Category: News

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.