Category: New Products

In 2015 the original Devialet Phantom I literally shook the industry with the “implosive sound” from its powerful amplifier and earth shattering bass response.

Ten years later, Phantom has evolved.  The range has been simplified with the flagship 108dB model, and the smaller 98dB version, both available in three colours.

Phantom Ultimate offers the following refinements over the previous Phantom I and Phantom II models:

New version of Devialet Operating System (DOS3)
Two stunning new finishes – Light Pearl and Deep Forest (Opera de Paris version is still available at extra cost)
Adds support for Google Cast and Tidal Connect in addition to Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect.
New version of Devialet’s proprietary Analogue Digital Hybrid Amp, now called ADH® Next Gen
Higher resolution digital processing, now up to up to 32 bits / 192 kHz
Improved frequency response 
Redesigned drive units for better sound

Click here for full details of the Phantom Ultimate 108dB or here to see the specifications of the Phantom Ultimate 98dB

Loyalty Programme for Phantom I and Phantom II Owners

If you are lucky enough to own one of the original Devialet Phantoms, Phantom I, Phantom II or Reactor, then you qualify for 15% discount on a maximum of two Phantom Ultimates. You also get to keep your existing speakers to use in another room or sell on. Please get in touch if you would like to claim this discount.

Written By James Harding

Last month Chris and I travelled to the Linn factory in Glasgow, mainly for the corporate entertainment, but also to learn about a new product which we promised to keep secret until today.

The new Klimax Solo 500 builds upon the standard set by the original Klimax Solo back in 1999 by incorporating technologies from the flagship Klimax 800 along with a new and innovative chassis design which gives superb thermal management in a compact product.

Adaptive Bias Control

Without wanting to go into too much detail, traditonally there were two amplifier designs – Class A and Class B. Class A uses a single output transistor giving superb sound quality at low volumes but generates a lot of heat and not much power. Class B uses two output transistors which take it in turns to provide output, each operating for half the waveform, whilst its companion transistor takes a rest. These are more efficient and can play louder than Class A but don’t sound as good due to crossover distortion when the signal is switched between the transistors.

Class AB attempts to offer the best of both worlds by proportioning the amount of current provided by each of the transistors so that instead of switching between the two abruptly like the class B design, the transistors are working continuously but one will be working harder than the other. This reduces the crossover distortion from the Class B design, whilst overcoming the inefficiencies and low power output of Class A but its performance is dependent on how accurately the bias between the transistors is set. With a normal Class AB amplifier this is done once, at the factory. This means that as the amplifier ages, or the ambient temperature changes, the amplifier will not be operating at its optium.

Rather than using just two output transistors like a traditional Class AB, Klimax Solo 500 uses eight. These are switched by Linn’s Adaptive Bias Control. First seen in the Klimax Solo 800, Adaptive Bias Control feeds data to an internal microprocessor which is continuously adjusting the bias current to ensure that the amplifier is always working at its best, regardless of circumstances.

Hybrid Cooling Matrix with intelligent fan management

To keep a high power amplifier running cool enough to be reliable, you either need a large case with a huge heatsink, like the Linn Klimax 800, or a chassis fan, which generates mechanical noise.

The new Klimax Solo 500 has a unique case design where the internal circuit boards are mounted upside-down on a sub-chassis structure comprising an aluminium block and thermal plate. On top of the plate is a network of machined fins. Normally the fins naturally radiate heat upwards and outwards through gills cut into the top of the amplifier.

When the amp is driven loud, pair of fans positioned deep within the amplifier provide active cooling, forcing cool air around the network of channels in the fin matrix. These fans are controlled by a computer system that runs the fans at the lowest possible speed based on the internal temperature of the amplifier and the input signal. This means that you should never hear the fans running.

Klimax Solo 500 features a Utopik Switch Mode Power Supply. This ensures that the amplifier always runs at the optimum voltage, and can recover from transients in the music more quickly than conventional linear supplies. It also runs cooler and is more energy efficient than other designs.

With the new Klimax Solo 500, the THD+N measurements are 85x lower across the power and frequency spectrum than the already superb original model.

