When Ivor Tiefenbrun launched the original LP12 in 1972, he knew he had something special on his hands, but probably not the fact that it would become the longest standing hifi product in existence. Like the Porsche 911, with every new generation the Linn LP12 has undergone numerous improvements, but unlike a 911, one can upgrade every single component of an LP12 to current spec. This year is the 50th anniversary of the LP12 and to celebrate, Linn has brought out some fantastic upgrades to their iconic turntable.
First is the introduction of an all new model called Selekt LP12, which takes the place of Akurate LP12 in the middle of Linn’s turntable range. The main plinth, Trampolin base board, Kore sub-chassis, Karousel bearing and Lingo power supply are carried over from Akurate LP12. While the Arko Tonearm and Kendo MC cartridge are all new.
Select LP12
Selekt LP12 is a turntable from which to live out your musical passion and, with the benefit of future upgrades, to continue to explore ever more of the music contained within the grooves of your record collection.
This elite Sondek LP12 package is decked out with precision-engineered components from the upper echelons of our range. It sits between Majik LP12, the gateway to high-fidelity vinyl playback, and Klimax LP12, the zero-compromise pinnacle of our engineering endeavour.
Arko Tonearm
With Arko, we have 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. Perfectly poised and rigorously refined, Arko is effortful simplicity.
This tonearm features an ultra-stable gimbal platform which facilitates superb bearing concentricity and alignment. Its arm wand travels in space with minimum hindrance; the affixed cartridge bobs and moves with the warps and grooves of the record, with finesse and fluidity.
Special care and effort was taken to ensure that 7075-grade aluminium would be used exclusively throughout the arm wand assembly – from headshell to gimbal – with the resultant material synergy and coupling effectively banishing undesirable resonances away from the delicate generator, and out through the sub-chassis.
Kendo MC Cartridge
Kendo is a modern martial art form; translated from the Japanese it means “way of the sword”. At Linn however, the word has unique connotations. Our sword is forged of boron, with a super-fine-line diamond tip. Our armour is nickel-coated, 7075-grade aluminium. Kendo is the eager apprentice to its master, Ekstatik; sharing the same values, and picking up many of its traits along the way.
Kendo is the outcome of our engineers’ efforts to capitalise on the elements of Ekstatik which work so well; using our tried-and-true, trickle-down development methodology to produce a more affordable, high-performance cartridge 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 our Arko tonearm, for which Kendo was designed to be the perfect partner. This facilitates superb material synergy throughout the tonearm system, and effectively banishes unwanted resonances away from the delicate generator, along the arm, and out through the sub-chassis.
The Majik LP12 is also receiving some love from the engineering department with a new MC cartridge. For the first time you can spec a Majik LP12 with the new Koil MC.
Koil MC 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 fitted 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.
In more news, it is now possible to order the Krane tonearm as an upgrade. Previously, Krane was only available as standard with a Majik LP12 but now that inventory has been sufficiently built up, Linn is offering it as a standalone purchase. Krane is a big improvement from the older Pro-Ject tonearm which used to come with Majik LP12.
Krane Tonearm
Supplied with Majik LP12 or available as an upgrade, Krane is a high quality tonearm which, combined with the Karousel bearing, significantly elevates the performance of the entry level deck and provides even greater value.
This high performance tonearm features a static-balanced design and is hand assembled with high quality, precision aluminium and stainless steel components. It includes a polished Tungsten and Sapphire vertical bearing with dual ceramic horizontal bearing assembly, both of which are long-lasting and provide very low friction/rotational mass.
A range of adjustments make it easy to set up, including a laser etched scale for accurate and repeatable VTA adjustment, as well as an azimuth adjustment combined with a fixed offset angle to ensure perfect alignment of the cartridge and stylus. An adjustable headshell design ensures effective length is absolutely precise for proper cartridge alignment and performance.
The Krane tonearm is designed for Linn effective length and offset angle to ensure complete congruity with all Linn cartridges and other related Sondek LP12 components and accessories.