343: THE COMPACT REFERENCE LOUDSPEAKER

Meet 343 - the first loudspeaker to be designed around our revolutionary Pistonik drive unit technology from the outset, 343 brings together our authentic proprietary technologies to project an unshakeable illusion of reality.

Wonder-full…

Arthur C. Clarke wrote that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. But does this distinction matter to the listener, in the end?

When music appears in the room with such scale, composure and truth — from a loudspeaker of such elegant, compact proportions — the response isn’t analytical at first. It’s instinctive. Initially, a moment of curiosity. Then, a slight disbelief. Resolving in a profound sense of wonder…

This isn’t a loudspeaker that sounds “big for its size”. That would be too easy, and not quite the point. 343 is more intriguing than that. It is technically explicit, visually calm and emotionally immediate. A loudspeaker with performance without imposition and presence without bulk.

The wonder of 343 is how completely it changes what a compact loudspeaker can be: reference performance beautifully encapsulated in a form fit for any home.

Pistonik for 343

343 is the first speaker to be designed around Pistonik from the outset, with the cabinet, down-firing bass architecture, drive unit behaviour and supporting electronics evolving together as a single holistic acoustic system.

Where paired-driver arrangements can create advantages through combination, 343’s fundamentally more capable single 8” Pistonik driver delivers those qualities at source, with exceptional linearity, vast excursion and precise control.

Positioned close to the floor, it produces omni-directional bass with the depth and authority to give 343 its remarkable sense of scale, and the precision to preserve its composure.

The Composite Cabinet

343 required a cabinet design that could bring reference performance, integrated electronics and neat proportions into a single fully resolved form. Its purpose is acoustic, visual and mechanical…

…and its first act is one of disappearance. The continuous cabinet — free from hard edges — allows sound to leave the loudspeaker more cleanly and consistently, reducing the small diffraction effects that reveal the position of the box in the room. Reflections arriving from the room retain more of the same spectral character as the direct sound itself, helping the image remain stable, spatially precise and rock-solid across an exceptionally wide listening area. 343 releases the recording into the room as the speaker itself recedes into the space around it.

The Integrated Module

At the rear of 343, concealed within a curvaceous cowl that completes the flowing form of the cabinet, is the module which contains the loudspeaker electronics. A quiet expression of the same design principle found throughout 343; advanced technology is gathered into a form that remains calm, compact, and complete.

Building on our history of protecting delicate audio signals from interference — in keeping with the principles which underpin Sondek LP12 — the module is mounted using a three-point spring system which isolates the electronics from the cabinet. This serves as a true isolation system, mechanically decoupling the module from the cabinet to preserve the performance of the system it contains.

343
Compact reference loudspeaker

343 brings together a rare set of qualities.

A rear module, concealed within a curvaceous cowl, mechanically isolated on a three-point spring mounting system and passively cooled in silence. It gathers the electronics that drive and control 343, protecting the integrity of the music signal and minimising loss and distortion from source to sound.

A new moulded composite cabinet whose continuous, hard-edge-free form supports broad dispersion, rock-solid imaging and an exceptionally wide listening area. Its stiffness and density help maximise acoustic volume, house the bass system and preserve the slender proportions that give 343 its poise and distinctive visual lightness.

A Pistonik bass system, in which cabinet, down-firing placement, drive unit behaviour and supporting electronics work as a single acoustic system. The result is low-frequency performance with remarkable scale, texture and composure — bass that feels intrinsic to the recording.

The wonder of 343 is how completely it changes what a compact loudspeaker can be: technically explicit, visually calm and emotionally immediate, projecting an unshakeable illusion of reality from improbable proportions.

Applications

343 is available in two variants. Exakt Integrated is the most self-sufficient model, with Utopik power supply, Exakt digital crossover, Power DAC architecture, Organik DACs and Adaptive Bias Control amplification housed within its integrated module.

The Passive with Active Bass (PWAB) variant shares the same Pistonik 6” and 8” drive units, and Utopik and Power DAC for the bass system, with the 343 array comprising upper bass, midrange and tweeter units driven instead by external amplification.

The best of Linn, built in

In Exakt Integrated 343, this suite of proprietary Linn technologies works in concert across the complete loudspeaker system, converging to protect and deliver the music signal from source to sound — from the first digital instruction to the final movement of air.

Organik

Our first-ever, entirely homegrown digital-to-analogue converter marks a paradigm shift in DAC technology, producing our most natural sound ever from digital sources.

Adaptive Bias Control

Adaptive Bias Control constantly measures and adjusts bias current, eliminating transistor crossover distortion in all conditions for the lifespan of our amplifiers.

Pistonik

The Pistonik motor system generates flawless force at the core of our low-frequency drive units, producing ultimate linear performance.

Bass System with Power DAC technology

Our Power DAC technology combines DAC and amplification into a single stage — extending the digital signal path whilst minimising loss. It's highly efficient, ultra-low-noise, and provides the perfect platform for driving the lower bass system in 343. When coupled with the prodigious linear excursion of the Linn-designed 8” Pistonik unit it drives, 343 produces bass which feels intrinsic to the recording: clean and assured, lower frequencies arrive with immediacy and texture.

Technical Specifications

343 Exakt Integrated -  343 Passive with Active Bass
Fully integrated loudspeaker with built-in Exakt technology - Passive loudspeaker with active bass
Speaker Type  4-way floorstanding - 4-way floorstanding
Exakt  Yes  - Yes - with external amps and Exaktbox
Crossover  Exakt digital -  Three-way analogue passive with active bass
343 Array  Class AB with Adaptive Bias Control - Separate amplification
Bass System  Power DAC and Pistonik motor system - Power DAC and Pistonik motor system
Room Correction Space Optimisation+ - Yes - with a Linn Network Music Player

Connections

Exakt Link  x2 - x1 (for external Exakt operation)
Binding Post  n/a - x3 pairs
XLR  n/a - x1

Drive Units

Tweeter  19mm thin-ply woven carbon dome - 19mm thin-ply woven carbon dome
Midrange  64mm thin-ply woven carbon dome - 64mm thin-ply woven carbon dome
Upper Bass  190mm aluminium diaphragm - 190mm aluminium diaphragm
Lower Bass  Down-firing 220mm aluminium diaphragm - Down-firing 220mm aluminium diaphragm

Finishes

The Glasgow Collection  Clyde Built, Single Malt, Linn Heritage
The Signature Collection  Triton
The Classic Collection  Piano Black, Alpine White
Custom  n/a
Trim  Black

Dimensions

Cabinet Volume  43 litres - 43 litres
Width (with stand)  338 mm -  338 mm
Height (with stand)  1091 mm - 1091 mm
Depth (with stand)  466 mm - 466 mm