Linn Arko High-Precision Gimballed Tonearm

The Linn Arko is a high-performance tonearm developed for the Sondek LP12 turntable.

It uses a rigid gimballed bearing arrangement, machined aluminium components and carefully controlled geometry to support the cartridge as it follows the changing surface and groove modulations of a vinyl record.

A tonearm must allow the cartridge to move freely in the directions required by the record while resisting unwanted twisting, vibration and movement elsewhere.

Arko has therefore been designed around a relatively simple collection of precision-engineered components, with each part contributing to rigidity, bearing stability and the controlled transfer of mechanical energy.

Gimballed Tonearm Design

Arko uses a gimballed bearing arrangement to control its horizontal and vertical movement.

The tonearm pivots around carefully aligned bearing axes, allowing the cartridge to travel across the record while also moving vertically to follow warps and variations in the vinyl surface.

A stable gimbal helps maintain the position of the stylus in relation to the groove. Excessive play or movement within the bearing assembly could otherwise reduce image focus, blur fine musical information or make accurate cartridge alignment more difficult.

Linn uses a single-piece stainless-steel through-spindle to support the bearing arrangement and improve alignment between the moving parts.

7075-Grade Aluminium Construction

Linn specifies 7075-grade aluminium throughout the Arko arm wand assembly, extending from the headshell through the arm tube and into the gimbal structure.

This aluminium alloy combines relatively low weight with high strength and stiffness, making it well suited to components that must remain rigid without creating unnecessary moving mass.

Using related materials throughout the arm assembly also creates more consistent mechanical behaviour at the joins between individual components.

The intention is to direct unwanted resonant energy away from the cartridge, through the arm structure and into the LP12 sub-chassis rather than allowing it to remain around the cartridge generator.

Cold-Drawn Aluminium Arm Tube

The Arko arm tube is manufactured from cold-drawn 7075-grade aluminium.

Cold drawing allows the tube to be produced to tightly controlled dimensions and tolerances while preserving the strength and consistency of the material.

The arm tube must remain rigid as the stylus responds to extremely small movements within the record groove.

Any unnecessary bending or twisting of the tube may absorb or alter some of this movement before it reaches the cartridge generator.

Arko's tube is therefore designed to provide a strong mechanical connection between the cartridge, gimbal and turntable sub-chassis without adding excessive moving mass.

Machined Aluminium Headshell

The cartridge is fitted to a headshell machined from 7075-grade aluminium.

Weight-reduction pockets remove material from areas where it is not required for structural strength. This helps reduce the moving mass at the front of the tonearm while retaining a rigid mounting platform for the cartridge.

Elongated mounting slots provide the adjustment required to set the cartridge overhang and offset angle correctly.

These slots also allow Arko to accommodate a range of compatible cartridges rather than restricting it to one fixed model.

Stainless-Steel Through-Spindle

The gimbal assembly is supported by a single-piece polished stainless-steel through-spindle.

This spindle provides a stable reference around which the bearing assembly can be aligned.

Using one continuous component helps Linn maintain accurate concentricity and alignment through the tonearm's pivot structure.

Accurate bearing alignment allows the arm wand to move with minimal obstruction while reducing the possibility of unwanted lateral or vertical play.

Precision Bearing Platform

A tonearm bearing must move freely without becoming loose or unstable.

Excessive bearing resistance may prevent the cartridge from following small movements in the record surface, while unwanted play can allow the stylus position to change independently of the groove.

Arko's ultra-stable gimbal platform has been designed to provide accurate bearing concentricity and controlled movement through both axes.

The complete bearing assembly is factory engineered and should not be adjusted or dismantled by the user.

Machined Stainless-Steel Counterweight

A machined stainless-steel counterweight balances the mass of the cartridge and allows the required tracking force to be applied.

The counterweight is positioned close to the tonearm pivot, helping reduce the inertia of the complete moving arm assembly.

Lower arm-wand inertia allows the tonearm to respond more readily as the cartridge follows changes in the record surface.

