The
Linn Akiva
is Linns newest moving coil cartridge and represents continued commitment to deploying new technology
and new knowledge in the pursuit of improving
music reproduction from the irreplaceable store of music performance that continues to accumulate on vinyl recordings.
The design of the Linn Akiva cartridge incorporates a new and advanced magnetic assembly structure to produce a higher
output with noticeably better tracking and even lower distortion than previous cartridge products. The integrity of the
Linn Akiva cartridge design ensures greatly improved signal transference without loss of vital information and without any
spurious noise from this super-precise, ultra-linear, direct coupled, moving coil cartridge.
The advanced magnetic assembly structure in the AKIVA cartridge is constructed around a machined from the solid alloy
carcass for complete rigidity, and the optimally damped suspension mechanism supports hand-wound coils secured in a
high precision rigid assembly, terminated with gold contacts.
Linn's mum about the provenance of the $2995 Linn Akiva cartridge, but I suspect Lyra (formerly known as Scan-Tech),
who manufactured Linn's earlier Arkiv cartridge. The three-screw mounting system (now also used by Rega) makes
installation and alignment of the Akiva's rigid alloy body foolproof. The Akiva has a ceramic-coated boron cantilever
and a line-contact stylus. Its output is 0.4mV (1kHz at 3.54cm/s);
Linn recommends loading with a minimum of 50 ohms and using a tracking force of 1.6-1.9gm. Mine was set for the 1.9gm maximum.
The Akiva's awesome combination of fine dynamic expression and wide bandwidth is going to be very difficult to beat.
It gets itself out of the way, and allows the music to get through with less vinyl "signature" than any other cartridge I've encountered
Every time CD seems to be sneaking up on vinyl, something new moves the goalposts, and that's just what Linn have done here.
The Linn Akiva is more than just a good tracker..the new Linn is superior to its illustrious predecessor in every meaningful wayafter hearing
the way the Akiva nailed the sound of the electric bass and kick drum on Led Zeppelins Achilles, Im a convert..I can state comfortably
that the Akiva was not at all lean. timbrally right, with a clear, open, naturally detailed sound that never lapsed into exaggerated detail.
Similarly, its spatial performance was solid and precise but never fussy: The musical message was always stressed over sonics. The Akiva
is without doubt, the quietest phono cartridge Ive ever used, and the one thats least perturbed by all the older records in my collection.
Were phonographic monogamy required of me, I'd tie the knot in no time.
finest nude diamond stylus
Linn Akiva Triple-point mounting system to ensure accurate coupling to tonearm
Machined-from-solid alloy body for rigidity
Ceramic Boron cantilever provides ultra low mass and extremely high rigidity
Precision transducer has minimum sensitivity to spurious vibration
Gold Linn Akiva contacts for accurate and reliable connection
Advanced magnetic materials
Precision assembly
