depth.

Gilad Tiefenbrun, Linn’s CEO, told StereoNET:

Decades ago, my father astonished a journalist when, upon being asked how – and if – music reproduction could get any better, he replied that he believed that we were only 1% along the road to making music at home as involving and impactful as live performance. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, we have found that the differences we have been able to achieve in our products are actually getting bigger. Much bigger. Because as we reveal more of the tiny details that lend realism to the music, the listener is able to connect with its emotional content in a way that they didn't realise was possible. Our new 360 loudspeaker comprehensively demonstrates this step change. It is, without a doubt, the finest loudspeaker we have ever made, streets ahead of our previous benchmark – and we are thrilled to share it with the world today.

LINN 360 DRIVERS

The 360 array starts with what Linn claims is the first 19mm Beryllium dome tweeter seen in the audio industry. Tooled in-house, Linn states that this drive unit has all of its inherent distortion and resonance pushed far above the range of human hearing – even beyond the range detectable by their engineers' measurement system. They say this results in a clean and open sound, "providing an open window to the higher frequencies".

Next is the 64mm midrange dome, crafted from thin-ply, woven carbon fibre, used initially on NASA's Mars rover, so we're told, thanks to its perfect mix of stiffness and lightness. Again, any inherent resonance and distortion from the driver is pushed almost three octaves above the audible range.

The 190mm upper and brace of 220mm lower bass drive units employ an aluminium-magnesium alloy selected for its more-than-ample stiffness, ensuring precise piston-like behaviour without deviation. Additionally, the pair of lower bass drivers have a greater range and more than double the excursion that Linn has previously been able to achieve.

Aiding the lower frequencies is Linn's Power DAC tech. We're informed that this new, built-from-the-ground-up Linn technology combines DAC and amp into a single step – extending the digital path and reducing loss. As a result, Power DAC promises to be highly efficient, ultra-low-noise, and perfect for driving the lower bass system in 360.

Meanwhile, Linn's new Adaptive Bias Control amplifier technology benefits the tweeter, midrange, and upper bass units. This is said to eliminate distortion from the amplifiers using real-time, dynamic management and correction, ensuring the drivers are all at their optimum in all scenarios.

LINN 360 CABINET

All that tech is housed in a shapely and highly robust cabinet built up from scrupulously folded and formed 3D laminates resulting in a fluid front baffle that reaches right around either side of the speaker. Furthermore, the curvaceous front of each speaker tapers from bottom to top, with shaped radii precisely matched to each flush-fitting drive unit.

Machined into the 360 Array trim piece is a series of concentric arcs – "themselves redolent of the grooves of a vinyl record" in a conscientious nod to Linn's Sondek LP12 turntable upon which the company was founded. These grooves are set adjacent to a tweeter protector, which draws the eye in with its chrome-plated Linn icon feature.

Linn tells us that the engineered trim is machined in-house from 5754-grade aluminium and incorporates ingenious and subtle waveguides to help facilitate optimum performance from the drive units they surround.

Cabinet finishes are split into two collections. The Glasgow Collection is a range of curated cabinet finishes demonstrating pride in Linn's origins and celebrates its Scottish home with evocative names, including Clyde Built, Single Malt, and Linn Heritage. Alternatively, The Classic Collection offers Piano Black and Alpine White.

The 360 Exakt Integrated variant (above) is for use with a Linn DSM Network Music Player, with all crossover, amplification and digital-to-analogue conversion circuitry located within the speaker, utilising Linn's Exakt technology throughout. However, if you are already kitted out with a non-Linn amplifier or an all-external Linn Exakt system using Exakt Box, there is the 360 Passive with Aktiv Bass (PWAB) variant.

Orders are being taken now for 360 Exakt Integrated and 360 PWAB, priced at £87,500 and £55,000, respectively.

Visit Linn for more information