Fast forward 40 years and today Linn sets the standard for digital music players.
The new Kiko is an exciting new concept for Linn. It is a network music player that allows you to play all your digital content and control it using your smartphone, tablet or laptop.
It combines the convenience you love with brilliant sound quality. It provides a hub for all your music - a single source for amazing sound in any room. But above all, it has been designed to be small, elegant and fit in with the customer’s environment.
The Kiko was the first time that Linn had used aluminium extrusions for a front end product.
As David Williamson, Senior Product Design Engineer at Linn explains, “we had used extrusion before, but either as a heatsink on the back a speaker, or for the cabinet. We haven’t used it for an electronics enclosure, and not as a complete system”
“The extrusions act as the “casing” for both the music system and its speakers. We have kept the visual elements very simple, just two forms meeting each other. You can see the edge of the extrusion, rather than it being capped at each end. The extrusion is celebrated rather than hidden. The enclosures are designed to complement each other.”
Derek Smith, Area Sales Manager for Hydro adds, “We worked in partnership with Linn from the start.”
“The original design was not possible to extrude but by working closely with the team to understand their requirements we were able to provide them with an extrudable solution for the project which also met the high quality standards required.”
Quality is particularly important in the extrusion process for the Kiko as any imperfections will show up in the casing of the final product which is supplied mill finished machined, and then lightly rumbled before being finally powder coated.
They knew that Hydro understood and could work to the exacting standards required to make their products. To quote directly from the Linn website: “It’s about accuracy, consistency and reliability.”
“The shape is very important, much of the inspection is visual rather than measured, as it is about how the curve flows around the part. Hydro have been very good at understanding this and working with us”
Hydro is fortunate to be the only UK extruder to have a team of external quality engineers to support the internal quality team.
Hydro’s external team regularly visit customers and resolve potential problems before they become and issue.
Tom Brown, Hydro’s external quality engineer (North) is in regular contact with Linn to ensure long term quality support.
This is a personal service which is much appreciated by Hydro’s customers.
“We have been impressed by the level of support that has been offered to us by Hydro throughout this project: from initial discussions with Derek and subsequently Hydro’s quality team, to a tour of the Birtley plant where we watched our samples being extruded, Hydro has advised us every step of the way.”
The Kiko system comprises a network music player with integrated amplification and a pair of outstanding speakers
The smart little Kiko comes in six different colours - from low-key Back to Black to funky Blue Monday. So there’s something to suit every modern music lover.
