2nd hand Linn Ekos

Thanks for the gratuitous insult. The Ekos is well-known to over-compress the right rear spring.

I would have thought a dealer would know that, but there you go!

 

There's not much of a difference, weight-wise, between Ittok and Ekos. The arm which is widely believed to over-compress the right rear spring is the SME V, which weighs ca. 750 grams to the Ekos' ca. 400 grams, IIRC.

I don't have a weight for the Aro to hand, but when you factor in the arm cabling, I think there's not much between Aro and Ekos.

 

I can't find the specs, Markus, but I've read and heard many times that the Ekos is over-heavy for the LP12's suspension. Maybe it's another matter of opinion. Many people who I respect have told me this.

What I do know is that the Aro is my preferred arm, because it gets more off the record, but argue away if you want to.

 

Jimmy Hughes' opinion:

http://www.sondek-turntable.com/

 

You'd think Linn would have realised that when they designed the Ekos/Ittok 25 years ago... The Ittok and Ekos weigh near as dammnit the same, the LVX is lighter, the Akito I don't know. It's easier to get a good bounce with the light arm, but 'good bounce' isn't the primary concern of good LP12 setup.

BTW perhaps you should note for the record in this type of discussion that you don't use an ARO on a Linn LP12. Perhaps your solution is better than LP12/Lingo/Ekos, perhaps it's not, but your solution cannot be purchased or reproduced.

Paul

 

Linn are not "perfect". They make some very good things, and conversely, some other things they make are not very good.

You could always try the Aro, Paul.

 

One of the Ekos arms I was bidding on ebay - and miles off with my £550 as it went for £771. It looks I'm now being a victim of some ebay dodginess.

I received a 2nd chance - 40 mins after the auction ended and sent from another ebay member.

Another reason not to try getting one off ebay.

I'll just have to save up and head off to my nearest dealer.

I do like to look of the Nima arm and it is quite well priced but for some reason I want to stay with Linn. I like the sound of their stuff, which is way most of my kit is Linn.

the other problem I find with some dealers, where I may like to go and listen to an arm by another company, if the dealer doesn't sell Linn they spend all their time telling me to ditch the LP12 for another more 'modern' deck. I find this quite annoying.

 

Listening to a more modern deck can't do any harm, can it?

 

I've listened to more modern decks.

I adored the Avid Acutus (with an sme v arm), but it is just too expensive. I've listened to the cheaper Kuzma (about the only one I could afford) and where it is very good for the money I didn't think it was as good as the LP12, and the newer kuzma deck (the one being seen with the parallel tracker) which I really enjoyed.

I've listened to various Regas, although not the P9 or P7.

I've listened to Michell decks, and until recently owned a Mycro and only sold it cos it was not being used in favour of the Linn (and I do actually regret selling it even though it was unused).

The problem I have is the decks that I have heard which I prefer over the Linn - Acutus, Kuzma (not the budget deck) - are just too expensive, especially when you add the arm in.

 

I've had a listen to some more modern decks as well.

 

I have to admit a couple of years ago I listened to a Avid Acutus with some Lavardin amps and was seriously wondering how I could fund it. It was an amazingly wonderful system - but, alas, totally out of my reach.

when I bought my first deck (the mycro) the dealer had one of the top of the range VPI decks - with the 4 pillars and the air suspension in them - and I asked if I could listen to it while I was there just out of interest.

He said 'no' (not in a nasty way I should point out) as if I listened to it I wouldn't buy the mycro and I couldn't afford the VPI deck. His logic was probably spot on. But it would have been nice to have listened to it.

Even with it being fairly easy to sell the LP12 I've enjoyed listening to it so much I get the feeling which ever new deck I got I would miss something about it. I buy approx 30 records to 1 cd now simply down to the enjoyment I get from listening to them.

If I could get a 2nd hand Ekos (or Aro maybe) then it was more to do adding the icing onto the cake.

 

Look out for LP12 w Aro in classifieds, one popped up on pfm recently. Then you can have a good play, and sell on bits you don't want.

 

Sadly, it does appear that LP12s with either Ekos or Aros seem to go for not much more than the arms on their own.

Actually it would be nice to have another LP12 with a Valhalla and the old bearing. I do miss that sound. Or am I just being greedy now ?

 

Yes, but that's allowed.

 

Cool

 

It's pretty fundamental to make an arm that doesn't suit their deck, and then not realise for 25 years. I think your 'too heavy' theory doesn't really pass the sanity check.

And the point about your ARO experience being mainly with a very modified (and unreproducible) LP12 stands, you cannot extrapolate to the general LP12. Art Dudley's review of the two schools in Stereophile is worth reading, I think he's put a ridiculous amount of effort into evaluating the Armageddon/ARO against Lingo/Ekos.

Paul

 

I read Art Dudley's column and thought it was an excellent article - and in this day in age of cd and ipods as well.

He certainly seemed to think the Ekos suited the Lingo LP12 and Aro to the Armegeddon. Bearing in mind I'm all Lingo'd up ...

Although how a tonearm matches to the decks power supply does confuse me a little (again).

 

I'm not saying the Ekos is "bad", it isn't*. For my money, the Ittok to Ekos journey wasn't worth making, and that was before I acquired the Ninja. All the Aro'd decks I've heard have sounded very good, but that wasn't my impression with Ekos'ed ones. As ever, YMMV.

*Having said that, the Ekos got a pretty poor review in one of the magazines last year.

Jimmy Hughes mad, you say?

 

The review was in hif world ? And I don't think it was on an LP12 but some other deck.

 

Don't be. It's simply that the Ekos was designed to partner a lingo powered LP12 and the Aro an Armageddon powered one so no surprise that they suit each other more.


Cheers

Jason