Linn Ekos SE Tonearm

The Ekos SE is Linn's reference tonearm — the arm fitted as standard to the Linn Klimax LP12, and the upper boundary of what tonearm engineering within the LP12 platform currently achieves. At £4,880, it sits above the Linn Arko Tonearm and the Linn Krane Tonearm in a range whose every step is deliberate and audible — and its presence at the top of that range is not ceremonial. The Ekos SE is the arm for which the Kandid and Ekstatik cartridges were designed, and the arm whose bearing precision, titanium arm tube, and temperature-compensated anti-skate mechanism create the mechanical conditions that reference-level cartridge performance demands. It is the arm to be on when the objective is the highest level of LP12 performance currently achievable, and no other tonearm in the range is designed to that specification.

Titanium Arm Tube — Aerospace Precision in the Signal Path

The Ekos SE's arm tube is machined from aerospace-grade titanium — a material specification that addresses two of the fundamental challenges of tonearm design simultaneously. Titanium is lighter than steel and stiffer than aluminium at equivalent tube dimensions, producing an arm tube whose effective mass is low enough to correctly match high-compliance, low-output moving coil cartridges, whilst being rigid enough to transmit energy away from the cartridge without flexure or mechanical storage. Where energy is stored in an arm structure, it is returned to the cartridge — as a delayed signal that sits on top of the retrieved groove information and degrades it. Titanium's natural resonance damping characteristics mean that energy arriving at the arm tube from the cartridge body is dissipated rather than reflected, and the signal that reaches the bearing and the tonearm cable is cleaner and more accurate as a result.

The arm tube is not extruded or drawn. It is machined — a manufacturing process that delivers dimensional precision and material consistency at a level that production tube manufacture cannot approach, and one that allows Linn's engineers to control the geometry of the structure to the tolerances that reference performance requires.

Stainless Steel Bearing Housing — Precision at the Pivot

The bearing housing is stainless steel — chosen for dimensional stability, resistance to mechanical creep under load, and a surface hardness that ensures the bearing assembly operates within its designed tolerances throughout the arm's working life. The bearing assembly itself runs at extremely low friction — a specification that matters because any resistance in the bearing is resistance that the stylus must overcome whilst tracking the groove. A bearing that is not frictionless imposes a varying load on the stylus as the arm moves across the record, and that varying load is a source of distortion that the cartridge cannot correct for. The Ekos SE's bearing specification eliminates this as a factor — the stylus tracks freely, and the signal it generates is a function of groove geometry rather than the arm's mechanical resistance.

Temperature-Compensated Anti-Skate

Anti-skate mechanisms in conventional tonearms are calibrated at a single temperature. In real listening conditions — across seasons, across the temperature range of a typical listening room, across the lifetime of the arm — the mechanical properties of conventional anti-skate springs drift from their calibrated values, and tracking force at the inner groove drifts with them. The Ekos SE uses temperature-compensated springs in its anti-skate mechanism: springs whose characteristics are stable across the full range of ambient temperatures encountered in normal use, maintaining consistent anti-skate force regardless of conditions. This is a practical engineering detail that has an audible consequence — tracking geometry at the inner groove remains correct, and the distortion that would result from anti-skate drift is not present.

T-Kable — Screened Signal Transmission

Each Ekos SE is supplied with Linn's T-Kable — a fully screened tonearm cable designed specifically for the low-level signal from a moving coil cartridge. The T-Kable minimises capacitive loading on the cartridge generator and provides comprehensive electromagnetic screening, ensuring that the signal arriving at the phono stage is as close as possible to the signal generated at the stylus. At reference level, the tonearm cable is not an afterthought — it is part of the signal path, and the T-Kable is specified to be worthy of the arm it serves.

The Ekstatik and Kandid Partnership

The Ekos SE is designed for use with either the Linn Ekstatik or the Linn Kandid Moving Coil Cartridge. The bearing precision, effective mass, and arm geometry of the Ekos SE are specified in relation to the compliance, output, and mounting geometry of these two cartridges — a development relationship that ensures the arm and cartridge operate as a system rather than as independently optimised components that happen to be fitted together. The correct realisation of the Ekos SE's capabilities requires one of these two cartridges; running any other cartridge on the Ekos SE is not the configuration for which it was designed.

Linn pairs the Ekos SE with the Linn Keel SE Sub-Chassis at reference level — an arm-and-sub-chassis combination whose engineering is mutually reinforcing, and whose combined effect on the LP12's performance exceeds what either component delivers independently.

Where It Fits in the LP12 Range

The Ekos SE is the correct arm for a reference-level LP12 build — Klimax specification, or a high-level Linn LP12 Selekt Turntable build where the Arko has been the starting point and the upgrade path leads here. For existing Ekos owners, the SE upgrade delivers a substantial step in performance — titanium arm tube, stainless steel bearing housing, and temperature-compensated anti-skate represent a measurably different engineering standard from the earlier arm — and it does not require sub-chassis changes to deliver that improvement, though the combination of Ekos SE and Keel SE is the configuration in which its full potential is realised.

Technical Specifications

Linn does not publish effective length or effective mass figures for the Ekos SE. Confirm current specifications with Linn or at point of installation.

Who Is It For?

The Ekos SE is for LP12 owners who are committed to reference-level performance and have — or are building towards — the sub-chassis, cartridge, and power supply that support it fully. It makes most sense as part of a Keel SE build, where arm and sub-chassis reinforce each other's performance and the combined effect is greater than the sum of the individual upgrades. For existing Ekos owners, the SE represents a substantial and clearly audible step forward that does not require simultaneous sub-chassis changes to be worthwhile — though the full potential of the arm is realised when both are in place. It is the correct arm for anyone who intends to run a Kandid or Ekstatik, without exception.

Buying from Martins Hi-Fi

Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind.

Fitting the Ekos SE requires complete LP12 disassembly, precise arm collar alignment, cartridge fitting and alignment, and full suspension rebalancing — professional installation is essential, and we carry out the complete process on our dedicated LP12 service bench. The arm will not leave our workshop until tracking force, azimuth, stylus rake angle, anti-skate, and suspension balance are all correctly set. If you are fitting the Ekos SE alongside a Keel SE sub-chassis, Kandid cartridge, or other reference-level components, speak to us before ordering — the correct sequence and approach matters, and the advice is part of what we provide.

When you get in touch, you'll be speaking with Dave, Chris and Tim — experienced specialists who can advise on this product and your whole system.

Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.