New Upgrades for Linn Sondek LP12 Owners
Linn has announced three new upgrades for Sondek LP12 owners. A brand-new premium tonearm – Arko, designed to pair perfectly with Linn’s new high-performance moving coil cartridge – Kendo. A Majik-level moving coil cartridge – Koil joins as an ideal step into premium moving coil cartridges.
We’ll discuss the new additions to the Linn lineup and how they can fit into your LP12 journey.
Arko – Effortful Simplicity
Linn - Arko Tonearm
With Arko, Linn has returned to fundamentals; by removing all bar the mission-critical elements of tonearm design, boiling these down to their essence and then honing what was left to superlative standards.
The Arko features an ultra-stable gimbal platform that facilitates superb bearing concentricity and alignment. Its arm wand travels in space with minimum hindrance allowing the affixed cartridge to move with the warps and grooves of the record.
Key features:
7075-grade aluminium used throughout the arm wand to produce superb resonant behaviour
Machined headshell with weight reduction pockets for increased agility
Cold-drawn 7075 aluminium arm tube produced to exceedingly high tolerances and accuracy
Gimballed design results in improved depth, impact, and emotion
Machined stainless-steel counterweight with concave face decreases arm wand inertia
Single piece, polished, stainless-steel through-spindle for improved alignment and stability
Arko delivers a significant step up in performance over its predecessor. It is an upgrade ideal for Akito, Krane, original Ekos, and Ittok owners.
Kendo – The Way of the Cartridge
Linn - Kendo MC Cartridge
Kendo is a modern martial art form; translated from the Japanese it means “way of the sword”. For Linn, however, the word has unique connotations. Their sword is forged of boron, with a super-fine-line diamond tip. Linn’s armour is nickel-coated, 7075-grade aluminium. Kendo is the eager apprentice to its master, Linn’s flagship Ekstatik cartridge, sharing the same values and picking up many of its traits along the way.
The Kendo cartridge is the outcome of the Linn engineers’ efforts to capitalise on the elements of Ekstatik, which work so well, using their tried-and-true, trickle-down development methodology to produce a more affordable, high-performance model which retains the same core design principles and acoustic fingerprint.
Kendo possesses a rigid, nickel-coated 7075-grade aluminium body. This specific grade of aluminium matches that of Linn’s Arko tonearm, for which Kendo was designed to be the perfect partner. This facilitates superb material synergy throughout the tonearm system.
Key features:
Rigid, nickel-coated, 7075-grade aluminium body
Low-mass and stiff boron cantilever
Super-fine-line stylus
Aluminium-bronze threaded inserts
Perfectly paired with Arko tonearm
The elite performance level attained by Kendo makes it an excellent upgrade for any Adikt, Krystal, legacy Linn, or 3rd-party cartridge.
Selekt LP12 – The Audiophile’s Dream
Linn - Selekt LP12
For the complete turntable configurations, the Selekt LP12 slots into the place of the Akurate LP12, bringing significant improvements over its predecessor. Prospective Sondek LP12 owners will be able to enjoy Linn’s Arko tonearm and Kendo in a complete turntable package.
Key features:
Kendo – moving coil cartridge with aluminium-bronze inserts, boron cantilever and super-fineline diamond stylus tip
Arko – 7075-grade aluminium gimballed tonearm – machined with exceedingly high tolerances and precision
Lingo – hybrid internal/external power supply
Kore – aluminium sub-chassis bonded to a machined-from-solid armboard
Karousel – patented, high-precision, machined single-point bearing
Trampolin – suspended feet on an aluminium base board provides additional isolation from vibration
Koil – Entry-level Moving Coil Cartridge
Linn - Koil MC Cartridge
A formidable, entry-level moving coil cartridge.
Koil is a superb first step onto the ladder of premium moving coil cartridges. This Majik-level cartridge provides a step up in performance from Adikt and is available either as an upgrade or as standard to a new Majik LP12 MC.
Choose Koil if you intend to use your Majik LP12 with a moving coil phono preamplifier. Upgrade from Adikt to progress your journey along the path to vinyl playback perfection.
Summary
Linn has introduced three new upgrades for LP12 owners:
Arko – 7075-grade aluminium gimballed tonearm – machined with exceedingly high tolerances and precision
Kendo – moving coil cartridge with aluminium-bronze inserts, boron cantilever and super-fineline diamond stylus tip
Koil – entry-level moving coil cartridge, a superb first step onto the ladder of premium moving coil cartridges.
We are looking forward to listening to the improvements these upgrades will bring. Get in touch with us for more information and to discuss your Sondek LP12 journey.