Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — Linn Klimax LP12

The Klimax LP12 is the complete record-playing system that Linn of Glasgow, Scotland, assembles around its Sondek LP12, a belt-drive deck that had been in production for 48 years and had received more than 40 upgrades when this version was announced on 28 October 2021. It arrived together with the new Ekstatik cartridge and a new Radikal motor supply at a UK price of GBP 21,795, and the current US configuration starts from USD 45,970. Each part is also sold on its own as an upgrade for older LP12 decks.

Key specs that matter

The deck runs at 33 1/3 and 45 rpm from a brushed DC motor with precious-metal contacts and a moving coil rotor. It measures 445 mm wide, 140 mm high and 356 mm deep, while the separate Klimax Radikal box is 350 x 60 x 355 mm and weighs nearly 14 kg in its machined aluminium chassis on stainless steel feet. The Ekstatik moving coil cartridge delivers 0.45 mV at 3.54 cm/s, has an internal impedance of 12 ohm and tracks at 2.0 g. Its micro-ridge diamond stylus sits on a sapphire cantilever, and the body weighs about 7 g. Channel separation is better than 30 dB at 1 kHz. The Urika II moving coil phono stage is built into the plinth, so the output of the deck is already at line level.

Engineering and use context

Speed is governed digitally - the Radikal uses FPGA motor control on a six-layer board, with a reference voltage derived from Linn network streamer designs, and an acoustic housing decouples the motor from the deck. Separate voltage rails feed the motor and the Urika II, keeping the phono stage apart from the motor supply. Urika II applies the RIAA curve in the digital domain and is mounted on the Trampolin base board. The Keel SE is a machined one-piece subchassis and armboard reinforced with titanium, which Linn rates at 300 percent higher stiffness than its earlier designs. The platter turns on the Karousel single-point bearing, introduced in 2020, with a stainless steel housing and a revised thrust pad. The Ekos SE arm uses a titanium tube, ultra-low friction bearings in a stainless steel housing and temperature-compensated springs, and the Ekstatik body is skeletonised in a honeycomb pattern with aluminium-bronze inserts.

Pairing

Because cartridge, arm and phono stage are chosen and fitted by Linn, the owner only connects the system to a line input on a preamplifier or integrated amplifier. Anyone who prefers a separate MC stage instead of the built-in Urika II should set a load of 100 ohm and 1 nF for the Ekstatik. Standard plinths come in oak, cherry, black ash, rosenut or walnut, while the Bedrok engineered wood plinth adds piano black, high gloss white and custom colours. The warranty runs 5 years.

Alternatives

The Linn Selekt LP12 is another factory-configured system built on the same Sondek LP12 deck.