Case Study: Linn Products achieves seamless design-to-manufacture and a compact LP12 phono upgrade with Altium Designer

Linn Products - Customer Case Study

Linn Products, maker of the iconic Sondek LP12 turntable and founded on the philosophy “music is for life,” faced the challenge of modernizing its flagship 1972 design by adding a high-end phono stage while constrained by the original mechanical envelope. Their previous workflow relied on disparate ECAD tools with weak links between schematics and board layout, forcing engineers to spend time maintaining tools rather than designing and making it difficult to verify mechanical fit early in the process.

By moving to Altium Designer’s unified ECAD–MCAD environment with 3D modeling, hierarchical design and automated output jobs, Linn quickly verified a folded, nested PCB layout that allowed the new Eureka phono stage to fit inside the LP12. The integrated workflow sped development, improved reuse and manufacturability, let engineers focus on creative design, and resulted in a successful product update that revived the turntable while delivering more reliable outputs for fabrication and assembly.

Linn Products

Ian Wilson

Principal Design Engineer