A little bit of news that escaped the Trusted Reviews net. Linn has detailed new Sondek LP12 upgrade components for existing owners as well as a refresh of its Sondek LP12 packages.
The new upgrade components consist of the Arko, an all-new gimballed tonearm that is the first entirely new in-house model developed since 2006. It’s described to be rigid in construction and “fluid of motion”; the gimballed design claimed to offer greater inherent stability and rigidity than alternative unipivot designs. The benefit is, Linn says, an improved sense of depth, impact and emotion for the listener.
Next up is the Kendo, an “elite performance” moving coil cartridge designed to “perfectly pair” the Arko tonearm. Linn describes its performance as being not overly warm with bass nor harsh with the highs, calling its presentation neutral, balanced and uncoloured.
The Krane is the company’s entry-level tonearm, which has now been made available to order as a standalone upgrade as it previously shipped with the Majik LP12 turntable. Hand assembled with high-quality aluminium and stainless-steel components, it features a polished tungsten and sapphire vertical bearing with a dual ceramic horizonal bearing assembly, both of which are said to provide very low friction and rotational mass.
Last of the upgrade components is the Koil entry-level moving coil cartridge. The performance of this cartridge is stated be a step up compared to the Adikt moving magnet either as an upgrade for existing Majik or legacy Sondek LP12 owners or when fitted as standard to new Majik LP12 MC turntables.
These upgrade components were announced alongside a refresh of the Sondek LP12 packages, with the Akurate LP12 stepping aside to make way for a new model designation and Linn’s mid-tier turntable package rebadged as the Selekt LP12 with the Arko and Kendo units fitted as standard. Linn’s entry-level turntable package is also now available in two variants: the Majik LP12 comes with the Adikt MM cartridge while the Majik LP12 MC features the new Koil MC cartridge.
Orders for the upgrade components and turntables an be placed now, and prices are as follows:
- Arko Tonearm – £3,000
- Kendo MC Cartridge – £2,800
- Selekt LP12 – £10,570
- Krane Tonearm – £1,350
- Koil MC Cartridge – £800
- Majik LP12 MC – £3,675
