The Sondek LP12-50 marks the fiftieth anniversary of one of the most iconic hi-fi products. The limited edition turntable has been designed in collaboration with the LoveFrom creative collective headed by Sir Jony Ive. Furthermore, Linn boasts that its Sondek LP12-50 "produces the best vinyl playback performance" the Scottish company has ever achieved.
From a LinkedIn message dismissed as spam to the spark of the first FaceTime meeting where Sir Jony vocalised his admiration for Linn and its products, particularly the latest Klimax LP12 and Klimax DSM, which he was apparently keen to purchase, the project has resulted in a very collectable special edition of the renowned turntable.
During the first FaceTime meeting, Sir Jony mentioned his new company, LoveFrom, which he started after leaving Apple, where he was Chief Design Officer for over 20 years, with his old friend and colleague Marc Newson. Sir Jony said that if Linn ever needed help on a project, LoveFrom would love to get involved - it just so happened that the LP12 was approaching a significant birthday...
Sir Jony Ive told StereoNET:
This project has been so life-affirming and so joyful to work on… LoveFrom has worked together with brilliant, kind people at Linn who share our obsessiveness to make something wonderful and without compromise. And at the same time, we have been able to play a small part in celebrating fifty years of an icon.
We are told that the sonic improvement has been achieved thanks to Linn's all-new Bedrok plinth tech. Here orthogonal layers of beech are placed under extreme pressure to create an entirely new, solid and massive material. According to Linn, the resulting ultra-dense wood has negligible resonance and offers a superior isolating housing for the turntable's mechanism.
Meanwhile, aesthetic and tactile tweaks have been applied by LoveFrom. The creative team has applied its design expertise to the new, precision-machined aluminium power/speed control button and hinges, with further refinements, such as the Space Grey aluminium base and armboard, to the classic Sondek LP12 form made with deep respect for the quality and integrity of the product.
Only 250 of these limited edition Sondek LP12-50s will be produced and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Each turntable bears an embossed aluminium plaque celebrating this landmark collaboration with individual numbering and the builder's name.
The limited edition turntable will be shipped to your pre-assigned Linn specialist between August 2023 and March 2024 and is priced from £50,000.
Visit Linn for more information
Posted in: Hi-Fi
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