The counterweight adjustment must be set according to the cartridge manufacturer's recommended tracking force and checked using an accurate stylus-force gauge.

Tracking-Force Adjustment

Arko provides tracking-force adjustment from 0 to 3 g.

This covers the requirements of many compatible moving magnet and moving coil cartridges within its specified cartridge-mass range.

Tracking force describes the downward force applied by the stylus to the record groove. It must be sufficient for the stylus to remain in stable contact with the groove without placing unnecessary pressure on the cartridge suspension or record.

Using less tracking force than the cartridge manufacturer recommends is not safer. An underweighted stylus may lose contact with the groove and mistrack, potentially causing greater record wear and audible distortion.

Cartridge Compatibility

Linn specifies a compatible cartridge-mass range of 2 to 10 g for the Arko tonearm.

Cartridge weight is only one part of compatibility. The cartridge must also use a suitable mounting arrangement and allow the correct alignment to be achieved within the available headshell adjustment.

Stylus position, cartridge height, body width, compliance and tracking-force requirements should also be considered.

Arko has an effective mass of 10 g, placing it within the medium-mass region and allowing it to work with a useful range of suitable cartridges.

Designed to Partner the Linn Kendo

Linn developed the Arko tonearm alongside its Kendo moving coil cartridge .

Both products use rigid aluminium structures intended to provide consistent mechanical coupling between the cartridge body, tonearm and turntable sub-chassis.

Kendo has a nickel-coated 7075-grade aluminium body, boron cantilever and super-fine-line stylus.

The cartridge and tonearm are fitted together as standard on the Linn Selekt LP12, providing a factory-selected combination between the entry-level Majik LP12 and Linn's reference Klimax LP12.

Arko is not restricted to Kendo, but alternative cartridges should be assessed for mechanical compatibility and matched to a suitable moving magnet or moving coil phono stage.

Fitted as Standard to Selekt LP12

Arko forms part of the standard Linn Selekt LP12 specification.

In this configuration, it is partnered with the Kendo moving coil cartridge, Kore sub-chassis, Karousel bearing, Lingo power supply and Trampolin suspended base.

The complete package is designed to provide a significant performance step above the Majik LP12 while retaining the Sondek LP12's modular upgrade path.

Arko can also be considered as an upgrade for a suitable existing LP12 fitted with an earlier tonearm.

The existing sub-chassis, armboard, cartridge, phono stage and condition of the turntable should be assessed before the upgrade is planned.

Connection to the LP12 Sub-Chassis

The tonearm does not operate in isolation from the rest of the turntable.

Energy travelling through the cartridge and arm must be managed by the tonearm mounting, armboard and sub-chassis.

On the Selekt LP12, Arko is mounted to the Linn Kore sub-chassis .

Kore combines an aluminium sub-chassis with a machined armboard, creating a rigid mechanical connection between the tonearm mounting and the LP12 bearing.

This helps unwanted energy travel away from the cartridge through a controlled structure rather than being stored around the headshell or arm mounting.

Replacing an Existing LP12 Tonearm

Fitting Arko to an existing Sondek LP12 involves more than removing one arm and attaching another.

The cartridge must be removed or replaced, the tonearm cable routed correctly and the arm mounting secured to the appropriate armboard or sub-chassis.

Changing tonearm mass and cable behaviour can also affect the suspended LP12 chassis, so the turntable suspension must be checked and adjusted after installation.

The cartridge alignment, tracking force, bias, cueing height and cable dressing must then be configured before the turntable is tested.

Tonearm Geometry

Arko has an effective length of 229 mm and a pivot-to-stylus distance of 211 mm.

The difference between these measurements provides a specified stylus overhang of 18 mm.

Its headshell and cartridge mounting are arranged around an offset angle of 24 degrees.

These measurements determine how the cartridge should be positioned in relation to the turntable spindle and tonearm pivot.

