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Linn Arko

F

Featsdont

pfm Member
I have just had the Arko tonearm fitted to my LP12 along with the Kore upgrade.

The arm replaced the Pro-Ject 9 arm which came with my Majik level deck on purchase some 5 years ago. I've also over the years had Trampolinn, Karousel and Lingo 4 fitted but I still have the Adikt MM cartridge from then - still ok according to dealer's microscope.

Impressions - the Arko looks great and feels much better engineered than the Pro-Ject - the record lift and drop is very precise, damped and the anti-skate doesn't involve the fishing line and weight malarkey.

There is a plastic arm rest/clip which is quite tight - it requires slightly more force to release it from he clip than I would like but that's the only negative I have. This will presumably loosen off with use.

On sound - - well there is a huge uplift in sound quality - fewer pops and crackles, better bass retrieval, more cohesive music presentation - tremendous rendering of voices and acoustic instruments - although having had Kore fitted at the same time it's difficult to know which part contributes what to the improvement.

My dealer - Robbie Ritchie in Montrose - has sold quite a few he tells me - either replacing older Ittoks with bearing trouble or upgrading Akitos. Thanks to Robbie for collecting my LP12 and returning it and installing it - an hours drive each way!

I guess I am just about at Selekt level ( formerly Akurate) now except for MC cartridge but I will stick where I am until the Adikt needs replacing.
 
I think this is the first actual review of an Arko that I've seen, thanks for posting. I wonder how it compares to the final version of the Akito (3b I think) - did your dealer give a view?
 
It's hard to know what it's doing when you've replaced the sub-chassis at the same time. RR is the best dealer in the UK in my opinion.
 
Mr Pig said:
It's hard to know what it's doing when you've replaced the sub-chassis at the same time. RR is the best dealer in the UK in my opinion.
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I agree with regard to the change - but I was in a position to do both at the same time so went for it. Very happy with my dealer.

By the way I think the only plastic in the assembly is the support for the arm. The circular black base seems to be metal of some kind ( I think you had commented on the materials when it was first announced).
 
The Bish said:
I think this is the first actual review of an Arko that I've seen, thanks for posting. I wonder how it compares to the final version of the Akito (3b I think) - did your dealer give a view?
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He thinks it is better - unfortunately he had sold off his last Akito ex dem to another customer so I couldn’t do a head to head. I did listen to Selekt version ( with Arko plus MC cartridge) versus Majik with Krane arm and Adikt and the Selekt was clearly better. So I had an approximation of what mine would sound like with new arm plus Kore.
 
Seems like a great bang for the buck cart in any event - arguably the best MC at the price.

Boron cantilever, long last microline, AT consistent manufacturing...
 
Featsdont said:
By the way I think the only plastic in the assembly is the support for the arm. The circular black base seems to be metal of some kind...
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It will be aluminum. No way they would make that out of plastic. What's odd is that the collar no longer extends through the arm board, it's just a disk. It's the first arm Linn have made like that. No harm in upgrading two things at once. Just that you don't know what part is doing what.

Featsdont said:
Yes - I’d seen that. Plenty of good options other than Linn’s rebadges…..
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If you liked the Linn Koil, which is an AT OC9 XML, a good choice would be the OC9 XSL. Still costs less than the Koil and is better. It's a brilliant cartridge.
 
Featsdont said:
There is a plastic arm rest/clip which is quite tight - it requires slightly more force to release it from he clip than I would like but that's the only negative I have. This will presumably loosen off with use.
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The arm clip on my Ekos is also a tight fit. It hasn't loosened off in 20 years!
 
Mr Pig said:
It will be aluminum. No way they would make that out of plastic. What's odd is that the collar no longer extends through the arm board, it's just a disk. It's the first arm Linn have made like that.
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Stole this quote from another forum: “I would expect that the flat arm collar is done to save expense by using less material and having fewer machining operations for what is likely a very small, if any, difference in performance.”

Here’s another interesting bit about the tonearm:

The new Arko sees Linn returning to the fundamentals of arm design. They have removed all the unnecessary frills and concentrated on the mission-critical elements of tonearm design. This new design features an ultra-stable gimbal platform which facilitates superb bearing concentricity and alignment, together with machined and cold-drawn 7075-grade aluminum for the headshell, wand assembly and gimbal. Linn says that “the resultant material synergy and coupling effectively banishing undesirable resonances away from the delicate generator, and out through the sub-chassis”.
 
John said:
Stole this quote from another forum: “I would expect that the flat arm collar is done to save expense by using less material and having fewer machining operations for what is likely a very small, if any, difference in performance.”
Click to expand...
With the set screw so high up relative to the height of the cylinder that is the inside of the old collar, it likely doesn't matter that the sleeve that extended through the armboard is gone.
 
You do really need a high quality MC cartridge. Your deck will never sound like an Akurate or Selekt LP12 with an Adikt MM cartridge. When funds allow that should be a priority.
 
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