in article , Oddjob at
wrote on 05/06/2004 4:11 AM:

Hello all, I've just bought an RD80 and was told that it was the model the
LP12 was based upon. They were built in the same factory in Scotland (nr the
airport)

According to Hi-Fi World magazine, Hamish Robertson of Ariston approached
Ivor about his dad's engineering factory building the Ariston turntable (the
RD-11 - the RD80 being a later model). The article suggests that the
engineering factory didn't produce any, but that soon after Ivor started
Linn products.

Some people suggest that Ivor copied the Ariston for his early LP12. I
suspect that what Ivor took was the *idea* of building a turntable.

Take a look at the Thorens TD150 turntable. It fits exactly in a Linn Sondek
plinth. The 150 and the Sondek are two of the very few turntables to have a
full length armboard (the Ariston RD11 certainly didn't). Even the supension
springs are in the same places.

The idea of producing a turntable may have come from Ivor's discussions with
the head of Ariston. But I suspect that the design inspiration came from the
Thorens TD150.

All of this is supposition on my part, and may not be completely accurate.

But you really ought to get Stewart Pinkerton involved in this discussion. I
understand that Pinkie and Ivor exchanged several lawyer's letters over this
subject some years back. Interested in telling us more, Stewart?


Michael Jones
Editor, AudioEnz

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