Linn's Ekstatik represents the culmination of an exhaustive materials investigation aimed at producing the company's most accomplished moving coil cartridge. The design is built around a machined 7075 aluminum body with a skeletonized honeycomb structure, bringing total mass to approximately 7 g—a figure Linn identifies as optimal for resonance control within the Ekos SE tonearm system. Central to its performance are aluminum-bronze inserts, selected after extensive auditioning for their ability to channel unwanted mechanical energy away from the generator and into the sub-chassis, preserving the fragile information in the groove.
A sapphire cantilever, significantly stiffer than conventional boron or aluminum alternatives, couples a micro-ridge stylus to a square armature wound with 4N copper coil wire. The combination yields a 0.45 mV output, channel separation better than 30 dB at 1 kHz, and channel balance within 1 dB, while the triple-point mounting system ensures precise geometric alignment. The diamond-like carbon coated chassis further stiffens the structure, contributing to a fast, agile presentation with low noise floor and strong retrieval of low-level detail. Designed as a dedicated partner for the Ekos SE tonearm, Ekstatik rewards careful setup with a sense of transparency and rhythmic coherence that reflects its position at the top of the Linn range.
Highlights
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