Ivor Tiefenbrun
Encyclopedia
Ivor Sigmund Tiefenbrun MBE (born March 1946) is the founder and Chairman of Linn Products
Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland-based manufacturers of Hi-fi and home entertainment equipment. He was a very influential figure in the manufacture and retail of British audio in the 1970s and 1980s, and was appointed MBE
by HM Queen Elizabeth II
in 1992.
in 1939.
Tiefenbrun dropped out of a Mechanical Engineering
degree from Glasgow's Strathclyde University, and developed his engineering and business skills in his late father's company, Castle Precision Engineering, now run by his younger brother Marcus. He married Evelyn Stella Balarsky in 1969, and has three children - Natan (born 1970), Gilad (1972) and Sara (1978).
Linn Products Limited was started by Tiefenbrun in the city's Castlemilk district near Linn Park in 1972 in order to manufacture a hi-fi turntable
, developed from his personal interest in music reproduction. His approach was to try getting more information off the Long-play gramophone record
(otherwise known as the LP), and making the turntable immune to audio feedback
– very different from the prevalent view in the hi-fi industry at that time. The end product was the Linn Sondek LP12
, which remained an industry benchmark for at least two decades.
In the early years, Tiefenbrun hawked the turntable around shops in a crusade against the received wisdom that all turntables sounded the same. Those few dealers who wanted to listen to it did, and heard a difference. By the end of the 1970s, this view had gained significant ground, large numbers of dealers and audiophiles had by then accepted this as the norm in the United Kingdom.
In May 2006, it was announced that Ivor Tiefenbrun had stepped aside as Linn's Managing Director, but would assume the role of Executive Chairman.
He is founder member of the Entrepreneurial Exchange.
elections after it was reported that he had called Scots
"thick" for hating Margaret Thatcher
.
Linn Products
Linn Products is a Scottish company, based in Glasgow, that manufactures hi-fi audio equipment, home theatre, and multi-room integrated audio systems...
Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland-based manufacturers of Hi-fi and home entertainment equipment. He was a very influential figure in the manufacture and retail of British audio in the 1970s and 1980s, and was appointed MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
by HM Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in 1992.
Biography
Tiefenbrun was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the oldest of three children, to Jan (also known as Jack) Tiefenbrun, refugee from PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1939.
Tiefenbrun dropped out of a Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
degree from Glasgow's Strathclyde University, and developed his engineering and business skills in his late father's company, Castle Precision Engineering, now run by his younger brother Marcus. He married Evelyn Stella Balarsky in 1969, and has three children - Natan (born 1970), Gilad (1972) and Sara (1978).
Linn Products Limited was started by Tiefenbrun in the city's Castlemilk district near Linn Park in 1972 in order to manufacture a hi-fi turntable
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
, developed from his personal interest in music reproduction. His approach was to try getting more information off the Long-play gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
(otherwise known as the LP), and making the turntable immune to audio feedback
Audio feedback
Audio feedback is a special kind of positive feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output...
– very different from the prevalent view in the hi-fi industry at that time. The end product was the Linn Sondek LP12
Linn Sondek LP12
The Linn Sondek LP12 transcription turntable is produced by Glasgow-based Linn Products, manufacturers of hi-fi, home theatre, and multi-room audio systems...
, which remained an industry benchmark for at least two decades.
In the early years, Tiefenbrun hawked the turntable around shops in a crusade against the received wisdom that all turntables sounded the same. Those few dealers who wanted to listen to it did, and heard a difference. By the end of the 1970s, this view had gained significant ground, large numbers of dealers and audiophiles had by then accepted this as the norm in the United Kingdom.
In May 2006, it was announced that Ivor Tiefenbrun had stepped aside as Linn's Managing Director, but would assume the role of Executive Chairman.
He is founder member of the Entrepreneurial Exchange.
Controversy
In October 2010, Tiefenbrun resigned as a Conservative candidate for the 2011 HolyroodScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
elections after it was reported that he had called Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
"thick" for hating Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
.
Recognition and awards
- MBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for his services to the Electronics Industry (1992) - Invited to serve on the Council of the Design CouncilDesign CouncilThe Design Council is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body incorporated by Royal Charter and registered as a charity.Registered charity number 272099.- In the beginning :The Design Council started in 1944 as the Council of Industrial Design...
(1995–1999) - Honorary Fellowship from the Glasgow School of ArtGlasgow School of ArtGlasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
(1999) - Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2001)
- Visiting Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Strathclyde University (2004)