Click here for pricing information and technical specification.

We are currently offering a minimum trade in of £3500 to existing Klimax Solo owners when they trade up to a new Klimax Solo 500 or 800.

Customers who require extra of the original Klimax Solo to match their existing system have until the end of August 2025 to place their orders.

Today Linn has made the Bedrok plinth available as a retro-fittable upgrade to every LP12 made since 1973, as well as offering it as an option on new LP12s.

The Bedrok plinth begins its life as a beech tree. Slices of the wood are bonded under heat and extreme pressure to create a solid block which is then machined for eight hours.

Bedrok is more than twice as dense as the standard LP12 plinth, which allows it to absorb all unwanted mechanical energy giving your turntable a tighter, cleaner sound.

As Bedrok is a machined-from-solid plinth it will come with a new steel top plate which fits tightly into the Bedrok. Threaded inserts are used throughout, which gives a more consistent and reliable join than the wood screws that have been previously used.

Bedrok retails at £8750 including fitting for existing LP12 customers, or it can be added to a new deck for £7980.

If you would like to hear the improvements made by Bedrok for yourself, we can arrange this by appointment at our Ascot showroom where you can compare a standard plinth Klimax LP12 with the Bedrok version.

Fifteen years in the making, Astra is Devialet’s most advanced system to date. Building on the groundbreaking Expert range, Astra offers 300 watts per channel of distortion-free sound.

Featuring Devialet’s proprietary ADH (Analogue Digital Hybrid) system, Astra provides the smooth audio quality of an analogue amplifier and the clean and efficient power of a digital system. SAM (Speaker Active Matching) will push your speakers beyond what you thought possible, flattening the frequency response whilst reducing clipping and prolonging the life of your drive units.

It has physical connections for your turntable (using RAM Record Active Matching technology to match any cartridge) or an analogue line level source, coaxial and optical digital inputs and USB-C. It can connect to your network with an Ethernet connection or via its dual band WiFi.

The new DDOS 3 operating system means that you can stream via Apple Airplay, Google Chromecast, Bluetooth, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect or a UPnP server. It is Roon Ready.

It is priced at £14000 for the standard light bronze version, or £18000 for the Opera version with a gold finish.

If you have a Devialet Expert system you can trade this in for. a discount of up to 35% on the Astra. See table below.

We also have a limited number of ex-display Expert units in the original light chrome finish available.

Since its introduction in 2018 the Selekt has been our top selling streamer. Customers love the way it can be customised to their needs and budget, both at the time of purchase and in the future – and of course the amazing sound quality that Linn is famous for. It was also the first product to feature the Utopik switch mode power supply.

The 2024 Classic has a few refinements from the original design:

• Headphone amp built in, with 6.25mm jack
• RCA subwoofer outputs
• New flat silver finish (textured black still available)
• New heavier chassis
• Machined steel smart buttons
• Stainless steel feet
• Larger, clearer display

The 2024 Selekt Classik can be configured to fit right in to your existing system, or if your are starting from scratch it is an ideal partner for the new 119 and 150 loudspeakers.

Today Linn has launched two new loudspeakers, both of which are available to listen to at Hidden Systems.

Both the bookshelf 119 and floor standing 150 have been designed to be entertaining to listen to without sacrificing neutrality and refinement.

Bass is provided by a 16cm Nextel coated woofer in the 119, while the 150 has an additional 19cm bass driver. The bass reflex port on the 119 has a removable bung to give flexibility with room placement, whilst the larger 150 has two downward firing ports to minimise room diffraction effects.

Tweeters on both models are 19.55mm ferrofluid cooled Sonomex domes, protected by an electro-formed guard in the shape of Linn’s logo. The tweeter is surrounded by a finely grooved trim plate that echoes the grooves on a vinyl record.

There is an internal low order crossover uses high grade components and contributes to the fast, dynamic and pure sound. This can be bypassed easily should you wish to use these speakers in an Exakt system.

They make an ideal companion to the newly revised Selekt Classik Hub, but can also hold their own with more expensive systems.

