Linn Sondek LP-12 tonearm recommendations?

Lots of good info has been provided here. cd318 mentioned that a lot depends on the spec level of your table, that is, what bearing does it have, what sub chassis, what arm board, is the plinth a corner braced version, what bottom plate, what top plate, what power supply, etc. Potential money pit? Yes. Mine is outfitted with the full Stack Audio Ultimate upgrade kit (my kit is the previous version, not the current version). Linn has their own upgrade parts as do other companies.

I would not put a 2K - 3K arm on a basic level table. 

The old Linn viewpoint is that the table is the most important then the tonearm is next and the cartridge is last in importance. Of course having all three at a high level is a good thing.

Re: Linn tonearms, something to consider is the head shell size of most of the Linn arms. They are a bit small and can limit cartridge choice except for the Ittok, which has a larger head shell. The Ittok is known for having a "lively or energetic" upper mid range. I have an Audio Origami tone arm. It has a generously sized head shell and it has a more evenly balanced sound compared to the Ittok.


 

Hi rbtstock

If I was buying a great sounding tonearm for an LP12 Linn, I would look at an AMG 9W2 or the 9WT (turbo) arms. These are made as a direct replacement for the Linn arms, are VERY well made and sound great. I don’t know your budget but if you can afford this option, you should find and talk to an authorized AMG dealer in your area. A friend of mine bought the 9WT for his LP12 and it just blew away the Ittok he had. No comparison. The Ittok was no slouch either. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Best regards
Scot

Scot, nice suggestion. I have also heard good things about the AMG arms. They will be on my radar if i ever replace my WTA. ( hopefully they would be a step up??)
@rbtstock While it is a fact that the make up of the table is going to impact what you hear with an upgraded arm, IME upgrading the arm will always allow the table to give off its current best. The arm does have a very significant impact on the SQ. The table is only as good as its weakest link, but the arm can easily be that.

I run an ARO on my LP12 and absolutely love it!

To my ears, it sounds very balanced - great lows, mids, and highs... all sounding balanced with no frequency standing out of place. It has excellent micro and macro dynamics across the entire frequency range, startling so.

What I really love about it is that is sounds so natural... not hi-fi stereo in your face, but like real music. I just get really immersed into the music, the tone of the instruments, the meaning of the score and I totally forget about the equipment.

I use mine with my Benz Zebra Wood Ruby ZH into my Wavestream Kinetics Deluxe Level 5.1 all tubed phono stage, into my First Sound Presence Audio all tubed line stage, into my 845 single ended triode power amp. The LP12/ARO does not disappoint and does not leave me wanting for anything more.

Best wishes,
Don

@mwh777 ,

"The Ittok is known for having a "lively or energetic" upper mid rrange"

I totally agree. On some albums that might be a good thing but then again on others, maybe not so much.

It’s not a big issue and might not even be apparent for a good period of time, but it was there on my Ittok LVII.

As is usual some care with cartridge matching is advisable.

More on the Ittok by David Price here:

"Originally manufactured for Linn by the Denon Parts Company of Japan (no relation to the electronics brand), it was designed by a certain Mr Ito to Linn’s specification back in the late seventies. The Tik-Tok (as fans called it) evolved over the years with various detail changes (such as a new counterweight), until it reached its LVIII incarnation in 1989."
http://www.aca.gr/index/hiend/hiendReviews?row=60