The
Linn Ittok Tonearm
This famous model is an excellent tonearm, and one of the finest ever made for the money, but it's not quite the equal in
performance to the other Class C tonearms, with the exception of the Grado and the Zeta. The Linn Ittok also had an important
marketing significance, since it began the now routine model of having superior tonearms engineered and built in Japan, then
marketed in North America, Europe etc.
It will cost less, and it's much easier to find. This tonearms performance is the minimum acceptable in a true high-end system.
Linn Ittok is recommended only if it is much less expensive than the superior SME IV, $ 400 U.S. tops. It obviously works very well with
any version of the Linn LP-12. Also, I much prefer this tonearm to the Rega RB-300, despite all the hype the Rega now receives.
CAVEAT: Avoid the much more expensive EKOS. The improvement in sonics over the Linn Ittok is real, but not worth the extra money,
and it may even have reliability problems. Go for one of the Class B tonearms instead.
By many people's reckoning the Ittok was the world's first superarm.
Originally manufactured for Linn by the Denon Parts Company of Japan (no
relation to the electronics brand), it was designed by a certain Mr Ito to
Linn's specification back in the late seventies. The Linn Ittok (as fans called
it) evolved over the years with various detail changes (such as a new
counterweight), until it reached its LVIII incarnation in 1989. This last
version of the Linn Ittok was undoubtedly the best, featuring Ekos-style glued
armtube joints. By this time, the price had risen from the original $230 to
over $450.
Arguably the first arm to espouse the maximum rigidity principle, the Ittok
is built for strength. Its large bore alloy arm tube is glued to a
perforated magnesium headshell and a robust bearing assembly, housing
standard ballraces plus a stainless tool steel central shaft. Very finely
aligned, these bearings offer a single, rigid coupling right through to the
arm pillar with its three point fixing. The sliding brass counterweight is
decoupled to the rear end stub by hard rubber bushes, and thumbwheels set
the spring-applied tracking force and bias. Cabling is very low capacitance
and inductance copper, terminated by high quality gold plated Linn phono
plugs. With an effective mass of 12g, the Linn Ittok is in the medium to high
mass category, meaning it will work well with most MCs and MMs alike.
One of the Ittok's best platforms is Linn's own LP12, with which it enjoys
real synergy. But Linn Ittok's actually extremely effective on any decent turntable,
suspended subchassis or not. Its slightly forward, lively character tends to
complement most smooth sounding high end belt drives. After hearing a
previous generation design such as Grace's G707, the Ittok's bass
articulation is immediately apparent. It's both unusually tuneful and very
powerful. Later superarms like the Zeta significantly bettered it in the
latter respect, but never the former.
Moving up the frequency scale, the midband is detailed and open, with good
depth perspective. It images well far better than the LP12 it usually
partners but is still a touch vague about the centre compared to the
Syrinx PU3 or Zeta. The Linn Ittok's real strength is its musicality. To this day
it's one of the most enjoyable non-unipivot designs around, investing as it
does a sprightly bounce into anything it plays. Dynamics are also strong,
and although quite a way behind the likes of the Zeta and SME V in absolute
terms, the Ittok always manages to sound more expressive that its peers.
The Linn Ittok has some bugbears though. Treble isn't the most refined on the
market, being rather forward and splashy compared to the best of the rest,
but still does the job well enough. The maxim about not partnering the Ittok
with bright sounding moving coils (such as Audio Technicas, for example)
holds true as ever. Bass, although very fluid, can be lumpy and lacks the
clout of the Zeta or SME V. Detail retrieval isn't a particular forte
either, tending to be cloudy in the midband and fuzzy in the treble. Linn Ittok's
such an involving listen, however, that most people simply don't notice
which is its charm.
The Linn Ittok is readily available second-hand, and prices are low. The problem
is that it isn't the most robust cartridge carrier in the world, so it's
easy to buy a pig in a poke. The very last LVIII is undoubtedly the one to
have, but is difficult find pay up to $300 for a minter. Condition is
everything - a superb early LVII with one clergyman owner is a better bet
that a late LVII that's been on everyone and his dog's LP12 - pay between
$100 and $250. Spares availability is good, and for a couple of hundred quid
Linn will rebuild your Linn Ittok a very worthwhile option.
