Well, I've said it to other Linn owners, and I'll say it again: the Naim Aro unipivot tonearm. A lot of people have negative feelings about these arms (I mean unipivots in general) but in my experince they sound excellent. The Graham is a case in point, the unipivot being the most easily achieved near-perfect bearing attainable in the physical world, due to it's design, and it sounds it. That's two tonearms which sound good on the Linn, and they're both unipivots. If you cannot find a used Aro within your time frame, then consider the host of other resonably-priced (new) unipivots out there: the Bluenotes, the Audiomeca, the Kuzma, the Clearaudio Unify, the Moerch, the cheaper VPI, and so on. There must be some in this long list which will physically suit your 'table. All of these modern unipivots have clever design features as well.
What arms will successfully mount on a Linn LP12??
Hi A-Goners,
I have an older Linn LP12(around 82 or 83) with the Cirkus/Trampolin ungrade, Lingo power supply and a Linn Akito MK2 tonearm with a Koetsu Red moving coil. I bought the Linn Akito MK2 when Linn first introduced the Akito MK2 about 7 years ago. It only retailed for $450.00 US. Just to bring everyone up to speed, the original Akito was made in Japan. The armtube on the original Akito has a smooth finish vs. a rough finish on the MK2 version. The MK2 is and always has been built in Scotland. The armlift is built in Japan. The bearing tolerances are much closer on the MK2. The Akito MK2 is every bit as good as the silver Ittok LV-2. I am researching the Ittok LV-3 in terms of a possible upgrade. I understand that it is basically like an original Ekos NOT the Ekos MK2. Now, what is the deal with the BLACK Ittok LV-2. It was $300.00 more than the SILVER Ittok LV-2. I know the SILVER Ittok LV-2 was built in Japan. Where was the Black Ittok LV-2 built? Why was the BLACK $300.00 more? Is it better than the SILVER Ittok LV-2, you tell me. I have never listened to a BLACK Ittok. If you have, please give me your thoughts. Back to the Akito MK2, in todays hi-end world, $450.00 is a BARGAIN for a "brand new" Akito MK2. For that matter, the current $975.00 retail isn't so bad either. I really like the arm but like the rest of you, I caught the upgrade bug. I am finding it very difficult to upgrade. First off, I am not spending $3,000.00-$4,000.00 on a "new" Graham 2.2 or a "new" Linn Ekos 2. Aside from the Graham and the Linn, what other arms will successfully mount on a fully suspended LP12 that won't break the bank?? One problem with other arms mounting on an LP12 is the top of the Trampolin suspension is within about an inch or two of the armboard. The Linn tonearm cable exits the bottom of the shaft at a 90 degree angle so it will not interfere with the suspension. Most tonearm cables exit straight out of the bottom. The cable isn't the only problem, the shaft can be too long as well. The mounting of another makers arm on the LP12 is not the only problem. Synergy between the table and arm is also a key factor. As much as I would like to believe that any arm would be able to, not only mount properly but sound great as well, I have to admit that Linn tables are meant to be used with Linn arms. Rega tables are meant to use a Rega arm...... This also proves true with alot of amps and preamps. System synergy is very important!! The reason the Graham arms work so well on the LP12 is because Bob Graham bought himself an LP12 and made the arm work. He built a custom armboard and mount for the LP12. Other tonearm companies that also build tables don't seem to care if their arm fits another make. So, where does that leave us LP12 owners with the upgrade bug? I would really appreciate any feedback you may have.
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
I have an older Linn LP12(around 82 or 83) with the Cirkus/Trampolin ungrade, Lingo power supply and a Linn Akito MK2 tonearm with a Koetsu Red moving coil. I bought the Linn Akito MK2 when Linn first introduced the Akito MK2 about 7 years ago. It only retailed for $450.00 US. Just to bring everyone up to speed, the original Akito was made in Japan. The armtube on the original Akito has a smooth finish vs. a rough finish on the MK2 version. The MK2 is and always has been built in Scotland. The armlift is built in Japan. The bearing tolerances are much closer on the MK2. The Akito MK2 is every bit as good as the silver Ittok LV-2. I am researching the Ittok LV-3 in terms of a possible upgrade. I understand that it is basically like an original Ekos NOT the Ekos MK2. Now, what is the deal with the BLACK Ittok LV-2. It was $300.00 more than the SILVER Ittok LV-2. I know the SILVER Ittok LV-2 was built in Japan. Where was the Black Ittok LV-2 built? Why was the BLACK $300.00 more? Is it better than the SILVER Ittok LV-2, you tell me. I have never listened to a BLACK Ittok. If you have, please give me your thoughts. Back to the Akito MK2, in todays hi-end world, $450.00 is a BARGAIN for a "brand new" Akito MK2. For that matter, the current $975.00 retail isn't so bad either. I really like the arm but like the rest of you, I caught the upgrade bug. I am finding it very difficult to upgrade. First off, I am not spending $3,000.00-$4,000.00 on a "new" Graham 2.2 or a "new" Linn Ekos 2. Aside from the Graham and the Linn, what other arms will successfully mount on a fully suspended LP12 that won't break the bank?? One problem with other arms mounting on an LP12 is the top of the Trampolin suspension is within about an inch or two of the armboard. The Linn tonearm cable exits the bottom of the shaft at a 90 degree angle so it will not interfere with the suspension. Most tonearm cables exit straight out of the bottom. The cable isn't the only problem, the shaft can be too long as well. The mounting of another makers arm on the LP12 is not the only problem. Synergy between the table and arm is also a key factor. As much as I would like to believe that any arm would be able to, not only mount properly but sound great as well, I have to admit that Linn tables are meant to be used with Linn arms. Rega tables are meant to use a Rega arm...... This also proves true with alot of amps and preamps. System synergy is very important!! The reason the Graham arms work so well on the LP12 is because Bob Graham bought himself an LP12 and made the arm work. He built a custom armboard and mount for the LP12. Other tonearm companies that also build tables don't seem to care if their arm fits another make. So, where does that leave us LP12 owners with the upgrade bug? I would really appreciate any feedback you may have.
Thanks for reading.
Jeff