Get the Most Out of Your Vinyl Grooves with a Linn Ittok Tonearm
The Linn Ittok LVII tonearm is a superbly balanced tonearm that is well regarded in the hi-fi audio world for its extremely accurate reproduction of the full dynamic range, including elements of low-frequency bass tones that are otherwise difficult to pick up. Linn is a Scottish company and the Japanese engineer responsible for this tonearm was named 'Ito', hence the name 'Ittok' for this component. Only produced between 1979 and 1993, the Linn Ittok turntable arm was the first to to be designed according to the principle of ‘maximum rigidity’. Decide on a budget, then search for your replacement tonearm on eBay.
What makes the LVII so special?
This particular tone arm was designed with two performance features in mind: stability and simplicity. To comply with the first, it has a coherent mechanical system that facilitates a balanced relationship between turntable and cartridge by minimising any loss of dynamic accuracy—meaning that practically none of the frequencies in the grooves of the record are lost as they travel from the stylus mounted in the cartridge, through this tonearm, and then out to the speakers. The second is achieved by tracking force (having the cartridge/stylus exerting the correct amount of pressure on the record) and bias weight (which prevents the needle from accidentally skating across the record).
What are the technical specifications of the Linn Ittok LVII?
The Linn Ittok LVII was designed to be not only dynamically and sonically accurate, but also extremely stable. It has a specialised bearing system, controls for bias force and tracking weight, a fixed headshell, and a carefully calibrated straight arm tube. Some of the other features which set this tonearm apart are:
- Tracking force: 0 to 3 g.
- Effective mass: 11.5 g.
- Cartridge weight: 3 to 9 g.
- Effective length: 229 mm.
- Overhang: 18 mm.
- Mounting distance: 211 mm.
- Lateral friction: less than 20 mg.
- Horizontal friction: less than 20 mg.
Can you use this tonearm with non-Linn turntables?
Although the Linn Ittok VII is a perfect fit for the Linn LP12 Sondek, this tonearm can possibly be fitted to turntables made by other companies. See the manufacturer’s site for details on compatibility.
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