Conference hips::uk_audioo

55.0. "The Linn Ekos tonearm" by YARD::BRIGHT (Mornington Crescent) Mon Nov 07 1988 17:28

The following article has been extracted from Hi-Fi Review magazine,
November 1988 issue.


				EKOS SAY
				--------

	    Chris Frankland listens to a �900 tonearm from Linn


A new super-arm from Linn Products has been rumoured for some time now, but
since Linn play things closer to their chest than ever these days, the first
time we new that it really existed was when one of their dealers phoned up
and said that his first consignment had been despatched to him.

The arm definitely is here, and it is called the Ekos: apparently after the
French word 'ecosse', meaning Scotland. Price will be �895, and it is
impressively packaged in a strong wooden box, as befitting a product of this
quality and price.

From a cursory glance at the Ekos, it is not easy to spot the differnces
between it and the Ittok. This is because thay are mainly under the skin, but
there are some immediately noticeable changes that the keen Ittok-owning
observer will spot instantly.

The lift/lower device and arm rest are now all located on a platform attached
to the pillar, which will greatly improve the arm's compatibility on decks
other than the LP12. It is therefore not necessary for a separate hole to be
drilled for the rest. I am told that the lift/lower device, which is damped
on both up and down, no longer rattles in the way the old one did.

The headshell is some 5mm shorter than that of the Ittok, and it has a
strengthening web at the side for increased resistance to twisting forces.
Comparing it to that of the Ittok, it is tangibly less flexy. What you cannot
see, however, is that it is now machined from the same aluminium alloy from
which the arm tube, Troika body and arm base are made. It also has a line
machined on its underside for aligning Linn cartridges such as the Asaka and
Karma.

In an attempt to further maximise rigidity in the arm, you will note that the
three retaining screws at the shell/tube joint have been eliminated. It is now
glued in with a special aluminium loaded glue, and the tube is likewise glued
at the bearing end. Technical director Martin Dalgleish confirmed that with
today's glueing technology, the joint can easily be stronger than the
material. He also confirmed that the use of aluminium loaded glue helped to
make the whole assembly more like a one piece arm than most of the one-piece
arms currently on sale!

All the machined parts of the arm are now manufactured in Scotland, rather
than Japan. The materials used are the same as before: shell and tube from
aluminium alloy and bearings from stainless steel. The ball races used in
the bearings are now two grades better, and they are further selected and
sorted into micron steps. The recesses into which they locate are also very
precisely engineered in their Floors Road factory to ensure optimum alignment
accuracy. Many designers have claimed this is impossible as the work must be
turned during machining so as to drill in from both sides, but Dalgleish
proudly boasts that they can do it due to the accuracy of their lathes.

The actual stainless steel bearing shafts are machined to one micron
tolerances! That's five times the degree of accuracy applied to the LP12
turntable bearing.

This is only possible thanks to Linn's Jones & Shipman and Hardinge lathes 
and grinders, which allow the fine tolerances to be achieved. Apparently 
the lathes and grinders used in Japan simply are not good enough, and this 
is why they had to make the Ekos in Scotland. They also have the 
measurement resources of the National Engineering Laboratory just down the 
road, where they can carry out measurements on surface irregularities and 
shaft roundness so fine that they could never afford the equipment to do 
it in house.

Finally, the arm cable has a metal plug so that it can be adequately 
tightened into the pillar without risk of damage.

If you already own an Ittok, the installation of an Ekos is not difficult, 
but although in theory you could swap it straight over in two minutes, it 
is as well to go for a new armboard, especially since you will otherwise be 
left with a hole and plug where the arm rest base used to fit. Also the new 
metal plug on the arm lead is worth having, and that will necessitate a new 
P-clip to clamp the arm cable. Not a long or costly job at all and one your 
dealer can cope with quickly and simply.

In use, you'll hardly notice the difference, apart from the fact that the 
lift/lower device works properly, and that the fingerlift is easier to get 
your finger under: a boon for those who don't like using the lift/lower 
devices like myself.

Mounting the cartridge is just as easy as the Ittok despite the shorter 
shell length, and the machined line underneath does aid alignment, although 
with the Troika that is taken care of with the rear fixing bolt. The nut is 
also slightly recessed in the Ekos headshell, although sadly as it was 
machined rather than cast, there could be no hexagonal cutout to remove the 
necessity to hold the nut with a spanner when tightening.

So cursorily like the Ittok does the Ekos look, that one is little 
prepared for the magnitude of improvement that has actually been achieved. 
Unlike the Naim arm, which sounds totally *different*, the Ekos, being 
derived from the Ittok, does bear a family resemblance.

As with any product that is such a substantial leap forward in quality, I 
spent a delightful week acquainting myself with the benefits of the Ekos in 
my Linn/Naim active six-pack system. And it does not take long indeed to 
realise that the Ekos is a quantum leap better than the Ittok in every 
important area.

