Linn's flagship LP12 tonearm: a hand-built, titanium-tube arm that lets a fine moving coil show what it can do.
Ekos SE looks much like the original Ekos, but the parts that matter have changed. The arm tube is machined from titanium, which smooths out the resonant peaks of a conventional alloy tube. A stainless-steel pillar and bearing housing keep the ultra-low-friction bearings precisely adjusted, even as the room warms up or the deck gets moved. Temperature-compensated springs handle downforce and anti-skate, so the arm behaves the same on the last side of the night as on the first. Each one is built by hand.
Ekos SE is the arm in Linn's Klimax LP12 and is the natural partner for the Ekstatik and Kendo moving coils. Its long headshell takes almost any cartridge. Its medium effective mass of 11.5 g suits Linn's own MCs and most low- to medium-compliance moving coils weighing 3 to 9 g. It mounts in the LP12 using Linn geometry and comes with a T-Kable. Stereophile's Art Dudley found it clearly better than the original Ekos at letting cartridges perform at their best, and called it a seriously good product, possibly the best arm for an LP12.
| Type | Fixed-pivot, medium-mass tonearm, non-detachable headshell |
| Effective length | 229 mm (9 in) |
| Pivot-to-spindle / overhang | 211 mm / 18 mm |
| Effective mass | 11.5 g |
| Cartridge weight range | 3–9 g |
| Tracking force range | 0–3 g, calibrated spring |
| Anti-skate | Calibrated, spring-driven |
| Arm tube | Machined titanium |
| Bearing housing | Stainless steel |
| Mounting | Linn LP12 geometry |
| Cable | Linn T-Kable included |
Pearl Audio is an authorized Linn dealer. Call or visit our Portland showroom to talk about matching a tonearm and cartridge to your LP12.
