Linn Selekt LP12 Turntable

The Linn Sondek LP12 is perhaps one of the most iconic turntables in existence, and for good reason - the LP12 was created in 1973 when founder Ivor Tiefenbrun was unhappy with the sound of his recently acquired hifi system. After continually replacing and upgrading amplifiers and speakers, Ivor discovered that a hifi system is only ever as good as its source. Any musical information lost by the turntable can never be remedied further down the hi-fi system chain. Improving the isolation and materials of his turntable resulted in a major improvement in sound quality, and as such, the LP12 and Linn’s philosophy of ‘Source First’ was born.

Since then, Linn has been continuously researching and designing ways to further improve vinyl playback, from improved bearings to smoother, low noise power supplies and quieter, powerful motors. What’s more, every Linn LP12 can be upgraded and improved via Linn designed components such as arm board, sub-chassis, main bearing and dc power supplies, no matter the age, meaning your investment can last a lifetime.

What's included with my Sondek LP12?

Every new LP12 is built to order, to your exact specification. From the choice of plinth finish to armboard, tonearm, cartridge and power supply - each LP12 can be tailored to your needs. But Linn has also pre-configured 3 levels of LP12, offering a match of parts, designed to work together in perfect harmony. Their first configuration is Majik -

The Selekt LP12 includes everything needed to bring absolute enjoyment to your record collection - It consists of a hand-selected choice of chassis, armboard, tonearm, motor & power supply, leaving you to enjoy the music as intended. Every Selekt LP12 can then be further upgraded in the future for even greater performance.

The Selekt LP12 consists of the Sondek Plinth, available in your choice of real wood veneers or high gloss paint finish. Want your turntable to match the paint on your new car, listening room or just to stand out? No problem, Linn can customise your LP12 plinth to any colour you wish. We have an Orange Majik LP12 to match our logo!

This plinth provides housing for Linn’s incredibly stiff, strong & stable 'Kore' milled aluminium sub-chassis & bonded aluminium armboard, on which sits their newest innovation, the Karousel bearing. The same bearing and seen in Linn’s range-topping Klimax LP12, to provide incredibly smooth and stable support for your favourite record.

Powering the Selekt LP12 is Linn’s discrete Lingo 4 outboard PSU, an external, smart, self-regulating power supply designed to provide smooth, noise-free power to the AC motor. This motor is mechanically isolated and features power filters, keeping any noise transfer and judder to an absolute minimum. The Lingo 4 can switch between 33 & 45 RPM at the push of a button and provides pitch-perfect stability thanks to it's smart optical platter speed sensor - regulating the exact speed of the platter to maintain speed at every turn. 

No turntable is complete without a tonearm. Atop the Selekt LP12, you’ll find Linn's newest addition, the custom-made Arko tonearm. This tonearm features an ultra-stable gimbal platform which facilitates superb bearing concentricity and alignment. Its arm wand travels in space with minimum hindrance; the affixed cartridge bobs and moves with the warps and grooves of the record, with finesse and fluidity. The Linn Arko is designed for perfect playback with Linn cartridges on an LP12 thanks to its 3-point headshell mount design but also works well with most other cartridge designs with its easy and accurate VTA & Azimuth adjustment.

Special care and effort was taken to ensure that 7075-grade aluminium would be used exclusively throughout the arm wand assembly – from headshell to gimbal – with the resultant material synergy and coupling effectively banishing undesirable resonances away from the delicate generator, and out through the sub-chassis.

Marry Arko to its perfect partner, the aluminium-bodied Kendo moving coil cartridge, and this energy transfer is improved yet further.

Kendo is the outcome of Linn's engineers’ efforts to capitalise on the elements of Ekstatik which work so well; using their tried-and-true, trickle-down development methodology to produce a more affordable, high-performance cartridge which retains the same core design principles and acoustic fingerprint.

Kendo possesses a rigid, nickel-coated 7075-grade aluminium body. This specific grade of aluminium matches that of the Arko tonearm, for which Kendo was designed to be the perfect partner. This facilitates superb material synergy throughout the tonearm system, and effectively banishes unwanted resonances away from the delicate generator, along the arm, and out through the sub-chassis.

Who is Linn?

Linn want to bring you closer to the music you love, to feel every note, to experience your music with clarity and power, unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Their philosophy is simple too - don’t make anything unless it’s better than what’s available elsewhere. For them, “good enough” isn’t good enough.

Every single system is built by hand in their Glasgow factory and bears the name of the person who made it. It’s built with precision and pride, designed for the future and engineered to extraordinarily tight tolerances. And of course, every product is rigorously tested before it leaves the factory in order to ensure that it delivers outstanding performance today and for many, many years to come.

A Linn system isn’t just something to enjoy now. It’s an investment that will enrich your whole life.