Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Our sample was supplied with left and right channels reversed, so Linn either needs to look again at its end-of-line QC or, perhaps, this was just a dastardly plan to confirm whether reviewers are paying attention... Captive L/R tonearm leads swapped, the Majik LP12 offered up a reliably fine set of measurements. The single-point Karousel bearing was responsible for –68.5dB rumble (DIN-B wtd, re. 5cm/sec) which reduced to a good –70.1dB through-the-groove, proving the effectiveness of Linn's familiar two-part platter and lightweight felt mat. The 110V synchronous AC motor was running just –0.2% slow but was exceptionally pitch-stable, the platter rotating with just 0.02% peak wow at ±2Hz, albeit with sidebands at ±12Hz and ±50Hz contributing to a slightly higher 0.04% peak flutter [see Graph 1, below]. The latter 50Hz AC noise was also picked up in the –55dB residual noise measurement (unwtd. re. 5cm/sec) but this is a perfectly 'average' figure for a contemporary turntable.

The partnering Krane tonearm, built to Linn's specification by Clearaudio, is derived from the brand's popular 9.5in Satisfy Kardan arm, equipped with magnetic anti-skate compensation, alloy armtube and fully adjustable alloy headshell. The 10g effective mass makes it very compatible with Linn's Adikt MM pick-up while its resonant behaviour is impressively benign [see Graph 2, below]. The principal tube resonance occurs at 95Hz (lower than with the carbon-tubed variant, see HFN Jul '16] with a cluster of harmonic/torsional modes at 140Hz, 185Hz and 270Hz. All modes above ~200Hz are swiftly damped. The sapphire/ceramic bearings are suitably tensioned, offering very low <10mg friction with no perceptible play. PM