New Linn Klimax LP12
“Stop throwing your vinyl records away; you haven’t heard what’s on them yet!” – Ivor Tiefenbrun, 1989
Linn is announcing Sondek LP12 upgrades for the Klimax LP12. The first upgrade is to the Radikal. And the second is a brand new cartridge called Ekstatik.
Radikal DC motor – Linn’s biggest upgrade in 12 years. Radikal’s cutting-edge DC motor design generates negligible electromatic interference, effectively eliminating it as a source of distortion. To make things mechanically quieter than ever, an all-new housing decouples the motor from the deck more effectively. The motor itself features lower-noise voltage regulators, and smaller components, making everything electrically quieter than ever too.
Ekstatik cartridge – Linn’s all-new flagship MC cartridge. In order to better Kandid, Linn looked further afield, and at more varied materials. Linn conducted extensive experiments; auditioning different materials and configurations for the body, inserts, cantilever, suspension, windings and leads. The result is Ekstatik – the new jewel in the crown of the Linn cartridge range. This new flagship cartridge sets a new bar for arm/cartridge synergy; its unique construction forges an harmonious synergy with Ekos SE; wicking away more unwanted resonances along the arm, and out through the sub-chassis. With a bespoke honeycomb machined into the cartridge body, Linn has skeletonised Ekstatik, so that overall mass is reduced to Linn’s preferred sweet spot of close to 7g.
In Linn’s search for even better materials, Linn’s experiments led to the implementation of aluminium-bronze inserts. Now a feature of Ekstatik, these inserts allow Linn to reap the sonic benefits Linn found this ally to possess.
A micro-ridge stylus on a sapphire cantilever makes for an extraordinarily responsive cartridge. The sapphire is far stiffer than boron or aluminium, eliciting less loss between the stylus and the generator.
The result is an agile, responsive cartridge, with the added performance yielded from specifying these materials; masterfully matched in unique configurations.