The
Linn Ekos Tonearm
The $1995 Linn Ekos (so christened after the French name for Scotland, Ecosseha!) is considerably more expensive than the
Ittok LVII ($965); superficially, it resembles the black version of the Ittok that was available for a while by special order.
The Linn Ekos arm-base even uses the same three-bolt mounting arrangement, but the arm is otherwise almost totally different.
Whereas the Ittok is manufactured in Japan to Linn's specification, with only final quality control taking place in Linn Products'
Glasgow headquarters, the Linn Ekos is manufactured and assembled in Scotland, the only Japan-sourced item being the lift/lower
device. The most obvious external difference is the absence of the separate arm clip on the tonearm board, which some UK
audiophiles had long proclaimed to be a source of coloration. The same audiophiles had also pointed the finger at the lift/lower
device; this remains, but is now damped in both directions, and its support gantry is extended along the arm axis to provide a
solid clip arrangement similar to that used by the SME V.
The Linn Ekos arm-tube remains the same thin-wall, wide-bore aluminum design, but is about 8mm longer than that of the Ittok. The geometry
remains the same, the aluminum-alloy headshell being shorter, but this is now machined from solid for maximum strength rather than
being cast. Machining would seem appropriate, Linn having a large collection of some of the most modern computer-controlled industrial
tools in the UK; machining also gives the designer a wider choice of alloys to choose from. In addition, whereas the Ittok headshell was
fixed to the arm-tube with screws, the Linn Ekos uses a modern adhesive, the same as used to glue the Sondek's subchassis together. This
is said to give a stronger, more consistent joint. The arm-tube is also glued to the rear body that carries the counterweight. The undersurface
of the Linn Ekos headshell has a line enscribed on its rear to allow for easy set-up of pickups with square rear faces.
The gimbal bearings are also something special compared with the Ittok. These are manufactured to a tolerance of 5m (approximately 0.2 thou').
Then, because, as one of Linn Ekos's senior engineers, Martin Dalgleish, puts it, "It's easier to measure than it is to make," the bearings are measured
and matched to a tolerance of just 1m. Not surprisingly, I could feel no play in any direction.
The tracking downforce and bias force are still set with springs, but these are said to be to a tighter tolerance than the Ittok. The final difference
concerns the Linn Ekos tonearm leads. Yes, these are still the same coaxial type, fitted with good-quality phono plugs, but the 5-pin arm plug is now metal
and can be fixed tighter. It is also shallower, allowing a little more clearance between the dressed cable and the turntable baseplate.
Visually almost identical to the Ittok, it is a triumph of the artisan, being essentially bankrupt of new thinking, especially when measured
against the Roksan Artimez. Instead, it could be seen as the triumph of evolution over revolution. But it is a triumph.
The Linn Ekos arm is not the same as the Ittok because almost all the components are different. I think only the bias force dialincidentally, the only item now made in Japanis carried
over from the old model. The differences extend to the materials, interfaces, and manufacturing processes involved, but other than that the two arms look pretty similar. The Ekos
has a black finish, while the Ittok is covered in bright metal, au naturel as it were. Paradoxically Linn Ekos looks much more expensive that way. There have even been black Ittoks, which
must be almost totally indistinguishable from the Ekos. In such cases you'll have to look at the armrest. The Linn Ekos armrest is built into the base structure, bringing the arm into line
with virtually all other arms and thus simplifying installation.
Armrest apart, the differences between the two Linn arms are small but vital, in engineering terms and in performance. But these differences make the arm considerably more expensive.
The armtube, of a new and harder alloy, instead of being screwed and glued at each end, is secured by just a high-tech glue, a much more elegant solution that avoids deforming and stressing
the components. Linn claims this join is functionally identical to a one-piece armtube.
The Linn Ekos armtube and headshell are made from new ultra-hard alloys, and the bearing housing is machined from solid instead of being cast la Ittok, which enables a much harder alloy to be
used. A similar story applies at the headshell end. The bearings are made to 1microm tolerances. Linn says that this is as good as can be achieved in practice, and even then only by selection
since 4microm is the best that can be ensured for individual machining operations.
