Linn has announced a range of Sondek LP12 upgrade components for existing owners, and a refresh of their Sondek LP12 packages:
Arko – an all-new, original, gimballed tonearm for £3,000.
Kendo – an “elite performance” moving coil cartridge for £2,800.
Krane – Linn’s entry-level tonearm is now available to order as a standalone upgrade for £1,350
Koil – an entry-level moving coil cartridge at £800.
Akurate LP12 has stepped aside to make way for a new model designation, with Linn’s mid-tier turntable package being henceforth rebadged as Selekt LP12 – with Arko and Kendo fitted as standard. The entry-level turntable package, Majik LP12, is now available in two variants: Majik LP12 MM features the Adikt moving magnet cartridge. Majik LP12 MC features the new Koil moving coil cartridge; offering a first step onto the ladder of premium moving coil cartridges.
Arko
Linn has returned to fundamentals with Arko, the first entirely new in-house model since 2006. Rigid in construction and fluid of motion, great effort was taken during this tonearm’s development to ensure that it retains both fundamental simplicity and astonishing performance.
Arko possesses greatly improved rigidity, precision, and coupling throughout the arm wand assembly, thanks to machined and cold-drawn 7075 aluminium specified throughout; and the ultra-stable gimbal platform facilitates superb bearing concentricity and alignment. Special care was taken to ensure that 7075-grade aluminium would be used exclusively throughout the arm — from headshell to gimbal — with the resultant material synergy and coupling “effectively banishing undesirable resonances away from the delicate generator, and out through the subchassis”.
Kendo
Kendo is the outcome of the Linn engineers’ efforts to capitalise on the elements of Ekstatik. It is one of a new breed of cartridges which produce “the most level frequency response of any to ever bear the Linn name. It’s not overly warm in bass, nor is it harsh in highs; its presentation is neutral, balanced, and uncoloured”.
Kendo has a nickel-coated 7075 aluminium body in order to facilitate superb material synergy throughout the Arko tonearm system. Crucial to its performance, Kendo features aluminium-bronze threaded inserts, this alloy helps to convey much of the subtle warmth of vinyl playback, and “levels its balance beautifully between crisp presentation and musical performance”.
Selekt LP12
The Selekt LP12 (top of page) sits in between Majik LP12 – the gateway to high-fidelity vinyl playback — and Klimax LP12 – the zero-compromise pinnacle of Linn’s endeavour. It is decked out with a full complement of Linn-engineered components: Arko, Kendo, Lingo, Kore, Karousel and Trampolin
Majik LP12 MM/MC, Krane & Koil
Krane debuted in early 2020 and has been included with every new Majik LP12 shipped since. Today, Linn announce that this tonearm is now available to order as a standalone component for the very first time with a price of £1,350.
Koil (below on Krane arm) is a Majik-level cartridge at £800. It offers a step up in performance from Linn’s moving magnet Adikt – either as an upgrade for existing Majik or legacy Sondek LP12 owners, or fitted as standard to a newly purchased Majik LP12 MC.
There are now two Majik LP12 variants to choose from: Majik LP12 MM is a new designation to describe the existing Majik specification, featuring Adikt moving magnet cartridge. Majik LP12 MC (£3,675) is an alternative model which features the Koil moving coil cartridge. Both Majik LP12 variants feature: Krane, Majik LP12 Power Supply, Majik Sub-chassis, Karousel and Solid Base.