SME and Linn have quite similar origin stories, albeit with a couple of decades separating them. Both had access to high-precision engineering facilities. In SME’s case their founder was looking for a tone arm and asked the workshop if they had any tubing. The resulting 3009 and its relatives were a perfect match for the likes of the Garrard 301 and the high compliance, high trackability, Shure V15 cartridges. Almost half a million tone arms were sold.
Fast forward, and the founder of Linn was unhappy with his turntable - it was not as good as his dad’s. So he built one, but it was not an improvement. He worked out that acoustic isolation was important, hence soft springing, but also that any slack between the stylus and the record would be amplified. Very tight bearing tolerances and rigid tone arms were needed.
SME responded by casting one-piece magnesium tone arms and eventually made their own turntables at pretty eyewatering prices. Eventually SME even picked up the remnants of Garrard’s turntable business and now offer a ’new’ Garrard 301 at prices that make me wonder if they are serious about it.
There is some speculation here about why Linn has not introduced new designs for vinyl playback. This only makes sense to me if the new design moves away from the modular, belt drive, suspended deck platform with rigid tone arm model. Maybe a direct drive, massive table like the half-ton Wilson Benesch GMT One System. Or something like the bargain price (by comparison) tangential tracking, air bearing Holbo deck?
From Linn's business perspective it probably makes more sense to continue down the digital path they once decried ...