Linn Koil Moving Coil Cartridge

The Koil is Linn's entry-level moving coil cartridge, fitted as standard to the LP12 Majik MC version and available separately as a replacement or a step up from the Adikt MM. It is the first rung on Linn's moving coil ladder, and it already demonstrates why that ladder is worth climbing.

Moving coil cartridges operate on fundamentally different principles to moving magnet designs. In a moving coil, very small and light coils are attached to the cantilever and move within a fixed magnetic field — the inverse arrangement to a moving magnet, where the magnet moves. The advantage is lower moving mass, which means faster, more precise stylus response. The disadvantage is lower output voltage, which demands more from the phono stage.

The Koil's Design

The Koil uses a nude Microlinear stylus — "nude" meaning the stylus tip is a complete diamond, not a diamond chip bonded to a metal shank. A nude stylus tracks the groove with greater consistency and lower resonance than a bonded design. The Microlinear profile is a fine-line geometry that contacts the groove walls over a narrow, precise area, offering better high-frequency tracing and lower record wear than a standard elliptical.

The cantilever is boron — a material chosen specifically for its combination of stiffness and very low mass. A stiff, light cantilever transmits groove modulations to the coils with minimal energy loss and without adding its own resonances to the signal. Boron is not commonly found at this price point; it is more typically a material used in mid to upper-level moving coil designs.

The armature is trapezoidal — a coil geometry that reduces distortion in the generated signal by improving the linearity of the magnetic circuit.

Specifications and System Matching

The Koil outputs 0.4mV at the standard 5cm/s measurement. This is low output by any standard, and it requires an appropriate phono stage. Moving magnet phono stages — including the built-in phono inputs on many integrated amplifiers — do not have sufficient gain for the Koil. You need either a phono stage with a dedicated MC input at appropriate gain, or a separate step-up transformer.

If your system does not currently have an MC-capable phono stage, this is a conversation to have before buying the Koil. We are happy to advise on what works well.

Tracking force is 1.8–2.2g, with 2.0g nominal. The recommended load resistance is 100Ω. Cartridge mass is 7.6g, which is compatible with the Krane and other standard-mount tonearms.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

The Koil is for the LP12 Majik owner — or prospective owner — who has, or is willing to acquire, a phono stage with proper MC capability. It is also for anyone who has been running an Adikt and wants to move to a moving coil design without stepping into the more demanding requirements of the Kendo or Krystal above it in Linn's range.

The Koil is a genuine moving coil cartridge, not a dressed-up entry-level compromise. The nude stylus, boron cantilever, and low moving mass are real performance advantages that put it meaningfully ahead of most MM designs in terms of detail retrieval, dynamic response, and inner resolution. It is not the ceiling of what the LP12 can do — the Kendo, Krystal, Kandid, and Ekstatik are all above it — but it is a convincing first step onto that path.

The Adikt MM is the right choice if your phono stage is MM-only. The Koil is the right choice once you have — or are willing to add — appropriate MC gain.

Buying from Martin's Hi-Fi

Martin's Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968, and the Linn range has been part of what we do for years. We are still family-run — Ted Martin's daughter Elizabeth runs the business today — and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind.

We can advise on phono stage matching for the Koil — the right pairing matters at this level, and there is a significant range of MC phono stages worth considering at different price points. If you are fitting a Koil to an existing Majik LP12, we will set it up correctly.

Reach them at dave@martinshifi.co.uk, chris@martinshifi.co.uk, info@martinshifi.co.uk, call on 01603 627010, or WhatsApp Dave or Chris directly on 07554 687137. You can read more about who we are and how we work on our Why Martin's page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY, open six days a week.

Contact: info@martinshifi.co.uk | 01603 627010 | WhatsApp: 07554 687137 | 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY