The new Klimax Radikal and Keel SE upgrades are on demonstration at LMC's Scottsdale showroom. Hear the latest in Linn engineering and how these refinements change what an LP12 is capable of.
Klimax Radikal
Reference motor control, motor and power supply for the Sondek LP12.
Klimax Radikal features hyper-accurate speed management technology, generating sustained, uniform rotation closer to 33⅓ rpm than any turntable.
You'll hear more of your music, in perfect pitch, thanks to Klimax Radikal's digitally managed motor control, bespoke Utopik power supply, and machined aluminium chassis with exceptional electrical and mechanical isolation.
The Utopik power supply is critical to performance: it has separate, dedicated output voltage rails for each of Klimax Radikal's two specialised tasks — controlling the motor and providing power to Urika internal phono stages. These rails are separately self-regulating, so sudden draws in power from the motor or controller don't affect the rails supplying Urika, and vice versa. That independence ensures consistency and quality of power to both the motor and the phono stage.
Also critical is Klimax Radikal's enhanced mechanical isolation. Weighing nearly 14 kg, machined from three pieces of solid aluminium and mounted on high-mass stainless-steel feet with rubber ring inserts, its casework is reassuringly robust in the face of external influences.
Keel SE
Flagship machined sub-chassis and armboard for the Sondek LP12.
Keel SE is the super evolution of Linn's highest-performance LP12 sub-chassis.
Linn's engineers comprehensively improved on the original using Finite Element Analysis. That let them evaluate the limitations of previous sub-chassis designs and break free from them, combining virtual prototyping with enhanced in-house machining. The outcome is a visibly improved machined sub-chassis with superior stiffness, optimised resonant behaviour, and ideal distribution of mass.
An intricate bracing structure machined into the underside of Keel SE — designed using a mixture of manual and computer-aided optimisation — increases sub-chassis stiffness as much as possible. That 300% increase over previous designs means vibrations travelling through Keel SE have their frequencies forced higher and their energy substantially lowered.
Optimised resonant behaviour allows Keel SE to break up and dissipate problematic acoustic energy, reducing its impact on the delicate music signal.
By machining aluminium from calculated areas beneath the armboard, Keel SE balances its centre of mass more evenly on its suspension than other sub-chassis models. That improves weight distribution between the springs and reduces inertia, improving the critical acoustic isolation properties of any LP12.