Inevitably you reach for your current favourites, and for me that meant 
that Eric Marienthal's 'Voices of the Heart' was first on the platter. 
Marienthal's sax lead came across on the Ekos with a degree of detail, 
presence and power that I had not heard before, while bass lines were much 
fuller and more articulate. Pat Kelly's brilliant guitar work was more 
sharply etched and harmonically richer than before, and the whole 
production simply held together decidely more coherently.

Playing 2AM from Teddy Prendergrass' 'Joy' album also brought a delightful 
surprise: not only was his voice charged with a good deal more emotional 
impact than on the Ittok, but backing vocals on the choruses were a good 
deal better defined and easier to follow.

Ben Sidran's 'It didn't all come true' is an all-time fave of mine, and I 
was staggered at how much more dynamic and in control the Ekos was compared 
to the Ittok. Sidran's vocals were open and crystal clear with a degree of 
reality and presence not heard before, yet without glare or shrillness. The 
acoustic bass lines really motored along where they had been vaguer on the 
Ittok, and when Erskine really hits a tom or snare, it has so much more 
power on the Ekos that you really sit up and take note.

All the time one is aware of the vast areas of improvement over the Ittok, 
it is also apparent that there is indeed a family resemblance, but changing 
to the Ekos from an Ittok will give you broadly a similar perspective and 
sound, but improved beyond all recognition in terms of dynamics, 
separation and rythmic integrity.

Bass lines that were before occasionally vague in places, suddenly snap 
sharply into focus with a degree of verve and rythmic snap unheard on the 
Ittok. Yet, even more immediately apparent, is the phenomenal top end 
performance of the Ekos. Its crispness, clarity, sonorousness on stick-hit 
cymbal are utterly breathtaking, while the degree of definition as a hi-hat 
opens or closes will make your mouth water.

The uncanny ability of the Ekos to sort out detail where confusion has 
reigned before brings out a plethora of undiscovered nuances on tracks one 
knows well. It is not that things were not there on the Ittok, simply that 
occasionally you could have a good guess at what was being played, but in 
all honesty it was obscured by other more dominant instruments. In such 
instances, the sheer grip and poise of the Ekos allow one far greater 
insight.

On truly difficult tracks too, like Roy Ayers' 'Hot' from his 'You might be 
surprised' album, the Ekos springs some outrageous surprises: here the 
track gets up and literally sprints along compared to its tempo on the 
Ittok. The complex synth sequences are conveyed with a precision and lack 
of distortion that is like a breath of fresh air.

The rediscovery of one's record collection is an overused cliche in hi-fi 
magazines, but there is an element of truth in it. As I tried more and 
more of my favourite albums, I was hearing more of everything. And, I am 
pleased to say, there were no instances where any record sounded worse than 
before.

As I sat enjoying the extra dynamics, life and energy that the Ekos 
injected into all of my record collection, my thoughts inevitably revolved 
around how much better the Ekos was than the Ittok. Quantifying such 
differences is never easy, but at the end of the day Linn have quantified 
it as being worth just over double the price of the current Ittok, and if 
pressed, I think I would have to say that the kind of change it has brought 
to my system is like that I got from changing from a Karma to a Troika.

When something comes along that improves so dramatically over the best 
you'd heard to date, and thus redefines the meaning of 'best', one fails in 
ones ability to pick holes in it. Compared to the live event, clearly it is 
lacking, but outside that context this is the most remarkably detailed, 
dynamic and musically coherent I have heard. It has superfine detail 
resolution, and always keeps a tight grip of the music, no matter how tough 
the going gets.

Many of you will no doubt want to know how I felt the Ekos compares to the 
Naim arm reviewed elsewhere in this issue. Well, you might like to know, 
but I'm not going to tell you: not yet at least. The Naim arm was with us 
so briefly as to preclude the time for a comparison, so watch this space.

In the meantime, I can recommend the Ekos as beyond all doubt the finest 
arm I have heard to date, and its margin of victory over the Ittok more 
than justifies the increase in price. You owe it to yourself to hear one.

    I took the liberty of copying this note to topic 11 (Record playing
    equipment reviews), and adding a few comments of my own as I'd heard
    an Ekos last weekend.
    
    That way we keep all reviews together; as a rule reviews shouldn't
    be replied to, but specific products can be discussed outside the
    review in another topic.
    
    Dave
    
    

    I went to my local LINN dealer, LYRIC HI-FI in Belfast, and listened
    to the EKOS. The demo I heard was LP12, ITTOK and ASAKA against
    the comparably priced LP12, EKOS and K9. Amplification was NAIM
    based and the speakers were LINN HELIX. There wasn't much difference
    between the two, with the EKOS combination just coming out on top. 
    
    However, when you consider that the difference between the price of
    the cartridges is approx. #600 and the cartridge will have to be
    replaced, the EKOS seems a better bet. 
    
    I have yet to hear the EKOS with ASAKA. That wopuld really be something
    else.
    
    Anyway I've started to save my pennies.  :-)
    
    
    Andy. (Who owned a CD for a week but traded it in against an upgrade
           for
     his LINN)