Linn has never been a company to follow the herd.

The slightly austere-looking preamp you see before you is a rare example of a component that aims to satisfy both serious audiophiles and cinephiles.

Of course, it's not the first product to attempt this goal, but the new Exotik does things differently. Like it's predecessor of the same name, this latest Exotik is at heart an eight-channel analogue preamp, designed to make the most of any analogue source.

That includes stereo components like CD players and turntables, as well as multichannel analogue audio from, say, DVD-Audio and SACD players. However, the new version also includes digital processing, adding digital inputs and a raft of processing modes to satisfy even the most fanatical home cinema buff.

The distinction between this and other multichannel preamp/processors is contained within the product's architecture and ethos: the Exotik is first and foremost intended to perform as a high-quality analogue preamp with added digital processing, and not the other way around.

The result, says Linn, is a "fantastic stereo preamplifier... (that) also brings the added value of delivering audiophile performance from non-audiophile digital sources like satellite receivers, DVD players and games consoles".

Phono stage

One tell-tale sign that the new Exotik is unlike most other processor-based units is that it sports a phono stage that can be configured for both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges (with Linn's reputation for vinyl, perhaps this isn't so surprising).

Those who purchase the new, improved Exotik get both the digital processing and the phono stage included in the £3,245 price, while owners of existing analogue-only Exotiks can add the processing for £1,200 and the phono stage for £295.

As with all Linn electronics these days, you won't find a big mains transformer in this preamp; power is derived from a switch-mode supply that's rather more efficient than traditional power supplies. What you do see inside the casing is a sea of surface-mount devices (SMDs) and more than a couple of IC chips - it's a pretty hi-tech piece of kit.