The final cartridge position must be checked using the correct Linn setup method rather than estimated from the cartridge body or headshell slots.

Effective Mass and Cartridge Compliance

Linn specifies an effective mass of 10 g for the Arko.

Effective mass describes how the mass of the tonearm behaves from the cartridge's perspective as the arm moves.

It works together with cartridge compliance, which describes the flexibility of the cartridge suspension.

A suitable combination allows the cartridge and tonearm to respond to record warps and groove movements without creating an unwanted resonance within the most important part of the audible frequency range.

Cartridge compliance is not always presented in the same way by every manufacturer, so practical compatibility should be confirmed rather than judged from one figure alone.

Tonearm and Cartridge Wiring

The signal generated by a phono cartridge is extremely small, particularly when Arko is used with a low-output moving coil model such as Kendo.

The cartridge tags, internal arm wiring, tonearm cable and phono-stage connections must therefore remain clean, secure and correctly routed.

Poor cartridge connections may cause intermittent sound, channel imbalance, hum or complete loss of one channel.

Cartridge tags are delicate and should only be removed or refitted using appropriate tools and support.

Phono-Stage Matching

Arko itself does not determine whether a moving magnet or moving coil phono stage is required.

The phono-stage type, gain and electrical loading must be selected according to the cartridge fitted to the tonearm.

Linn Kendo is a low-output moving coil cartridge and requires a compatible MC phono stage.

A moving magnet cartridge fitted to Arko would instead require an appropriate MM input.

Connecting a cartridge to the wrong phono input may produce very low volume, excessive gain, distortion or unsuitable tonal balance.

Cueing and Everyday Use

The cueing mechanism should be used to raise and lower the tonearm wherever possible.

Lowering the cartridge by hand increases the risk of dropping the stylus onto the record, platter or turntable plinth.

The tonearm should move smoothly during cueing without drifting rapidly towards the centre or outside edge of the record.

Any sudden change in cueing behaviour, bearing movement or cartridge position should be checked before the turntable is used again.

Cleaning and Maintenance

The exterior of the Arko should be cleaned only with a soft, dry cloth.

Cleaning fluids, lubricants and sprays should not be applied to the arm tube, headshell, bearing assembly or counterweight.

The tonearm bearings do not require routine user lubrication.

Stylus cleaning should follow the cartridge manufacturer's instructions, using a suitable brush and moving only in the safe direction beneath the cartridge.

The complete LP12 should be serviced periodically so the suspension, bearing, motor, tonearm and cartridge setup can be inspected together.

Arko as an LP12 Upgrade

Arko can provide a substantial upgrade for an LP12 fitted with an older or lower-level tonearm, but it should be considered as part of the complete turntable.

Linn's source-first approach means the condition and specification of the LP12 bearing, sub-chassis, power supply and suspension remain important.

In some systems, servicing the turntable or improving the bearing and sub-chassis may be more beneficial before changing the tonearm.

Audio T can inspect the existing LP12 and explain which upgrade is likely to provide the most useful improvement within the available budget.

Key Features

• High-precision gimballed tonearm
• Developed for the Linn Sondek LP12
• Fitted as standard to the Selekt LP12
• 7075-grade aluminium used throughout the arm wand assembly
• Cold-drawn 7075-grade aluminium arm tube
• Machined aluminium headshell
• Weight-reduction pockets within the headshell
• Elongated cartridge-mounting slots
• Ultra-stable gimbal platform
• Single-piece polished stainless-steel through-spindle
• Machined stainless-steel counterweight
• Counterweight positioned to reduce arm-wand inertia
• 10 g effective mass
• Cartridge-mass compatibility from 2 to 10 g
• Tracking-force adjustment from 0 to 3 g
• 229 mm effective length
• 211 mm pivot-to-stylus distance
• 18 mm stylus overhang
• 24-degree offset angle
• Designed as the matching tonearm for Linn Kendo
• Compatible with other suitably matched cartridges
• Professional Linn installation and configuration required

Frequently Asked Questions