Finishes on both speakers are either satin black, white, light oak or walnut. The 119 is priced at £2500 per pair, with optional wall brackets available at £40 per pair, or column stands at £300 per pair. The 150 is £5500 per pair.

Launched at the Munich High End Show in May 2024, the Kudos Sigao Drive is an unpowered crossover that sits between your pre and power amplifiers to improve the performance of your Kudos loudspeakers, no matter what amplifiers you use.

There is no loudspeaker drive unit available that can reproduce the entire spectrum of frequencies that the human ear can hear (20 – 20,000 hertz) which is why hi-fi speakers have woofers for the low notes and tweeters for the highs. Conventionally the audio signal is split inside the loudspeaker with a passive crossover circuit, which means that your amplifier has less control over the loudspeaker drive unit because of the components in the crossover.

To combat this, active crossovers split the signal before the power amplifiers, which means that you have one power amplifier for each loudspeaker drive unit, and the power amp is connected directly with nothing between it and the loudspeaker drive unit.

However this solution introduces problems of its own. The active crossover needs to be designed for each amplifier and speaker combination, and more importantly, it needs to be powered, which can introduce noise into the audio signal.

The name Sigao is from the ancient Greek word for maintaining silence. This is appropriate because Sigao Drive does not need a power supply, so it does not add any noise. It silently splits the signal so that each power amplifier has direct control of the drive unit, and only needs to amplify signals in the frequency range for that drive unit, giving you a cleaner, clearer, more focussed sound.

On the back of the Sigao Drive is a set of RCA input connectors to connect to your preamplifier output, and three sets of outputs to connect to your power amplifiers. With the exception of the Titan 808, the Kudos range only needs two of these to be connected.

There are also five “plugs” which enable Sigao Drive to be perfectly matched to your system. Three of these are to provide the optimum loading for the power amps, one determines the crossover frequency (the frequency at which the tweeter takes over from the woofer) and finally the treble gain, which allows you to tailor the sound depending on whether you prefer smoothness or detail. If you change your amps or speakers at any point, we can provide you with a new set of matching plugs so that Sigao Drive will continue to help your system perform at its best for many years to come.

Production units should be available for demonstration and delivery from July 2024 – please get in touch if you would like to hear Sigao Drive for yourself.

Today Linn has launched their most powerful amplifier ever – the Klimax Solo 800 Monoblock.

As its name suggests, it has a power output of 800 watts into a 4 ohm load. However, as the saying goes, power is nothing without control. Klimax Solo 800 ensures any speaker, no matter how difficult the load, can perform to its full potential. At normal listening levels, Klimax Solo 800 has a Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise ratio that is around a hundred times better than other similarly priced amplifiers.

Innovations in the design of the Solo 800 which enable this leap in performance include:

• A new, high power version of the Utopik Switch Mode Power Supply that has transformed the performance of Linn source components recently. In Klimax Solo 800, the Utopik can provide up to 2,000 watts of stable power to drive the amplifier, regardless of mains voltage and quality.
• Adaptive Bias Control to minimise transistor crossover distortion. In common with most high powered, high fidelity amplifiers today, the Solo 800 is a Class AB design, which uses multiple output transistors (16 in this case). For a Class AB amplifier to sound its best and have a long lifespan, there is a bias current that needs to be adjusted to an optimal level. This is normally only done when an amplifier is built or serviced and tends to drift over time. Adaptive Bias Control allows Klimax Solo 800 to continually adjust its own bias current to each of the 16 transistors which keeps crossover distortion to an absolute minimum, no matter what the age or temperature of the internal components.
• Well designed, cool running circuits and thermodynamically efficient casework mean that Klimax Solo does not need the cooling fan that competitor products depend upon.

Following on from the success of Naim’s New Classic 200 series, we are delighted to have the 300 series available for demonstration by appointment at our Ascot showroom.

Consisting of the NSS 333 streamer, the NAC 332 Pre-amplifier, and the NAP 350 monoblock power amplifiers the New Classic 300 takes Naim’s performance to the next level.

A separate MM/MC phono stage is available, along with a matching power supply.