Linn Selekt LP12 Ex-Demonstration

Condition note: this unit has damage to the top front right-hand side of the plinth — please refer to the product images for full details. Sold as seen in this respect. All other components are in excellent working order and the turntable is supplied with its full manufacturer warranty and original packaging.

The Selekt LP12 is one of the finest expressions of the Sondek LP12 platform — a turntable specification that sits above the Linn LP12 Majik and below the Linn Klimax LP12, occupying the position in the range where exceptional performance and considered investment meet. This ex-demonstration example represents a significant opportunity to own a fully specified Selekt LP12 at a reduced price — complete with full manufacturer warranty and original packaging — with the sole caveat of cosmetic damage to the top front right-hand side of the plinth, fully documented in the product images.

The Sondek LP12 has been in continuous production since 1973. No other turntable has remained in production for as long, been developed as continuously, or inspired as much devotion — and the Selekt specification represents a carefully considered balance of components whose collective performance challenges alternatives at substantially higher prices. Every component fitted to this deck — bearing, sub-chassis, tonearm, cartridge, power supply — can be upgraded independently over time, without replacing the plinth or starting again. The turntable purchased today at Selekt specification becomes something considerably more capable in five or ten years, for a fraction of the cost of the alternative.

What's Fitted

• Kendo cartridge — moving coil design with aluminium-bronze inserts, boron cantilever, and super-fine-line diamond stylus tip
• Arko tonearm — gimballed arm machined from 7075-grade aluminium to exceptionally high tolerances
• Lingo power supply — hybrid internal/external design for stable, low-noise motor control
• Kore sub-chassis — aluminium sub-chassis bonded to a machined-from-solid armboard
• Karousel bearing — Linn's high-precision, machined single-point bearing
• Trampolin base — suspended feet on an aluminium baseboard for additional isolation from vibration

The Karousel Bearing — A Transformative Foundation

The Karousel bearing is the most significant single improvement to the LP12 platform in decades — Linn's own assessment, and one that is consistently borne out in listening. Its high-precision, single-point construction reduces bearing noise to levels that its predecessor could not approach, lowering the noise floor beneath the music and revealing detail that was previously obscured. On a Selekt LP12, the Karousel is not a future upgrade — it is already fitted, and its effect on low-level resolution and musical timing is present in the deck from the first play.

Arko Tonearm — Precision Machined Throughout

The Arko tonearm is machined from 7075-grade aerospace aluminium — the same material Linn uses across its tonearm range — to tolerances that ensure the Kendo cartridge is held in a consistently correct mechanical relationship with the groove. The Arko's gimballed bearing design provides low-friction movement in both planes, ensuring the stylus tracks freely and the signal it generates is a function of groove geometry alone. It is the correct partner for the Kendo at Selekt specification — an arm whose engineering is matched to the cartridge above it and the sub-chassis beneath it.

Kendo Moving Coil Cartridge — Retrieval at Reference Level

The Kendo is a moving coil cartridge with a boron cantilever and super-fine-line diamond stylus — a stylus profile that contacts the groove wall over a narrower, more precisely defined area than any less sophisticated geometry, following the original cutting stylus more closely and retrieving a greater proportion of the recorded signal with lower distortion. Paired with the Arko on a Kore sub-chassis, the Kendo retrieves low-level detail and musical timing that will challenge alternatives at considerably higher prices.

The Upgrade Path — Where This Deck Can Go

The Selekt LP12 is not a destination — it is a starting point whose upgrade trajectory is one of the most clearly defined in high-end audio. From this specification, the next logical steps include the Linn Krane Tonearm or Linn Bedrok Plinth upgrade — both of which address the platform at a more fundamental level and deliver further improvements in noise floor, timing, and low-level resolution. The Lingo power supply can be upgraded to Radikal for active digital speed management, at which point the internal Urika phono stage becomes available. Each upgrade is independent; each delivers a clearly audible improvement; none requires replacing the plinth.

Who Is It For?

This ex-demonstration Selekt LP12 is for the listener who wants exceptional analogue performance at a price that reflects the cosmetic condition of the plinth rather than the performance of the electronics and mechanics — all of which are in full working order and covered by the complete manufacturer warranty. It suits an owner who understands the LP12 upgrade path and sees this deck as the starting point for a system that will develop over time, as well as the listener who simply wants a fully specified Selekt LP12 at a reduced price and is unconcerned by a cosmetic mark they will not see during normal use.

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.

This ex-demonstration unit can be heard at our Norwich showroom — we are happy to demonstrate it directly and discuss the condition in detail before any commitment is made. We can also advise on upgrade paths, phono stage pairing, and amplification matching for this specific build level.

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.