This month, Matt from our Cardiff branch is sharing his love of two things: Audio T Hi-Fi events and turntables.

The event in question was our Linn listening evening, held at the BAWA Health & Leisure Club in Bristol, organised by our Bristol store in collaboration with the Swindon and Cardiff teams. Let’s hear what Matt has to say about this magical evening of music and all things Linn.

Passion for Hi-Fi Events

As most of you know from reading my blogs (for which I’m extremely grateful), I’ve always loved working at and organising exciting new Hi-Fi events. This particular Linn evening was put together by our Bristol store manager Max, alongside our host and Operations Director Tony Revelle – one of the company’s founders. For those who remember our store’s original name, Audio Excellence, Tony started it all. Tony and Linn go back a long way, and he still overhauls and builds Linn LP12 Sondek turntables today.

Alongside Max and Tony, Nick (our store manager), Andy (our Swindon store manager), and I were invited to collaborate with them and the Linn events team. When Nick mentioned it, I jumped at the chance – especially with Linn turntables involved!

A Linn Legend in the Room

Linn also sent down their brand ambassador, Mr Gordon Linch, who co-hosted the evening with us. Gordon brought along some of the latest and greatest Linn equipment, which I’ll come to shortly.

But before diving into the gear, let’s take a quick look at Linn’s history – something Gordon kicked off the evening with.

Linn’s Legacy

Linn Products was founded in 1973 by Ivor Tiefenbrun, to produce the Linn Sondek LP12 turntable. Unsatisfied with the Hi-Fi system he bought shortly after getting married, Ivor experimented and discovered that the turntable was being affected by sound pressure from the loudspeakers. By simply putting the turntable outside the room, running the signal leads under the door, and listening, he found the sound was far more accurate and involving.

At the time, Ivor worked at his father Jack Tiefenbrun’s engineering company, Castle Precision Engineering Ltd. With his father’s help – Jack designed a very quiet-running central bearing – and a team of skilled colleagues, Ivor succeeded in building a record player immune to acoustic feedback from loudspeakers. The deck, eventually named the Linn Sondek LP12, looked like many other turntables, but almost every component served a unique purpose.

Most importantly, the suspension was optimised for acoustic isolation rather than shock resistance. With it, Ivor proved that a better turntable improved the sound of any Hi-Fi system. The principle “garbage in, garbage out” – also known as “source-first” – was radical at the time, though it’s obvious today.

Fast forward to today, and the LP12 is still going strong in the Linn range, alongside streamers, integrated amps, and active loudspeakers – allowing you to build a Linn system from the ground up, exactly as Ivor intended.

The Equipment on the Night

Let’s talk about the gear we had on the evening – starting with the sources.

We had two, almost identical, Linn Selekt-spec Sondek LP12s, with one crucial difference…

Turntable No. 1

Standard Linn wooden plinth
Kore aluminium sub-chassis bonded to a CNC-machined armboard
Trampolin suspended aluminium baseboard
Lingo hybrid internal/external power supply
Linn Arko 7075-grade aluminium gimballed tonearm
Linn Kendo moving coil cartridge

Turntable No. 2

All-new Bedrok™ plinth
Kore aluminium sub-chassis bonded to a CNC-machined armboard
Trampolin suspended aluminium baseboard
Lingo hybrid internal/external power supply
Linn Arko 7075-grade aluminium gimballed tonearm
Linn Kendo moving coil cartridge

A fun fact: LP12s are not built on a production line. Each one is hand-built by a single technician, who signs the back on completion. If you visit the Linn factory, you might even meet the person who built yours – how cool is that?

On the digital side, we had the superb Linn Selekt DSM with their flagship Organik DACs, feeding the mighty Linn 150 floorstanding active speakers. And no, you don’t need a subwoofer – these floorstanders really deliver.

How Did It Sound?

We began with vinyl on the standard Selekt-spec LP12. Gordon chose a track by The Teskey Brothers – Let Me Let You Down. Its early ’60s blues feel, with hints of Motown soul, had a natural swing that pulled you right in. On the Linn system, the dynamics were incredible, and the Linn 150s opened everything up. Definitely a foot-tapping moment.

Switching to streaming, Lana Del Rey’s Henry Come On really shone. Linn’s streaming module and the Organik DACs captured her vocals perfectly – close your eyes and it felt like she was standing centre stage. That’s the magic of a well-engineered system.

The Bedrok™ Plinth: A Vinyl Nerd’s Dream

The part I’d been waiting for: the Bedrok™ plinth. As a vinyl fanatic, this was the highlight.

Before the demo, Gordon explained the thinking behind Bedrok™: eliminate unwanted vibrations from the turntable. Vibrations in the room can cause acoustic feedback and distortion when playing records.

The Bedrok™ plinth is made from orthogonal layers of beech, compressed under extreme pressure and heat to form a dense, acoustically “dead” material. The result? More music, less noise.

The demo spoke for itself. Gordon played Bonny Light Horseman on the standard LP12, then on the Bedrok™ version – and wow. The noise floor dropped, vocals gained energy, and the guitar came alive.

My favourite moment? Shake It Baby by John Lee Hooker on the Bedrok™ LP12. The raw tone, the bridge pickup detail, and Hooker’s gravelly voice – combined with the groove – made it magical.

In Conclusion

As I said at the start, I always enjoy events like this – especially when I get to help organise them. While I can’t take credit for this one, the evening was a real ear-opener. Sonically, the star of the show for me was the Linn Bedrok™ plinth – one of many Linn upgrades absolutely worth exploring.

If you’d like to hear Linn upgrades like the Bedrok™ plinth, or others such as the Karousel bearing, contact your local Audio T store for details.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Matt Aaron - Audio T Cardiff

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…